VPN and Working Remotely Questions

[admin]

We have been trying to useAutoCAD MEP over VPN or working remotely for about a year now and have never been able to make it work correctly. We have tried VPN to access our on-site file servers, but it is slow and cannot connect to the xrefs properly. We also have tried remote tools, like Expandrive, which works faster but since it create a new drive on the PC (instead of using the currently mapped drives, like VPN does) it do not connect the xrefs correctly. Plus, it does not allow read-only features when others are in a file, like VPN does.

I wanted to know if AutoDesk has any insight or advise on how to work remotely with AutoCAD? Are there any perferred methods that work well or does AutoDesk offer any products that does this? 

Thanks!

- Mike

[admin]

We have been trying to useAutoCAD MEP over VPN or working remotely for about a year now and have never been able to make it work correctly. We have tried VPN to access our on-site file servers, but it is slow and cannot connect to the xrefs properly. We also have tried remote tools, like Expandrive, which works faster but since it create a new drive on the PC (instead of using the currently mapped drives, like VPN does) it do not connect the xrefs correctly. Plus, it does not allow read-only features when others are in a file, like VPN does.

I wanted to know if AutoDesk has any insight or advise on how to work remotely with AutoCAD? Are there any perferred methods that work well or does AutoDesk offer any products that does this? 

Thanks!

- Mike

[john.vellek]

Hi admin,

While I know that some users have been able to get this to work, it is likely in violation of your license agreement. To my knowledge the only approved configuration for this kind of set up is a Citrix one which also requires special licensing. See AKN Article here for a bit more info.

There are applications that let you VPN into your own desktop so that you are in essence using the workstation that is correctly licensed for the application but you will likely find that this scenario is too slow to be viable.

Without knowing your exact license configuration, you might consider the Home License possibility to take drawings off-site.

Please hit the Accept as Solution button if my post fully solves your issue or answers your question.

[john.vellek]

Hi admin,

While I know that some users have been able to get this to work, it is likely in violation of your license agreement. To my knowledge the only approved configuration for this kind of set up is a Citrix one which also requires special licensing. See AKN Article here for a bit more info.

There are applications that let you VPN into your own desktop so that you are in essence using the workstation that is correctly licensed for the application but you will likely find that this scenario is too slow to be viable.

Without knowing your exact license configuration, you might consider the Home License possibility to take drawings off-site.

Please hit the Accept as Solution button if my post fully solves your issue or answers your question.

[braudpat]

Hello

+1 with John

I have done some "illegal" tests (for fun) with remote access and ACAD 201X 64 bits running on very powerful fast server !

I was alone on this Server ... The problems are :

- stability and speed of the Internet connection

- could be usable on small/medium 2D DWGs

- not usable on large 2D DWG or with 3D DWGs

You are using ACAD MEP so I suppose you have beautiful and large 3D DWGs!?

I am mainly into the GIS world with very large 2D DWGs and sometimes huge Images ...

This is the state of the TODAY Art !

But it could be improved in a few years ...

Regards, Patrice

[braudpat]

Hello

+1 with John

I have done some "illegal" tests (for fun) with remote access and ACAD 201X 64 bits running on very powerful fast server !

I was alone on this Server ... The problems are :

- stability and speed of the Internet connection

- could be usable on small/medium 2D DWGs

- not usable on large 2D DWG or with 3D DWGs

You are using ACAD MEP so I suppose you have beautiful and large 3D DWGs!?

I am mainly into the GIS world with very large 2D DWGs and sometimes huge Images ...

This is the state of the TODAY Art !

But it could be improved in a few years ...

Regards, Patrice

[admin]

Hi John,

Most of our PCs at our office are desktops. I am mainly talking about the users who have laptops and transport them between here (the office) and home and want to continue to work off our on-site file server. So, they only have on licence per user. We are not installing one licence on multiple devices. When using a VPN or Expandrive for simple things like Word Docs, PDFs, etc, it works fine. We just start to run into a lot of problems when working in AutoCAD.

