Status of the HERA-B vertex detector

The HERA-B experiment is a forward magnetic spectrometer with good particle identification for hadrons and leptons designed to study violation of CP symmetry in the neutral B meson system. The silicon vertex detector operates in a high-rate environment similar to the ones expected at LHC. In this paper we report on our R&D on strip detector design, frontend ASICs, mechanical and thermal engineering, low-mass RF shielding of the HERA proton beam and on the status of our reconstruction software. First experiences with last year's installation are discussed.