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Any way to prevent Revit from converting paths to UNC

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Message 1 of 16
rreid
2569 Views, 15 Replies

Any way to prevent Revit from converting paths to UNC

Our network has two locations connected via MPLS.  We use globalscape WAFS to replicate projects to both offices so users can work on them together.  WAFS recommends using the subst command to map the drive to the local machine as Revit cannot convert a subst mapped drive to a UNC path.  This allows links to resolve correctly in both offices as the mapped drives are exactly the same (even though the server names are different).  We store our working model in Revit server, but all of the linked models are still stored in fileshares in the project's folder.

 

The subst command has a few quirks in that it always shows as 'Disconnected Network Drive', it doesn't persist across login sessions (we run a script at user logon), and it is problematic over VPN.  The disconnected drive also contributes to slow explorer browsing in Office apps (a known issue with Office).  I would like to stop using subst to map the drive and use the same method that we use for all other drives (Group policy preferences).

 

Is there a registry key that we can change to prevent Revit from converting a network drive map to a UNC path? 

 

Server OS is 2008 R2, desktop OS is Win 7 x64, Revit versions 2011 - 2013.

15 REPLIES 15
Message 2 of 16
alan.quinn
in reply to: rreid

Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe your questions is: “Is there a registry key that we can change to prevent Revit from converting a network drive map to a UNC path?”

 

“Is there a registry key that we can change to prevent Revit from converting a network drive map to a UNC path?”

I will need more information on how you think Revit is converting a mapped network drive to a UNC path (e.g. are the linked Revit project files workshared, and if you are linking workshared projects are you linking a local file or linking the central file directly?). 

 

From your description, it sounds like you are using Revit Server for the working model, but you are not using Revit Server for the linked files, it this the case? If so why are you doing this?


Thanks for posting.

Message 3 of 16
rreid
in reply to: rreid

You have interpreted my question correctly.  We dont load the linked models into Revit server since we receive them from others and they need to be updated regularly.  We are a consulting firm and receive models from Architects, MEP Engineers, and Structural Engineers that we link into our model to do our low voltage system designs.  Some of the Architectural and Engineering firms update their models several times a week and post them for download.  We then take them and overwrite the existing models in our file storage so we dont have to go through and relink the models into ours.

We run into the problem of Revit converting to UNC paths because we have two offices.  Each one uses the same local mapped drive configuration but the server is different.  So the mapped drive path for a linked model is the same in each office, but when Revit converts it to UNC the UNC path is different.

 

We use Globalscape WAFS to keep the two servers in sync with each other since our MPLS is not fast enough to allow us to link models across the WAN.  Globalscape recommends using the subst command to map drives locally so that Revit cannot convert the local path to a UNC path.  This works.  But the drawbacks are difficult to deal with.  Especially with users who work on laptops and are constantly on and off the network.  Subst drives do not reconnect automatically.  

 

Maybe we are not understanding the proper use of Revit server.  But the documentation is not very good.  Add the complexities of lack of backward version compatibility and we end up with multiple Revit servers (one for each version).  The Revit server versions are all slightly different with different capabilities so updating linked models on a weekly basis gets time consuming and ridiculous.  We dont choose what version the model is, typically the architect does.  So we have to accommodate that.

Message 4 of 16
alan.quinn
in reply to: rreid

I talked to development and currently what you want is unsupported. However, it's on development radar and may be available in the future. In the mean time here are a few links that development found on the subject.

 

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/257174/EN-US

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/207671/EN-US

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/149984/EN-US

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd296643(WS.10).aspx

 

Thank you,

Message 5 of 16
rreid
in reply to: rreid

Thank you for the update.  I am not sure that any of those articles help, but i will dig into them and see.  I guess that at this point we will just continue doing what we are doing and live with it until a better method comes along.  

Message 6 of 16
praa276
in reply to: rreid

Hi,

 

Have you find any way to resolve this as I want to test WAFS from GlobalScape or PeerLink between 2 sites that are different domain, server name, ip range.

 

These sites are not connected together except having internet connection, no permanent VPN connection as we are have no mamagement possibility on the second network. 

 

We are not using Revit server at this time and want to find way to have the complete project (folders, cad, revit, office files...) in sync between our server on the 2 sites, transparent to the user and not only Revit files.

