Retiring our revit server/moving files to network server.

[LDShaw]

We have literally 1000's of jobs up on our Revit server in years from 2018-2023. Some of the jobs will be active for another few years others we just have to archive. Is there an easy way to pull the jobs off the Revit Server and put them on a network drive? Ideally the folder structure would be saved since it's pretty much the some as our network drives. 

The other thing I am thinking of is locking the servers and requiring any job anyone gets into be saved to the network server. Does anyone see any problem with that? 

Does anyone have any suggestions?

[LDShaw]

We have literally 1000's of jobs up on our Revit server in years from 2018-2023. Some of the jobs will be active for another few years others we just have to archive. Is there an easy way to pull the jobs off the Revit Server and put them on a network drive? Ideally the folder structure would be saved since it's pretty much the some as our network drives. 

The other thing I am thinking of is locking the servers and requiring any job anyone gets into be saved to the network server. Does anyone see any problem with that? 

Does anyone have any suggestions?

[SteveKStafford]

Easy? An existing button to click and wait for it to tell you it is done? No, sorry.

I believe you can use eTransmit to "send" the files to you so you can set them up in a new location. You'll be prompted to save the files as a new central file in its current/new location. You'll have to verify paths are reset so linked files are found and then there are related DWG links etc to validate. However eTransmit will at least "bundle up" the related RVT and DWG files involved.

Locking the projects on Revit Server Admin is one way to identify which projects are a priority based on when people yell at you about not being able to access them. You should also seriously consider getting ongoing projects to consider upgrading, I'd hate force my co-workers to live in 2018 projects based on what the new version(s) can do, not to mention performance improvements since.

If you're using BIM360 at all then moving projects there provides an automatic upgrade path once they are in that cloud environment.

Good luck!

[SteveKStafford]

Easy? An existing button to click and wait for it to tell you it is done? No, sorry.

I believe you can use eTransmit to "send" the files to you so you can set them up in a new location. You'll be prompted to save the files as a new central file in its current/new location. You'll have to verify paths are reset so linked files are found and then there are related DWG links etc to validate. However eTransmit will at least "bundle up" the related RVT and DWG files involved.

Locking the projects on Revit Server Admin is one way to identify which projects are a priority based on when people yell at you about not being able to access them. You should also seriously consider getting ongoing projects to consider upgrading, I'd hate force my co-workers to live in 2018 projects based on what the new version(s) can do, not to mention performance improvements since.

If you're using BIM360 at all then moving projects there provides an automatic upgrade path once they are in that cloud environment.

Good luck!

[LDShaw]

I think you are using that word "no" way to soon. From what I understand the file is stored in an SQL database as a blob. There may be other ways to pull it out I am unaware of (Vault??). I am hoping someone has experience with doing this or can point me to an app. I may have more files than average I can't be the only one that has gone through this. 

C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\Revit Server 2022\Projects

Then find the file ModelLocationTable.db3

If worse comes to worse. Was hoping someone could tell me the pitfalls of locking the Revit server and using E-transmit on a per project bases to slowly move the files off. Then in a year or so I could perhaps archive the database in case I ever needed a job that never got migrated. 

[LDShaw]

I think you are using that word "no" way to soon. From what I understand the file is stored in an SQL database as a blob. There may be other ways to pull it out I am unaware of (Vault??). I am hoping someone has experience with doing this or can point me to an app. I may have more files than average I can't be the only one that has gone through this. 

C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\Revit Server 2022\Projects

Then find the file ModelLocationTable.db3

If worse comes to worse. Was hoping someone could tell me the pitfalls of locking the Revit server and using E-transmit on a per project bases to slowly move the files off. Then in a year or so I could perhaps archive the database in case I ever needed a job that never got migrated. 

[SteveKStafford]

Well this is Autodesk's recommendations, doesn't sound like a one-button press "easy" to me 🙂 They do recommend the eTransmit that I did.

https://www.autodesk.com/support/technical/article/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/Moving-RVT-central...

[SteveKStafford]

Well this is Autodesk's recommendations, doesn't sound like a one-button press "easy" to me 🙂 They do recommend the eTransmit that I did.

https://www.autodesk.com/support/technical/article/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/Moving-RVT-central...

[LDShaw · Accepted solution]

Using Autodesk's recommendations I figure moving all my projects off the servers will take a little over 900 hours or 20 weeks and that's only if it takes 5 minutes per model. I like to take that down to a weekend. 

Here are at least two other ways I can try it. 

A practical guide to backing up Revit Server Models
Or perhaps this one.
Bulk Upgrade #Revit files with #DynamoBIM

I am hoping someone has done something like this and can give me a leg up.

As a PS 
I need to give an atta boy to 
Lance C He's helped me a great deal offline finding this path. 

[LDShaw · Accepted solution]

Using Autodesk's recommendations I figure moving all my projects off the servers will take a little over 900 hours or 20 weeks and that's only if it takes 5 minutes per model. I like to take that down to a weekend. 

Here are at least two other ways I can try it. 

A practical guide to backing up Revit Server Models
Or perhaps this one.
Bulk Upgrade #Revit files with #DynamoBIM

I am hoping someone has done something like this and can give me a leg up.

As a PS 
I need to give an atta boy to 
Lance C He's helped me a great deal offline finding this path.