Vault Professional 2014 and Single Project Setup

[tahdesign1]

I am about to move from Vault Standard 2012 to Vault Professional 2014.
My setup is the use of a Single Vault project with a local drive workspace that all work and libraries exist on.
The attached screen shot shows how this is setup at this time.
The design files being created and content center files move in and out of the Vault with the check in/out process.
Our environment is a CAD Lab style where an engineer and/or designer could be sitting at any given workstation on any given day.
So at the end of the day users will fully check in their work so that they can pull it down to where ever they might sit tomorrow.
I am the only one with the design softwares on my desk.
The Library files (Templates, Styles, etc.) are checked out to my machine by a created Vault user named Library.
Every workstation has a physical copy of these files in the working directories but they are read only by the fact that they are checked out.
However, the managment of change for these files is laborious due to the fact that I have to visit each workstation to push down and updates to these files.
I have tried using task scheduler for this but it only works if I was logged into the workstation itself when the task was supposed to happen, no help.

So moving forward with this software update and change, I am considering moving the libraries for Templates, Profiles, Styles, etc. out to a newly made network share just for this.

So my questions are:

1) Is anybody else running a Single Project Vault Environment like this and if so what is your approach

2) If moving these libraries to a network share what path form do the softwares likes more, Drive Letter path or network path (//server/path)?

[r.smith1 · Accepted solution]

Hi tahdesign

Every user would be able to access the design data, templates and content center if every user is set to use a common working folder called C:\Work (for example).  

If they need to check in their work at the end of the day, then they can, and leave the library and content center data on the local workspace.  

It would look like this:

C:\Work

\\Designs

\\Templates

\\Design Data

\\Content Center Files

\\Libraries

They could all be mapped to Vault:

$ = C:\Work

$\Designs = C:\Work\Designs

$\Templates = C:\Work\Templates

$\Design Data = C😕Work\Design Data

$\Content Center Files = C:\Work\Content Center Files

$\Libraries = C:\Work\Libraries

You could add the content and libraries to a server if you choose.  

You will set this in the ipj file as \\server\<folder path>

Or you will set this in the Application Options of Inventor.  

[3DSetout]

Excellent Work Ron, Thanks

. . with ur post i finally found this simple explanation,

and i think it confirms my long,

and arduous Inventor Vault Basic Setup using Inventor Suite 2014.

It seems the Vault Folder Structure Setup CAN be simple,

and does have a Standard Format throughout the Vault Product Range!?

. . and combine ur info with something like,

an updated version of Richard Rankin's (i think),

Using Autodesk Vault with a Single Inventor Project V2008.

. .Then using inventor will be more like a Drafting Program,

and a little less like an intelligence quiz. (or Expensive Training, for something,

that I Know the Inventor Software Designers want people to use).

MatB

[tahdesign1]

So since I was the one who posted this who was it that accepted the responce as the solution? It was not me!

The responce basically was restating what I was already doing from a single project standpoint (did you look at the iamge of my setup to see that)?

If you read through my post you will see what I am asking is not answered.

[r.smith1]

Hi tahdesign,
I was the one who selected accept as solution.
My statements in my reply are our recommendations for configuration of Vault. One thing I did not mention in my reply was that we recommend ipj placement in $ and point it down to your workspace. My apologies for the confusion.

Placing content like libraries and content center files on a network drive basically defeats the purpose of Vault. But we give the end user the ability to configure it how they want.

[tahdesign1]

I still do not think you understand what I am asking.

At this time I do have everything in the vault with the single project approach.

However, this then depends on all the templates and/or styles libraries that existing locally on the machine to be manually maintained for changes.

Task Sch will not do it. I can create a task for it but unless I log into the terminal the task will not run.

The only parts of the puzzle I am think about moving out of the vault are the standards as follows:

1) Inventor Templates

2) Inventor Styles

3) AutoCad profiles (arg files). I force load these with a /p switch

4) AutoCad printer setup (plotters, pen files, etc)

4) AutoCad Templates

5) AutoCad standard blocks (Borders, etc)

All the actual design files would still be developed and travel in and out of the vault as usual (content center files included of course).

Please re-read my original post and look at the image I included for how I am using it now.

In our world it is a CAD Lab style of environment where a user could be sitting at any seat on any given day.

All of the above "standard" content I develop at my desk (I am the only one with the softwares at my desk).

To protect this content I keep it checked out to myself so all seats see it as read only.

However, I must manually visit each machine to update the local copies if I ever change any of this.

If I were to point my setups to a read only network share for this I would be able to edit it and everyone would always be seeing the latest.

So one of my other questions was If moving these libraries to a network share what path form do the softwares likes more, Drive Letter path or network path (//server/path)?