What is a .UPDATE file?
A .UPDATE file is a special kind of file used by a program called ISAPI Loader. This program works with Microsoft IIS web servers, which are used to host websites. ISAPI Loader has a cool feature: it can update parts of the web server while it's still running. Normally, to update software, you have to stop it, make the changes, and then start it again. But with "hot-swapping," as it's called, you can swap out old parts for new ones without stopping the server. This is really useful for making sure websites have little to no downtime.
The .UPDATE file contains the new version of a DLL file. DLL files are like little helper programs that the web server needs to do its job. When ISAPI Loader sees a .UPDATE file, it knows it's time to update one of these DLLs.
Here's how it works: ISAPI Loader waits until the web server is at a good stopping point, where it's finished with its current tasks but hasn't started any new ones. Then, it pauses any new requests from coming in. It takes the old DLL file (which has been renamed with a .RUN extension to show it's in use) and changes its name to .BACKUP, keeping it as a backup in case something goes wrong. Next, it renames the .UPDATE file to .RUN, making it the new DLL file that the web server will use. After that, it gets the web server running with the new DLL file, and everything goes back to normal, with the web server able to handle requests again.
To open a .UPDATE file, you would use the EggCentric ISAPI Loader program. This program knows how to handle these files and perform the update process described above.
ISAPI stands for Internet Server Application Programming Interface. It's a set of tools for building applications and extensions that can run on an IIS web server. There are two main types of ISAPI applications: extensions and filters. Extensions are programs that run on the server to do specific tasks, while filters are used to modify or examine requests and responses going through the server, adding extra functionality to the web server.
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