Using a repository on the AD Server

[barrykingwill]

Using a repository on the AD Server

This might seem like a dumb question, but I have never considered the need before as our connections are so slow.

However....I needed to do it this weekend.

Can one upload work to a repository on the AD server, and then download them again, possibly to a different PC?

 

[MikeHenry]

You should be able to do that from a Repository window, which you can open from the Window menu at the main Alibre window..

To copy the repository from the current PC to the Alibre server, left-click on the repository name, select "Save Snapshot of Repository..." and then fill in the applicable info in the resultant dialog box.

To reverse the process, use "Create Repository From Snapshot...".

Or use the Move and/or Copy selections from the File Menu in the Repository Window.

Mike

 

[fitzbond]

"Can one upload work to a repository on the AD server, and then download them again, possibly to a different PC?"

Yes I do it all the time

 

[barrykingwill]

Yes I use the "Create Snapshot of Repository" and "Create Repository from Snapshot" all the time in making backups, but I have not seen where / when you can select the AD server as the desitination. I always just offers the drives of my computer and the network drives as options?

 

[cclark440]

I have always just copied the data from one to the other.
One thing I have noticed about working with data that is stored on the server, is if the assembly gets very big things REALLY slow down.

 

[barrykingwill]

Re:

I have always just copied the data from one to the other.

What is the other?

I don't have a repository on the web server to copy to, and don't know how to create one. All my repositories are on my HDD, and the only locations I see to create repositories are on my HDD or any out network drives.....that is all.

How do you create one on the AD server?

 

[MikeHenry]

Barry,

Do you have a version of Alibre that includes AD server support? I'm pretty sure that only comes with the more expensive versions or as a seperatelt purchased add-on.

Mike

 

[barrykingwill]

Re:

Barry,

Do you have a version of Alibre that includes AD server support?

Mike

Probably not, which would explain why I cannot see a way to use it.

I have AD Pro

 

[cclark440]

Sorry, I assumed that you had a repository on the Alibre server.
I do work from home, so when I know that I will be working on something at home I copy the data to the server. Once I get home I then copy it to my home PC and work on it. When I am done I copy back into my repository on the Alibre server.

Well atleast that is the way that I used to do it. I have since bought my self a USB drive. I now use that. It is much faster than running from, or copying data to the Alibre server.

 

[jwknecht]

I have a related question. I have server space, and so I can make files available to others with that method. But suppose I want to share a "set" of files with someone and that I don't want to break the association of the parts/assys/drawings and I don't use the server (for reasons of speed or whatever)... What is a good method to use? For example, I have a set that consists of the following:

1st part and associated drawing
1st assembly that creates a second part that is driven from the 1st part.
and a drawing for the 2nd part.

 

[cclark440]

You could place all of the associated files in one folder on the server, then share that folder and all of its contents with who ever you want.

 

[jwknecht]

My question was in the case where I did not want to use the server.

 

[Cameraman]

Re:

My question was in the case where I did not want to use the server.

You don't want to use ANY server, or not Alibre's?

The files have to be stored somewhere where all parties can get to them (since you stated that you wanted to keep the associativity and such), so they either have to be on a server (but it could be a local server) or in a shared folder on your PC which others can access. It seems to me that any other arrangement would require really intense controls to work properly.

Also, you should note that when using the repository, you have to be logged in for others to access your files -- a quirk that I hope will go away in v8 (otherwise, I guess I will not get to use the repository).

Regards,
Greg

 

[jwknecht]

Of course, using the repository would be my preferred method. But, I could see some cases where this may not be a good method. For example, suppose the other person that you want to share the files with has only a dial up connection and that the files are rather large.

With I-deas, you create "package files" in order to export sets of data from one TDM to another TDM (Team Data Management is the term that is used for IDEAS... like the repository system in AD).

Here are some thoughts of ways that you might be able to do it in AD.

Could you save a snapshot of a repository to a CD?
Could you save the files to the regular file system (windows) and keep them grouped together and put them on a CD?
Is there a way that you could group all the files and email them as a package?

If someone has run across this and has a solution, I would be interested in what you do.

 

[Gaspar]

Saving a snapshot of the repository is your best bet.

Technically, the repository consists of a standard Windows folder containing the following:

:arrow: 1) Data base file. This contains all the "administrative"info of your files. Stuff like assosiations and folders. There is only one such file per repository (plus a backup).

:arrow: 2) Binaries. A pretty good bunch of these. These files are the ones containing the actual geometric data for each prt/drw/assy.

:arrow: 3) A single, small file with the name of the repository.

Alibre has a config file where the actual Windows path for any repository is contained. This file is read at startup so AD knows where to look for reps.

Ok, so much for theory. If you wanted to transfer a rep from one machine to other, you could locate the folder, copy it to the other machine (or CD) and then write the path for this new rep into the config file of the AD installation of the new machine.

Creating a Snapshot of a rep is an automatic way to do the above. AD compresses all the files in the rep folder into a single file. When you import it from another AD installation, you will be asked for a Windows location for the folder and AD will automatically uncompress the files to that location and will also automatically update your config file. Pretty cool 8) .

We use this function all the time to transfer stuff to other AD users. The Snapshot will create a *.adb file which can be treated as any Windows file (burned, emailed, ftp'd, network'd). When imported, it will create an identical repository containing all drawings, parts, assemblies, folders, version history, etc. I'm sure it will do the trick :idea:

One last thing. I have a spare repository in my system called "brief case". When I need to transfer something, I just copy the folder(s) to the "brief case" rep and then add the name of the project and the date to the "brief case" name. So the final name is "Brief case (bagger 02) (24-Ag-2004)". This way, when imported on the other system, people are less likely to get confused among different versions and projects they have received. If you ever use a similar technique, after you erase the last folder it contained (from the previous transfer), be sure to empty the recycle bin. I have been emailing huge files composed mainly of undisered data in the recycle bin :wink:

Sorry about the long post, but I suffered badly for this need until the Snapshot thing came along.

Cheers!

 

[jwknecht]

Exactly what I was looking for Gaspar. Thanks so much for all the detail. I may have struggled to find the solution myself but it would have taken awhile.