So, I don't think the Citrix solution is relevant to what we are trying to so, which is to let our laptop users be able to work on remote CAD files off our on-site server from home, without running into problem of xrefs and whatnot.

Hope that clears things up. Please let me know.

Thanks!
- Mike

[admin]

Hi John,

Most of our PCs at our office are desktops. I am mainly talking about the users who have laptops and transport them between here (the office) and home and want to continue to work off our on-site file server. So, they only have on licence per user. We are not installing one licence on multiple devices. When using a VPN or Expandrive for simple things like Word Docs, PDFs, etc, it works fine. We just start to run into a lot of problems when working in AutoCAD.

So, I don't think the Citrix solution is relevant to what we are trying to so, which is to let our laptop users be able to work on remote CAD files off our on-site server from home, without running into problem of xrefs and whatnot.

Hope that clears things up. Please let me know.

Thanks!
- Mike

[dgorsman · Accepted solution]

Verticals like MEP push and pull a lot of data, far in excess of what you would see in a Word or PDF document.  Doing everything through the VPN you'll always be held hostage to the size of the "pipe" between the computer and the server.  Instead of trying to do everything live, consider using Offline Files for as much as possible.  Then you can use VPN for the strictly low bandwidth stuff like licensing (providing you don't just borrow one to begin with).  You might even consider a hybrid system which uses the Offline Files mechanism through VPN to only synch what is necessary when they connect then continue with offline mode for the rest of the session.

[dgorsman · Accepted solution]

Verticals like MEP push and pull a lot of data, far in excess of what you would see in a Word or PDF document.  Doing everything through the VPN you'll always be held hostage to the size of the "pipe" between the computer and the server.  Instead of trying to do everything live, consider using Offline Files for as much as possible.  Then you can use VPN for the strictly low bandwidth stuff like licensing (providing you don't just borrow one to begin with).  You might even consider a hybrid system which uses the Offline Files mechanism through VPN to only synch what is necessary when they connect then continue with offline mode for the rest of the session.

[john.vellek · Accepted solution]

HI @admin,

I think I understand your workflow but I am guessing there is no easy solution. @dgorsman points out that the demands are of a totally different scale than working with a Word or Excel doc.

I have used VPN to let users Copy/move files to their offsite workstation but not to work over the wire. I asked my users to make a duplicate off the file or folder on the server - give it a In Use label and then work on their files offsite. When completing their work they would move their files back to the server and remove the duplicate(s).

It is less than elegant but it has worked for me.

Please hit the Accept as Solution button if my post fully solves your issue or answers your question.

[john.vellek · Accepted solution]

HI @admin,

I think I understand your workflow but I am guessing there is no easy solution. @dgorsman points out that the demands are of a totally different scale than working with a Word or Excel doc.

I have used VPN to let users Copy/move files to their offsite workstation but not to work over the wire. I asked my users to make a duplicate off the file or folder on the server - give it a In Use label and then work on their files offsite. When completing their work they would move their files back to the server and remove the duplicate(s).

It is less than elegant but it has worked for me.

Please hit the Accept as Solution button if my post fully solves your issue or answers your question.

[kberry15]

Mike,

Did you ever solve this for your office?  We are looking to do the exact same thing for our office but was not sure how to go about doing it.

Thank you,

Keith

[kberry15]

Mike,

Did you ever solve this for your office?  We are looking to do the exact same thing for our office but was not sure how to go about doing it.

Thank you,

Keith

[apksbook]

Hi,

 I think for the solution of this problem, you must visit the below post for it:

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/customer-service/account-management/users-software/home-use/request-h...vpn

I was facing the same issue and got my solution from this post.

Thanks

[apksbook]

Hi,

 I think for the solution of this problem, you must visit the below post for it:

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/customer-service/account-management/users-software/home-use/request-h...vpn

I was facing the same issue and got my solution from this post.

Thanks