Workset logs & server hard drive space

[ToddVB]

Is there a way to minimize the amount of file space required for the central file "_log" directory? When using worksets on projects Revit creates a "_log" directory. Currently over 800 megs are devoted to these _log files for one project with multiple buildings.
With multiple projects set up for worksets we have alot of hard drive space devoted to these log files.

Can they be deleted without an effect on performance?

Is there a resource for workset file size management tips?

[sbrown]

What is the file size of the central. Are your local files saved on the local machines or on the server. Thats the best way to lower the server space is to make sure local users are saving to their local drives instead of the server.

You can archive the project at diff. milestones and recreate the central, this will do good things all around for file size. Basically after each phase I burn the files to a dvd, put it in the drawer and then create a new central file and delete the old one and its backup directory. The database seems to bloat and remaking it usually decreases the size substanially.

[aaronrumple]

File->Save As->Options This will let you set the number of backups (default is 20, which is good but you could reduce.)

Keeping the user copies on a local drive will also improve performance as there will be less network traffic and access time will be much faster.

[ToddVB]

Thanks Scott & Aaron,

I from the save as / option dialog I selected the compact file option - it reduced the file size to by 75%. I also moved the _log files to my that were older than 7 days to a temp directory on my local drive and it didn't seem to have an adverse effect. If I need the old _log files I will copy them back later. with these two things I reduced the overall Project directory size by 50%.

Thanks for the tips. I'll follow them to keep things in line.

[paul.licameli]

Thanks Scott & Aaron,

I from the save as / option dialog I selected the compact file option - it reduced the file size to by 75%. I also moved the _log files to my that were older than 7 days to a temp directory on my local drive and it didn't seem to have an adverse effect. If I need the old _log files I will copy them back later. with these two things I reduced the overall Project directory size by 50%.

Thanks for the tips. I'll follow them to keep things in line.

ToddVB, the log files exist only for diagnostic purposes in case you have an error in your files that impedes save-to-central and requires intervention from Revit customer support (and indirectly, us in development). You may certainly discard very old ones if you have experienced no such problems.

What you write is unclear: when you compacted your file, did it compact TO 75% of its former size, or BY 75% (therefore, TO only 25% of former size)? Either your central was 1.33 times bigger than strictly needed, or 4 times. Which was it?

You should understand that we traded some space inefficiency for faster save-to-central in Revit 8.1, but we expected an approximate factor of 2 at most, not 4. Compacting save lets users reclaim space, but to take the extra time to do it at a time of their choosing (like the end of the day). Think of that as deferred work, which reduced the time spent in saves-to-central in the middle of the day.