FAQ for Administrators
How do I determine
our vault computer name?
How do I determine
where our vault documents are stored?
Who should have access to the vault
in Windows Explorer?
How do I create a subproject?
How
does project structure affect performance?
How do I regain disk space on our
server?
Can I edit files in the vault manually?
What can I do in the vault folder
in Windows Explorer?
How do I move the vault and its
documents to a new server?
Is
it normal for SolidWorks Workgroup PDM service to take 10 minutes or more
to start?
Are all three levels required in
a revision scheme?
Is it safe to change a revision
scheme in the middle of a project?
How do I configure a non-default
path for the vault?
Can I specify the same path for
the program files and the vault?
How do I configure the vault over
a network?
Can I run more than one vault on
our network?
Can
I use SolidWorks Workgroup PDM over a modem?
Do
I need to restart the vault server after a time change?
How do I determine our vault computer name?
The vault computer name is detected during
installation. In the VaultAdmin, on the Vault
Settings tab, the vault computer name is displayed under Vault information in the Vault
computer field. The vault root directory appears in the Root
directory field.
The root directory is the
vault directory. The program files are installed in a different directory
specified during installation.
Top
How do I determine where our vault documents
are stored?
In the VaultAdmin, on the Vault
Settings tab, the vault folder name is displayed under Vault
information in the Root directory
field. Documents are stored in project folders under the root directory.
Only the vault
administrator and one systems administrator should have access to the
vault directory in Windows Explorer for purposes of backing up and troubleshooting
the vault. Clients should never be granted such access.
To grant access to a vault in
Windows Explorer:
In
Windows, click Start, Control
Panel, Administrative Tools,
Services.
Right-click
Workgroup PDM Server and select
Properties.
On
the Log On tab, set the account
to a user with write permission.
Top
How do I create a subproject?
On the Projects tab of the
VaultAdmin, click New Project.
After entering a name and description for the subproject, select a parent
from the Parent list.
If you accidentally create a subproject at
the root level, select the subproject from the Project
list and choose a parent project from the Parent
list.
Users can also create subprojects.
Top
If your users
maintain a large number of documents, performance is improved if you create
more projects or subprojects for documents rather than keeping documents
in just a few projects.
The larger
tree might result in a longer vault start-up time, but operations such
as check in, check out, open document, and so on are faster.
Top
How do I regain disk space on our server?
Periodically delete
Obsolete folders from the vault
with Windows Explorer.
On the
VaultAdmin Projects
tab, click Archive
Project. Archive revisions that are not currently needed.
You
can restore archived revisions.
You
specify the archive directory on the Projects
tab. The default archive directory is in the VaultData
folder. If your purpose in archiving is to save disk space on the vault
server, specify a folder on another drive, although archiving over a network
is slower than on the same drive.
Users
can also archive
document revisions if the vault administrator gives them permission
under Delete, Rollback, Archive documents
on the Vault
Settings tab.
On the Vault
Settings tab of VaultAdmin, clear Keep
extra copy of latest files. When selected, Workgroup PDM keeps
an extra copy of all vault documents (rather than keeping just the most
recent version) in a folder for each project called latest.
Can I edit files in the vault manually?
No. Editing files in the vault directly from
the Windows file structure can result in unexpected behavior. Always use
Workgroup PDM to manipulate files in the vault unless instructed otherwise
by Technical Support.
Top
What can I do in the vault folder in Windows
Explorer?
As the vault administrator,
you should be sure that you have read and write access to the folder in
Windows Explorer. You should also be sure that only authorized administrators
also have read and write access. Everyone else should be blocked from
even reading the files through Windows Explorer.
Text
files for administrators. Several files in the subfolder \pdmrc can be viewed in Notepad.
Log
files. You can view the log files in /server.log in Notepad.
Backups. Back up
the vault folder. Stop
the vault service or lock the vault before
copying the folder.
Latest
files. Zip up all the files in the
latest directory in case of
catastrophic system failure. (See Best
Practices.)
Top
How do I move the vault and its documents to
a new server?
Stop the Workgroup PDM service.
Back up the vault.
Copy the vault files to the new location and note
the path.
Reinstall the vault program files (preferably
on the C: partition). When asked for the vault storage location, specify
the new path.
Reinstall the VaultAdmin on the new server (optional).
Test the new installation.
Delete the original documents with Windows Explorer.
Top
Is it normal for Workgroup PDM service to take
10 minutes or more to start?
Yes, particularly if the vault contains large
amounts of data. At startup, Workgroup PDM validates all data and repairs
any inconsistencies to ensure accuracy.
The vault administrator can prevent this
data validation. On the Vault
Settings tab of the VaultAdmin, under On
vault startup, clear Validate
result.
Are all three levels required in a revision
scheme?
No. You can choose to use only the primary
level, or the primary and secondary levels.
Top
Is it safe to change a revision scheme
in the middle of a project?
Yes. Revisioning of the documents starts
at the beginning of the new scheme. Previous revision information remains
stored as part of the documents' properties.
How do I configure a non-default path
for the vault?
Specify two paths during installation:
Program files
Vault folder
On the Setup
Type page of the installation procedure, click Change
next to the default VaultData and type the full path name of the folder,
including the drive letter; for example, d:\VaultData.
Top
Can I specify the same path for the program files
and the vault?
No. You must
specify different locations.
How do I configure the vault over a network?
For example, I want to install the program files on one computer but store
the vault on another server.
Enter the full UNC (Universal Naming Convention)
path when prompted for the vault folder name. For example, for a vault
on a computer named server, enter
\\server\VaultData.
Specify Windows
Explorer access to the folder for the vault administrator as described
here.
Top
Can I run more than one vault on our network?
Yes. However, generally it makes more sense
to create separate projects within one vault. Additional vaults might
be used for testing.
Workgroup PDM allows only
one vault per computer. Users can choose a vault by specifying the name
of the computer during login.
Can I use Workgroup PDM over a modem?
Yes. Accessing the vault over a modem works
well for checking in information, but is not recommended for extensive
checking in or opening documents.
For users connecting frequently by modem,
close the Preview
window and hide
projects to which the user has no access. SolidWorks Workgroup
PDM Viewer is a good option for such users.
Top
Do I need to restart the vault server after
a time change?
No. Multiple time zones are supported in
a work environment. For example:
Documents in one time
zone have proper time stamps when users work with a vault in another time
zone.
If a vault was created
in one time zone, then it is relocated and restarted in a different time
zone, the vault updates properly.
Top