Revit Worksharing Monitor Computer names

[_camuz_]

Hi, 

I'm looking for a tool to find out the computer names, (not the user names) working with a revit file. Every once in a while there seems to be 2 people working on the same file somehow. I think if it were a bug every user would be displayed twice, but in this case it's always the same user. Any help would be greatly appreciated. 

Also if the autodesk team would include such a feature in there monitor it would be really helpful also!

[Anonymous]

Here is how I would do this, which might be a method within your Revit realm if it has similar capabilities or components in place.

We use an application that makes sure the user's %appdata% Revit addins are up to date with addins at a network repository for such. The application also retracts retired addins and makes sure some addins are always present. The users's desktop manager runs this app in a headless mode prior to starting Revit. Therefore a user's %appdata% Revit addins are always up to date with the repository. It executes in a split second. Users have no clue this is happening and its all Black Magic to them anyway if they did, and if you are old enough to be their parent, then it does not matter what you say. One of these addins, "BeThis", is attached to Revit's DocumentOpened event. BeThis sets the user's Revit workset how they prefer and it hides whatever custom discipline Revit ribbon Tabs the user could care less about, much like an AutoCAD Workspace setting.

The point being, this BeThis addin, which executes upon every DocumentOpen event, could easily "phone home" with the users' Windows login name, Revit user name, Revit file being opened, machine ID (maybe not necessary now, you have the login name), date and time etc. etc.. It would keep a running log wherever you like of who's on first base. This feature could be silently deployed and retracted using the above described approach.    

[Dale.Bartlett]

I really like the sound of your approach. I use a startup addin along with some old-fashioned .bat code to do something similar. I am not familiar with "users's desktop manager" that you mention. Is this remote desktop manager or a custom application? In any case you have given me some ideas, thanks. Dale

[Anonymous]

I'm referring to Novell's ZENworks as the "user's desktop manager". The term goes back to the days when Norton's Desktop existed.

[Anonymous]

In the central file"s "backup" folder is a "*.slog" file. This is some sort of log file. Copy that file to somewhere and change its file extension to .txt or just open it with your favorite text editor.

This file seems to have a entry for every user. The entry includes the Revit "user" and the "host". The "host" looks like a MAC address and the local machine name. It may be this user entry marks the users's entry point.

Perhaps that file can help you.

[Dale.Bartlett]

Thanks aksaks, I have to work in a locked-down environment, so that won't work for me. However, I will borrow some of your ideas. PC Tools and Norton Commander; they were the days. Regards, Dale

[_camuz_]

Thanks all for your replies. I guess this is the most simple approach. I'll have to work it out, but I guess I can get a definition working within Dynamo and this file, to get the names in a more automated way. Thanks!