 

Thank you,

Message 7 of 16
rreid
in reply to: praa276

never found a solution. Maybe it will be resolved in the 2015 release (doubtful). Right now we just live with it. I am upgrading the network connection at our branch office and will be testing to see if we can eliminate wafs. But that is all i have.
Message 8 of 16
praa276
in reply to: rreid

Hi,

 

We decice to use Peerlink for syncronisation and file lock. This because WAFS from Globalcape need to have a complete duplicate dataset on a third server of the folders that are sync while Peerlink is working directly with the file on the 2 servers and a simple hub/broker service server that is not containing any files. This choice is also because user encounter long slow/hang problem using WAFS from Globalscale while using it 2 years ago with autodesk DWF files containing lot of X-REF in Sheetset. Maybe the problem is resolve now in new version. 

 

For the UNC problem we can still use the NET USE command for users syncing local with central on that is on a network share for Revit on any location.

Sites are independent no VPN and the servers and computers are on a network that is not our.

 

As we map the drives at the main office with only the servername like SERVER-MAIN (192.168.1.10) and the remote office servername is REMOTE (10.1.1.10) we decide to put in the host file of the computers at the remote location the IP address of the remote office server and the name of the main office server.

 

192.168.1.10      SERVER-MAIN

 

This way when we connect with net use Z: SERVER-MAIN in the remote office, it connect to the REMOTE server (10.1.1.10) with the same UNC path like we use at the main office and same as the one Revit seek for.

 

To make work VPN for remote worker that need to connect to the main server to get some file from other project folder we use different letter with complete server path as SERVER-MAIN.main.local and this will connect to main office doing the request to our DNS through the VPN because of the name different as what we put in the host file.

 

We dont have access to DNS and DHCP management at remote office and that is why we go this way to get around the problem with the host file. If it was possible I would certainly use DNS for this.

 

Message 9 of 16
RickGraham
in reply to: alan.quinn

"However, it's on development radar and may be available in the future." 08-15-2012 07:20 AM

 


Must be an awfully big radar as this is now 2014..... just saying.

 

 

Rick

Message 10 of 16
IMKarla
in reply to: praa276

There are many advantages to having the WAFS vault (which I assume is what you're calling the "third server.") You can have the Vault and one Agent on the same server, and the other Agents in remote locations--they don't have to be the same domain. See this article about using Revit with WAFS: http://help.globalscape.com/help/wafs4/using_revit_with_globalscape_wafs.htm

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Message 11 of 16
praa276
in reply to: IMKarla

We are using PeerLink between 2 sites as there is no need for central repository. Only a server for sync and file lock with small application. Having vault and agent on the same server doubvle the space for the project or folder you want to share with another agent. 100Gb agent to sync will need to have also 100Gb on the Vault located on the same server or not.
Message 12 of 16
IMKarla
in reply to: praa276

With PeerLink can you restore previous versions of files, download/save previous versions of files, delete previous versions of files, or make a previous version the current version?

Message 13 of 16
praa276
in reply to: IMKarla

Yes you can. The software install on the server that do the communication between agents is call Peerlink HUB. For any Sync folder you can configure the Target Protection folder. This is hidden in in Explorer and you can configure it to keep numbers of file that is delete or change like keep 3 version for a max of 90 days. It create the a .pc-trash_bin with the same folder structure of the shared project folder. Users have access to this backup folder, replicated, on booth side located in the root of the shared folder, and can restore or delete old version of files and folders or left the PeerLink Hub manage it and delete older files through the # of days to keep.
Message 14 of 16
IMKarla
in reply to: praa276

wow, that's kind of scary that just any user can delete files! In WAFS, only admins can delete, restore, revert.

Message 15 of 16
praa276
in reply to: IMKarla

Hi IMKarla, You can restrict access to this folder by windows security. That is not a right click rollback or something like volume shadow copy (VSS), that is disable here by the way for users, that can make mistake. It more like copy paste from .pc-trash_bin to the correct folder manually is you want to restore files or folder like people now that can copy paste from their desktop to the shared project folder. Are you scary about people copy/paste from their desktop? Anybody that have right to write to the folder can do this if you left them permission to work ; ) I'm having difficulty to show you image as the website is not letting me attach image or anything.
Message 16 of 16
praa276
in reply to: praa276

PeerLink HUB - .pc-trash_bin http://i61.tinypic.com/352fd4o.png

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