Troubleshooting the Vault and SolidWorks Workgroup PDM Server Service

Troubleshooting the vault

Vault validation

Port conflicts

Files disappear from the vault view window

Client indicates vault is down or unavailable

Slow performance

Duplex setting

Event Viewer

Vault errors

Troubleshooting the Workgroup PDM Server service

Stop or restart the Workgroup PDM Server service

Common issues if the Workgroup PDM Server service runs at a different location from where the VaultData folder is stored:

• Workgroup PDM Server service does not start

• Permissions

• Supported platforms

Vault validation

The vault administrator can set options on the VaultAdmin Vault Settings tab validate the vault on the next startup or on every startup. However, if these options are not set and the Workgroup PDM Server service is not running, you can execute the following file to validate the vault the next time the service starts:

<vault_server>\SolidWorks Workgroup PDM Server\Vault\validatevaultnextstartup.reg

Port conflicts

If you install Workgroup PDM on a Windows XP system with Service Pack 2, you must enable Workgroup PDM ports in the firewall setup.

To enable Workgroup PDM ports in the firewall setup:

1. In Windows, open the Control Panel.

2. Double-click Windows Firewall.

3. On the Exceptions tab, make sure PDM-Data Port, PDM-Request Port, and PDM-Vaultadmin Port are selected.

4. Click OK.

The Workgroup PDM software uses dedicated ports for communication. If you think a Workgroup PDM port conflicts with another application, (for example, you cannot check a document in to a project) you can change the default port setting in the Windows Registry Editor. In Windows, click Start, Run, then type regedit and click OK to access the Registry Editor. Each port is stored as a DWORD in the registry.

You must create registry keys for this procedure to work. For example, the Request Port is set to 40000 in the absence of a key. If you create the registry DWORD value called "Request Port," then the vault (or client) uses that port.

Incorrect registry configurations can result in irreversible computer damage. Only a system administrator should reconfigure the registry.

The default ports (decimal values) are:

• Request Port = 40000

• Data Port = 30000

• VaultAdmin Port = 20000

• Workgroup PDM Viewer Port = 80

Manually add DWORD registry settings through the following paths for computers running the vault and VaultAdmin:

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\SolidWorks\SolidWorks <version>\PDMWorks Workgroup\Server\Request Port

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\SolidWorks\SolidWorks <version>\PDMWorks Workgroup\Server\Data Port

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\SolidWorks\SolidWorks <version>\PDMWorks Workgroup\Server\VaultAdmin Port

Where <version> is the current major version.

If a port is changed for the vault or VaultAdmin, then the corresponding registry value must be changed for each client in the paths listed below. You may need to create the "Client" key. Reboot each client computer after making the change.

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\SolidWorks\SolidWorks <version>\PDMWorks Workgroup\Client\Request Port

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\SolidWorks\SolidWorks <version>\PDMWorks Workgroup\Client\Data Port

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\SolidWorks\SolidWorks <version>\PDMWorks Workgroup\Client\VaultAdmin Port

All registry entries must be DWORD types.

Files disappear from the vault view window

If files disappear from the vault view, stop and restart the service.

Users might not see files that exist in the vault if they do not have read permissions for the files and the vault administrator selected Hide projects with no access.

Report persistent display errors to SolidWorks Technical Support.

Client indicates vault is down or unavailable

If the vault appears to be running, but the client receives the message: “ERROR: Could not login to Workgroup PDM. (Vault may be down)”, try the following:

• Ensure that a client can “ping” the Workgroup PDM Server service. (The client needs to connect to the machine on which the service is running. It does not need direct connectivity to any remote location that hosts the VaultData folder.)

• Connect to the vault using the server’s IP address rather than computer name. If this works, there is a DNS issue that your IT staff should resolve.

• Examine the firewall and router settings to ensure that the client can connect to the server on ports 20000, 30000, and 40000. Change the client and server configurations if the Workgroup PDM Server service network ports conflict with other software.

