The master block contains the same 16-byte header as other blocks, but this block stores status information about the entire database. It is always the first block in the database and it is found in Area 6 (a Type I storage area). This block contains the database version number, the total allocated blocks, time stamps, and status flags. You can retrieve additional information from this block using the Virtual System Table (VST) _mstrblk. For more information on VSTs, see OpenEdge Data Management: Database Administration.