Hardware upgrade to optimize performance

[Danielpare]

Hi,

We are a team of 10-15 inventor users. Here's our average hardware setup.
Dell Precision workstation 670/690
Dual Xeon (some dual-core)
4 Gig Ram
GeForce 4500 (Some SLI)
Gigabits Network
Scsi 15KRPM harddrive (some raid 0)

So that's very good hardware. Is there a way to really change the performance of the application. I mean is there other technology i could use to cut loading time?
All have the 3GB parameter activated.
I guest that big compagny that work with really big assembly need processing power(jet compagny, car compagny, truck compagny etc). How do they manage this?
Is there a way to setup inventor that a server room could do the processing and the workstation would just display the assembly.
Because those pc cost 10K$ and i could have powerfull server, that could take advantage of multi-core technology.
In fact having dual-xeon (dual-core) processor bring near nothing in performance, because inventor only use 1 core at the time? right ?

Thank a lot 🙂

[Anonymous]

Not remote processing, one trick is lean IPT' templates. Create IPT
templates for each type of material you are going to use and the color for
that material, then purge everything else out. This will reduce the IPT size
by a lot to start with. You are right on the dual cores, IV is 32 bit code
and doesn't take advantage of 64 bit or dual core. The only advantage is the
ability of the system to spread or move IV to a processor that's not
occupied with other process's. If you are running SCSI320 drives instead of
SAS drives you're about as good as you can get. We tend to forget that 3D
cad is about as hard as you can get on a system.

Our new server is running WinServerX64 and it has a new feature that allows
the Gig Nic cards on the server to be combined, which allows both Gig cards
to be plugged into the switch along with both 100mb cards giving 2.2gb into
the switch. This more than doubles the throughput of a standard WinServer.
The SCS320 @15k (raid 0) drives on the server are fast as well. All our
servers and workstations run a third party defrag software.

Don't think that this helps at all.

wrote in message news:5453155@discussion.autodesk.com...
Hi,

We are a team of 10-15 inventor users. Here's our average hardware
setup.
Dell Precision workstation 670/690
Dual Xeon (some dual-core)
4 Gig Ram
GeForce 4500 (Some SLI)
Gigabits Network
Scsi 15KRPM harddrive (some raid 0)

So that's very good hardware. Is there a way to really change the
performance of the application. I mean is there other technology i could use
to cut loading time?
All have the 3GB parameter activated.
I guest that big compagny that work with really big assembly need processing
power(jet compagny, car compagny, truck compagny etc). How do they manage
this?
Is there a way to setup inventor that a server room could do the processing
and the workstation would just display the assembly.
Because those pc cost 10K$ and i could have powerfull server, that could
take advantage of multi-core technology.
In fact having dual-xeon (dual-core) processor bring near nothing in
performance, because inventor only use 1 core at the time? right ?

Thank a lot 🙂

[hallstevenson]

You can't get much faster than what you've got, especially with the 15k rpm HDDs. Did you guys replace the video cards in those machines though ?? Precisions don't ship with GeForce cards....

Your question about 'shared processing' is interesting, but it's rarely seen nowadays (except maybe on very high-end apps). I remember various apps used to have support for this and though I've never tried it, it sounds like a great idea. I just wonder how much the network speed throttles any processing advantage. I guess one argument against it is not wanting to take away *any* CPU power from another machine/user who's running Inventor too.

[Danielpare]

Hi,

Sorry about the video card mistake, we have Quadro 4500 card, instead of GeForce.
I'm sure that 8-10 server would be more optimal than 15 Workstation like those one, for less money. Even all this trough the network. With good intel dual gigabit card, that could combine bandwith, and a good file server, everything would be quicker, i guest.

[Danielpare]

Hi,

Are you aware of thing coming for the new release of Inventor about hardware enhancement ?
The defrag should help. What is your software ?
WindowsXP always tell me that the drive don't need defrag, but i guest that's a big mistake ?

[swalton]

IV can't run on a server. If you want that, buy ProE (I think true 5-10 years ago, not sure now).

Make sure your users are working on a local harddrive. not a network drive. Use Vault (with its performace hits) to sync your projects.

IV is slow for large assemblies. IV with Vault is even slower.

Use LOD in IV11. Make sure to turn off all adaptivity after it is no longer needed. Fully constrain all models. Use lots of sub-assemblies.

Look at other packages, I have had better luck with large assemblies in ProE than in IV.

[Anonymous]

We use Diskeeper from Execusoft, works great, highly recommond it.

wrote in message news:5454651@discussion.autodesk.com...
Hi,

Are you aware of thing coming for the new release of Inventor about
hardware enhancement ?
The defrag should help. What is your software ?
WindowsXP always tell me that the drive don't need defrag, but i guest
that's a big mistake ?

[Valdemar]

do not think jets designers working with INV

[Danielpare]

Hi,

Do you know what they work with ? just some example, i guest they maybe run Sun (sparc) hardware? which software they can use ?

Thank you

[Josh_Petitt]

http://www.3ds.com/customer-stories/story-description/story/36/1/

[Michael_Kidd]

Just a thought, has anyone tried one of those disks made up of RAM modules? I remember seeing one a while ago that was made up of 8 2gb modules = 16gb disk. It had, if I remember a 1000 hour battery backup and came with SATA, SCSI and IDE connectors.

Would make a very fast local file store for files from vault, it was just the cost put me off trying one out.

Michael

[Valdemar]

Boeing will not talk to you any job if you do not have CATIA