Slow performance

Slow performance is sometimes caused by the server's network speed.

To check the server's network speed:

1. In Windows, open Control Panel, Network Connections.

2. Right-click Local Area Connection and select Properties.

3. Click Configure.

4. On the Advanced tab, select Link Speed & Duplex in Property (on some machines it is called Speed & Duplex, Speed, Duplex, or Media Type).

5. Make sure Value is set to the same speed as your server.

Duplex Setting

The duplex setting for servers and their corresponding ports should be the same; for example, both could be 100MB Full, or both could be Auto. Having the settings at different values can result in Vault Error 40 and slow check-in of large documents.

Event Viewer

The Event Viewer logs any action performed on your computer. You can use this tool to troubleshoot vault problems.

To use the Event Viewer:

1. In Windows, open Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Event Viewer.

2. Right-click any Workgroup PDM Server error and select Properties.

3. Use the Description in the dialog box to determine the error.

Vault errors

See a table of Workgroup PDM vault errors.

You might receive a VAULT ERROR 1 where projects or files that have write access are unavailable. If a stop and restart of the Workgroup PDM Server service does not resolve the issue, a file may have been placed into the VaultData folder without using the Workgroup PDM software. This is typical when unavailable projects or files begin at a certain point in the vault view tree and continue below that point.

Examine server.log to determine the offending file. You can also use Windows Explorer to view the VaultData folder contents. Under the projects folder, only folders representing the vault’s projects should be present. No regular files should appear at this level. If the unavailable files appear in a specific project, navigate to that project folder and look for the file in the directory instead of looking in folders.

If you find the offending file in the VaultData folder, remove it, then stop and restart the Workgroup PDM Server service. If there is no obvious file causing the problem, contact SolidWorks Technical Support.

Stop or restart the Workgroup PDM Server service

Sometimes stopping and restarting the service clears up a vault error message. Restarting the service also resets the time stamp.

If restarting the service does not resolve a vault error, send an e-mail to your reseller and attach server.log (err.log and app.log in PDMWorks 2005 or earlier) from the VaultData folder. The reseller should send these log files to SolidWorks Technical Support with:

• SolidWorks and Workgroup PDM versions (major version and service packs)

• Client and vault operating systems (including service pack version)

• Scope of problem – for example, all files, files in a single project, a single file, and whether all users or a specific subset of users are affected

• Steps to reproduce the problem

Workgroup PDM Server service does not start

If the service runs at a different location from where the VaultData folder is stored, ensure that the VaultData folder was installed with a UNC path, not a mapped drive. Update the vault installation by running the setup again using the UNC path for the VaultData folder. If the service still does not start, it is likely a service-related permissions problem.

To troubleshoot permissions, change the service login user from the “Local system account” to a  user account with RW permission on both the server and the remote location. This user must have full permissions for the VaultData folder. When the VaultData folder is on a different machine, this account must exist on that machine. A common user is a user in the current Windows domain of both computers.

Permissions

If the Workgroup PDM Server service runs at a different location from where the VaultData folder is stored, ensure that the computer (or user) that runs the vault service can access the VaultData folder.

To determine the computer (or user) that runs the vault service:

1. In Windows, open Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Services.

2. Right-click Workgroup PDM Server and select Properties.

3. On the Log On tab, determine the computer (or user) that is running the service.

This is the computer (or user) that needs full access to the VaultData folder.

To determine if the computer (or user) that runs the vault service can access the VaultData folder:

1. Right-click the VaultData folder (usually in C:\VaultData) and select Properties.

2. On the Security tab, ensure that the computer (or user) from step 3 above has full permissions to the folder.

Supported platforms

Ensure that the vault service and VaultData folder are on supported platforms. For a list of supported platforms, see the SolidWorks system requirements.

If you use a Novell NetWare® system for the VaultData folder:

• The service may not start.

• Permissions may be incorrectly set.

Move the VaultData folder to a Windows machine to solve these problems.