Best way to sync files?

[Anonymous]

I'm currently in a situation where I have an Inventor installation at one facility that has a Vault install and another facility that does not. I do most of my work at the facility with the Vault for obvious reasons but will, hopefully for a short period of time, have to do work at the facility without a vault.

First the files at both locations are not synced nor does one facility have direct access to the files at the other facility.

My question is what is the best method for transferring files back and forth and syncing them up if work is being done at both locations?

Thanks

[johnsonshiue]

Hi! Without using Vault on both sites, this process can be a bit messy. If the data on the Vault site is always the latest and greatest, you probably need to set up a periodic system level process to copy the files from one site to another. If the data on the non-Vault site has to be copied over to Vault site, you will need to check out all the files and copy the files from non-Vault site to Vault site and then check in.

Neither sounds pretty. May I ask why the other site does not want to use Vault? Do they have any EDM system?

Many thanks!

[Anonymous]

the situation is that I will have the condition of working in both locations. Some times I will be working on files that are in the vault at one location and working on the same files at the other location. I will move the files back and forth and work where ever I land for the day.

Installing vault is an option but as usual will take time and time I don't have at the moment. Eventually the plan is to install the vault at one location and redirect everything via VPN to that location when "Off site". However at the moment I just need to find an expedient way to get the work done.

Thanks,

Matt

[blair]

For non-Vault consider using a "Cloud" based operation such as using Microsofts "One-Drive". The files are each machine for quick access while the Cloud function maintains the syncing. There is no File-Locking as with Vault which means that the same file could be updated at each location at the same time, which would be the same as working at the same location without Vault.

[CadUser46]

Matt.  Some thoughts.

Is this the same company on same domain?  If so and it's the same city just have them install the Vault client at the earliest opportunity.  Just work directly from Vault at both locations.

If internet is crap then look into installing an AVFS at the second facility.  You can still apply the option above while IT figure out the AVFS.

If you have Vault on a laptop just log into the Vault from the second facility?  Like just merge the second facilities files into the workspace that already has local copies of the files from the first.

Use Powershell/Robocopy/SyncToy to mirror the local workspace.  It will keep the latest files (doesn't mean correct) but make backups before you trust the switches I'm listing.

https://ss64.com/nt/robocopy.html

ROBOCOPY "C:\sourcePath" "C:\destinationPath" /S /XX /MIR

https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/download/details.aspx?id=15155

SyncToy is the easiest but ROBOCOPY is much more powerful.

[Anonymous]

Is this the same company on same domain?  If so and it's the same city just have them install the Vault client at the earliest opportunity.  Just work directly from Vault at both locations.

At present, no, but I think this is the direction we are heading. Same company, just that the two locations are not presently on the same domain. 

I think we will simply change the two locations to the same domain and then work to a single server over/with vault. Definitely a better solution then attempting to sync files but will be a tad slower getting everyone one the same page and getting going.

Matt