Cadalyst - September 2008 - (Page 32)

cadmanager By Robert Green Synchronize CAD Files over a Wide Area Planning and proper tools keep data current and users happy. I n last month’s “CAD Manager” column, I discussed managing multiofﬁce environments and touched on some of the related challenges. Perhaps the biggest headache CAD managers experience in multiofﬁce environments is keeping the entire company working with the right data and somehow keeping everything organized. Synchronizing all this data is a high-stakes job — if you lose control of your data, you have big problems. In this month’s “CAD Manager,” I’ll define the problem of data synchronization, examine some useful hardware and software tools, and help you analyze your company’s needs so you can put the right tools in place. Software Tools for Data Synchronization Beyond Compare FTP Software www.scootersoftware.com Beyond Compare is an FTP software utility that allows you to automate file transfers to remote machines via a simple scripting language. After you write a file-transfer procedure using Beyond Compare’s script capability, a single click can synchronize the host machine to the server and update only those files that have changed, thus keeping file transfer times as short as possible. Bulk licensing rates as low as $9 per seat with no subscription fees make Beyond Compare a great tool for synchronizing laptops. GlobalScape WAFS Software Users Need Files Fast — or Else When users arrive at work, they want to open the files they need and work with their data — now. But when users are forced to open files that reside on a server on the other side of the country via a slow data connection, the process is anything but fast. When users perceive how slow the file access is, they take matters into their own hands and make copies of files to store on their local machines. It’s faster that way. This illicit file copying leads to a host of problems, which include at minimum the following: Parallel revisioning. This problem occurs when unauthorized copies of the same file exist in many locations. In this scenario you never really know who has the latest file version, and all sorts of errors occur as various team members work with different versions of a file. Broken file links. In cases of externally referenced files or parts within assemblies, unauthorized file copying means somebody is referencing an old version as he or she works on the geometry adjacent to the attached file. Forgotten updates. When a user copies a file to a local computer, he or she usually intends to update the original file later — but occasionally forgets. This oversight means that the supposedly current version of a file is actually sitting on someone’s C drive. All these cases point out the dire need to control your CAD files in a way that is relatively transparent to users but still delivers good speed. I’ve found that keeping things moving fast would have prevented 95% of data problems. www.globalscape.com WAFS (Wide-Area File Services) software from GlobalScape (formerly Availl) uses file-analysis technology to track file changes at a byte level so that only changed data is mirrored to other servers in the network environment. WAFS software works well in environments with two to four servers. Costs vary depending on network size and number of users. Riverbed Steelhead Appliances and Steelhead Mobile www.riverbed.com Steelhead appliances use a file-compression technology to optimize file-transfer rates for applications such as Exchange Server, SQL databases, and generic file access for all programs (including CAD). Steelhead appliances and Steelhead Mobile offer a comprehensive solution for networks of almost any size. Costs vary greatly depending on network size and number of users. WS FTP Professional Software www.ipswitch.com WS FTP is similar to Beyond Compare, but it is more tuned to individual desktop use. Although it’s somewhat more expensive at $59 per license, the ease of setup justifies the extra cost if you need a small number of licenses. Quantifying the Problem Now that you understand why data synchronization is a user-driven, speed-based problem, you need to understand the environment in which you operate, how your work32 groups interact, and why real-time data sharing is critical. Understanding these factors will help you select appropriate data-synchronization tools. Following are the key parameters you’ll need to consider and the questions to ask yourself: Network environment. How many servers are in your wide-area CAD network? Many times each remote office will have one CAD server, so you can think of a server as being a geographical location. www.cadalyst.com cadalyst September 2008 http://www.scootersoftware.com http://www.globalscape.com http://www.riverbed.com http://www.ipswitch.com http://www.cadalyst.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Cadalyst - September 2008

Cadalyst - September 2008 Contents Editor's Window Cad Central Tech Trends: Genie Out of the Bottle Cadalyst Labs Reviews: Big Tools for Big Jobs — Wide-Format Scanners and Printers Make Small Work of Large Projects Cadalyst Labs Reviews: AutoCAD 2009 — General-Purpose CAD Software Cadalyst Labs Reviews: AecBatchStylesEditor 2009 — CAD Standards Management Software for AEC Cad manager: Synchronize CAD Files over a Wide Area MCAD Modeling: Is 2D Drawing Doomed? Plm Strategies: More Bang for Your Truck Aec Insight: Works and Plays Well with Others Cad Cartoon Issue Indexes Hot Tip Harry: VBA Hints for Customizing AutoCAD

Cadalyst - September 2008

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