Suggestions for over the network autocad work

[melsen813]

I recently transferred to Boise, ID. I'm trying to do CAD work over the network from the company server located in Seattle, WA. Accessing AutoCAD files over the network has been extremely slow, sometimes 30 minutes to open a file. Although I'm copying the files locally, the xref path is still pointing to the corporate server. Once I get the file open I then re-specify the xref paths to the local server in Boise. It has not been a very efficient process. Does anyone have any software suggestions, or tips to speed the process up?

[Anonymous]

How are you connecting to the other office? Explain what you use now
and how you get the files.

--
Dean Saadallah
Add-on products for LT
http://www.pendean.com/lt
--

[Anonymous]

melsen813 <> wrote in news:5614380@discussion.autodesk.com:

> I recently transferred to Boise, ID. I'm trying to do CAD work over
> the network from the company server located in Seattle, WA. Accessing
> AutoCAD files over the network has been extremely slow, sometimes 30
> minutes to open a file. Although I'm copying the files locally, the
> xref path is still pointing to the corporate server. Once I get the
> file open I then re-specify the xref paths to the local server in
> Boise. It has not been a very efficient process. Does anyone have any
> software suggestions, or tips to speed the process up?

When I need to do this I use a terminal connection (or remote desktop
connection if you don't have a terminal server) on a Windows 2003 Server
(if you have one), so the only thing downloading is the display,
everything else functions as if you are logged on to your network. This
isn't perfect, and at times it does get slow and frustrating, but it is
far superior to trying to download and upload every file you work on,
especially if they are large files.

I have tried using Remote Desktop to log directly into the computer I
use in the office, and it does work, but for some reason it does not
work nearly as well as connecting to the server.

[Anonymous]

We have a VPN set up, log in to a server and remote desktop to the machine
with CAD on it. It's reasonable speedwise because, as kemp said, you're
using the processor of the networked machine and simply sending screen
graphics back and forth over the WAN. The only drawback is that it requires
that you have 2 machines dedicated to one person - one at the office
(Seattle) and the dumb terminal, a laptop or whatever, that you use to
access it.

If you need to do this a lot or have more than a few people needing it, look
into Riverbed network appliances. We use that for our guys in Phoenix,
Stockton and New Orleans for CAD access to our network in So Cal.



wrote in message news:5614380@discussion.autodesk.com...
I recently transferred to Boise, ID. I'm trying to do CAD work over the
network from the company server located in Seattle, WA. Accessing AutoCAD
files over the network has been extremely slow, sometimes 30 minutes to open
a file. Although I'm copying the files locally, the xref path is still
pointing to the corporate server. Once I get the file open I then re-specify
the xref paths to the local server in Boise. It has not been a very
efficient process. Does anyone have any software suggestions, or tips to
speed the process up?

[Anonymous]

Some of our clients rely in mirroring the CAD data overnight. Files that
change in Seattle would be pushed to Boise overnight and visa versa. Both
location use identical drive mapping so the xrefs resolve. It's not
immediate, but seems to work for them. Some may be mirroring more often than
once a day.


wrote in message news:5614380@discussion.autodesk.com...
I recently transferred to Boise, ID. I'm trying to do CAD work over the
network from the company server located in Seattle, WA. Accessing AutoCAD
files over the network has been extremely slow, sometimes 30 minutes to open
a file. Although I'm copying the files locally, the xref path is still
pointing to the corporate server. Once I get the file open I then re-specify
the xref paths to the local server in Boise. It has not been a very
efficient process. Does anyone have any software suggestions, or tips to
speed the process up?

[melsen813]

We are connected to the Seattle office through a T1. I know the IT manager said the bandwidth is about 1 MB/sec. I've been experimenting a little with different methods.
-I've tried opening the files from the server in Seattle. This seems to be the most convenient because I don't have to worry about other people working on the files and changing them while I'm working on it here.
-Ive also tried copying the files to our local drive but they are still referencing the seattle server.
-Ive tried copying the file and reference files to our local drive and then use the reference manager to respecify the path to our local server. Sometimes there are 10 reference files so this has not been very efficient.
-Another option they have discussed was calling the seattle office and having someone unload the xrefs and then I save it over and re-reference the same xrefs that I had copied to the local server. Then when I'm done unload and tell them to respecify the paths. And I still have to make sure nobody works in those files.

Im not really a fan of any of these and think there must be a better way. I have heard of replicating files that someone at our firm used at his past job that worked well. I'm hoping to get more info on that.

Does this help a little. Thanks for responding so quickly.

[philip_smith]

If the XREF's are reasonably static you could use PROJECTNAME settings to use XREFS from a local source.

You will need to :
1 - Redefine the XREF files already attached to use no-path
2 - Define the ProjectName variable in each of the master drawings, typically we use the project number for the job as the variable name.
3 - Define the PROJECTNAME settings in the options > Files tab > Project Files Search Path, add a new item with the same name as used in step 2.
4 - Add the local search path(s) for the XREF files in each of the machines working on the project.

This allows for faster XREF access and common use of master files between offices. Other than this you will be looking at network replication or increased bandwidth solutions as mentioned by others.

[Anonymous]

We use Riverbed/Steelhead compression with mirroring software. (1) central
office and (2) satellite offices with (1) mirrored server in each.

wrote in message news:5621797@discussion.autodesk.com...
If the XREF's are reasonably static you could use PROJECTNAME settings to
use XREFS from a local source.

You will need to :
1 - Redefine the XREF files already attached to use no-path
2 - Define the ProjectName variable in each of the master drawings,
typically we use the project number for the job as the variable name.
3 - Define the PROJECTNAME settings in the options > Files tab > Project
Files Search Path, add a new item with the same name as used in step 2.
4 - Add the local search path(s) for the XREF files in each of the machines
working on the project.

This allows for faster XREF access and common use of master files between
offices. Other than this you will be looking at network replication or
increased bandwidth solutions as mentioned by others.

[Anonymous]

I use a pretty simple process for workng from home. I created a setup at home that is similar to the network drive structure at my office. For example, in my office, all of the projects are stored on a file server. Each office workstation accesses those files using the Z: drive letter mapped to a network path.

At home, I simply use the subst command in Windows XP to assign a folder on my C: drive to a virtual Z: drive. I copy the project directory in the office server Z: network drive with the CAD files I want to work on before I leave the office onto my flash drive and copy them into my virtual Z: drive on my home system. If I need something while I am working, I can log into my office server using pc anywhere and transfer files that way. Never had a problem with this system. The xref paths are maintained because as far as acad is concerned, the drive path never changed (It doesn't seem to know the difference between a network drive and a virtual drive using subst)

I still have to make sure that nobody in the office is working on the same drawings that I am working on at the same time though.