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Thread: How to handle laptops and Adesk Software in multiple offices worldwide?

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    AUGI Addict bowlingbrad's Avatar
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    Default How to handle laptops and Adesk Software in multiple offices worldwide?

    Here's the scenario.
    Windows 7. Windows domain.
    We have an office in Chicago and an office in Shanghai.
    We installed stand alone versions of BDS 2014 on these laptops.
    We use offline files for our standards drive.
    We use login scripts to set an 'office' registry setting.
    Autocad uses that setting to know what office it is in. It then changes the PC3 file location to local printers because looking for a Chicago PC3 file from Shanghai really slows down autocad.

    Here's some issues:
    Sometimes the sync of offline files doesn't work and users may not realize that the standards have updated.
    Logging into the network too quickly after powering on the laptop may not allow the login scripts to run therefore making the laptop not recognize the right office. PC3 issues happen and slows autocad.
    People with laptops would like to always have office appropriate windows printers.
    Latency between offices gets too high to allow for windows DFS.

    How do you guys handle multiple offices and laptops? Are there other issues I'm missing (very possible)?

  2. #2
    AUGI Addict bowlingbrad's Avatar
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    Default Re: How to handle laptops and Adesk Software in multiple offices worldwide?

    NO ONE has any suggestions?

    C'mon... give it a try....

  3. #3
    Administrator BlackBox's Avatar
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    Default Re: How to handle laptops and Adesk Software in multiple offices worldwide?

    Quote Originally Posted by bowlingbrad View Post
    Here's the scenario.
    Windows 7. Windows domain.
    We have an office in Chicago and an office in Shanghai.
    We installed stand alone versions of BDS 2014 on these laptops.
    We use offline files for our standards drive.
    We use login scripts to set an 'office' registry setting.
    Autocad uses that setting to know what office it is in. It then changes the PC3 file location to local printers because looking for a Chicago PC3 file from Shanghai really slows down autocad.

    Here's some issues:
    Sometimes the sync of offline files doesn't work and users may not realize that the standards have updated.
    Logging into the network too quickly after powering on the laptop may not allow the login scripts to run therefore making the laptop not recognize the right office. PC3 issues happen and slows autocad.
    People with laptops would like to always have office appropriate windows printers.
    Latency between offices gets too high to allow for windows DFS.

    How do you guys handle multiple offices and laptops? Are there other issues I'm missing (very possible)?
    More information is needed.

    Does '[having] an office in Chicago, and an office in Shanghai' mean that you have a server in each location?

    Do you only have one server (in Chicago?), and that's why you have elected to rely on Offline Files functionality?

    If you have a server in each office, then why not implement (block level?) replication from Chicago server to Shanghai server via real-time sync, so everyone is working from 'live' data on local server? Just be sure that during Shanghai shift, you real-time sync back to Chicago server in kind, and always, always have a secondary data store that creates data in real-time, but has a delayed delete for near instant data recovery.

    The registry setting is fine, but not necessary, given the information you've provided (perhaps other information will validate the need?).

    Why don't you just setup .PC3 files for all printers in the network, pair that with named page setups, and let user send to the printer they want (regardless of location)? Named page setups can be included in your drawing templates, and imported easily as described in this thread.

    How have you configured Offline Files (Online, Auto Offline, Manual Offline, or Slow-link mode)?

    Users aren't going to just 'know' that something has been programmatically updated, unless you notify them of the update procedure's success, or failure.

    I've never experienced any issue with NETLOGON script(s) being evaluated prior to user being granted access to desktop at logon, but that doesn't mean it can't happen. Where is your NETLOGON Share located; on Chicago server? By definition, if working offline, the user is working local, so there's something amiss with your Offline Files setup, as user would inherently be loading local (offline) .PC3 instead.

    Have you built an in-house app to test/notify user to ensure they're offline prior to producing in CAD (i.e., either at session start, or at Initialize() (assuming you're familiar with .NET API)?

    Again, I'm a bit confused, as you're describing Shanghai users pointing to Chicago for .PC3 files, but you mention DFS as if you have a server in Shanghai - confusing as you should be working from Shanghai server (if it exists), and 'pushing' updates to each server as needed during off-peak hours.

    Cheers
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