ZCP Files
NOTE: This note is still very rough, it just contains some copied info from the xda-froum.
These files are XNA Storage Containers. They are essentially a mini filesystem in a single file, similar to a VHD for example. They are mounted by the Zune at runtime when launching an XNA Application. Each application is packaged into its own ZCP File.
The filesystem used is called Zune Content File System (zcstfs.dll) and is actually registered by the StorageManger in the Registry at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\StorageManager\ZCSTFS.
There are 3 different types of Storage Containers used by XNA:
- Game Containers: Mounted automatically at /gametitle/ and stores all the deployed app content.
- Runtime Containers: Mounted automatically at /gamert/ and stores all the XNA Runtime libraries.
- Storage Containers: Has to be manually loaded and will be mounted at /xnaa/. Usually used for save files.
Deployment
When deploying an application to the Zune, it will receive all the files from the computer and then package them into a new zcp container. It is mounted during deploy and launch of the title.
DeployKit uses the same XNA apis as Visual Studio to deploy apps.