How to deal with remote offices

[andrew.139822]

We're struggling with how to connect a remote office for Revit use. There have been a couple of threads on this subject, but none of them very definitive and the newest now a year out of date, so I'd like to revisit the subject.

We currently have a symmetrical DSL connection with VPN appliances at each end for our connection to our remote office. We're trying to work with all project files residing on the server in the main office, with the remote office staff accessing those files directly for their work. This has not been very satisfactory so far. The remote office staff constantly complain that file access takes too long, so we're worried that this will be completely unworkable for Revit with a worksharing project located on our main office server.

I see two critical connection speed issues: save to central time and delays or latency for the instantaneous traffic needed for element borrowing.

Anyone with any relevant experience or advice?

Any experience with accelerator products like Riverbend?

Any experience with wide area file sharing(WAFS)/caching solutions like Availl/GlobalSCAPE? These systems usually duplicate files at both ends and then keep those files syncronized. Is that workable for a Revit central file that's tracking workset checkout and element borrowing?

Thanks,

Andrew

[Scott D Davis]

a DSL connection wil be too slow, as you have already found out.

I think you will get your best results by using Remote Desktop to have the users in the other offices working on workstations in the "main" office. that way, saving, opening, save to centrals, etc are done locally, and remote desktop becomes a long keyboard/mouse/video cable to the remote locations.

[andrew.139822]

Remote Desktop seems like a kludge of a solution, but I can see that it might still be the best idea.

AutoDesk should definitely put this issue high on the wish list for future releases. It's a very common problem and will do nothing but get more common and more frustrating in the future. The concept of multiple users accessing a central file database is fundamental to Revit's workflow, so it doesn't look good for AutoDesk not to have directly addressed remote offices.

Andrew

[Scott D Davis]

Autodesk should definitely put this issue high on the wish list for future releases.

yes, you are right.

It's a very common problem and will do nothing but get more common and more frustrating in the future.

Totally agree!

The concept of multiple users accessing a central file database is fundamental to Revit's workflow, so it doesn't look good for Autodesk not to have directly addressed remote offices.

right again...hopefully we will see something in the future to address this.

[andrew.139822]

Well, it's reassuring to at least hear someone form AutoDesk agree. Hopefully you can fight the good fight for us users at the next release planning meeting.

Andrew

[mbeham]

I am the Revit expert in our company and we have been using remote offices for about a year now. We have kept the central file in one office and had users create local copies in others as far away as 2000 miles. We have mpls cloud in place and a connection ranging in 2-5 mbps per office, with a Riverbed in place. This seems to work good, not spectacular but good enough that the work is getting done without too many complaints. We also have our bandwidth at a good size. The issue we are having now is the 2000miles is great but we need 6,100 miles and 13hr time difference. We've tested both copying the central twice daily back and forth at night and in the morning and also tested leaving the central in the USA and having the office overseas in China make a local that is attached in the US. This has only been tested mind you it has not been used on a project. My question posed is what is the best way (and we cant just say it wont work). Remote desktop connection is out. With the number of people that would have to do that the Remote desktop connection alone would take all of the bandwidth leaving none for other projects not in Revit that are being worked on simultaneously. Our tests showed both ways will work however #1 with the copying has a lot of potential for human error and #2 may cause problems with other projects. We are a firm of 1200 people and need this to happen for future development. Im hoping to get some feedback as to what peoples thoughts are.

[NKramer]

I am the Revit expert in our company and we have been using remote offices for about a year now. We have kept the central file in one office and had users create local copies in others as far away as 2000 miles. We have mpls cloud in place and a connection ranging in 2-5 mbps per office, with a Riverbed in place. This seems to work good, not spectacular but good enough that the work is getting done without too many complaints. We also have our bandwidth at a good size. The issue we are having now is the 2000miles is great but we need 6,100 miles and 13hr time difference. We've tested both copying the central twice daily back and forth at night and in the morning and also tested leaving the central in the USA and having the office overseas in China make a local that is attached in the US. This has only been tested mind you it has not been used on a project. My question posed is what is the best way (and we cant just say it wont work). Remote desktop connection is out. With the number of people that would have to do that the Remote desktop connection alone would take all of the bandwidth leaving none for other projects not in Revit that are being worked on simultaneously. Our tests showed both ways will work however #1 with the copying has a lot of potential for human error and #2 may cause problems with other projects. We are a firm of 1200 people and need this to happen for future development. Im hoping to get some feedback as to what peoples thoughts are.

Try looking at this thread http://forums.augi.com/showthread.ph...511#post890511

They automated the creation of local files but you could do the same for moving the central file back and forth. If you really get into it you could have the program run automatically at 8pm (for instance) every day.

The biggest problem I see with moving the central file around is what happens when someone needs/ wants to work late in the states? They may not realize that the central file has just been moved to China and all the work they are doing will be erased when the US central file is overwritten.

I think most people would tend towards each user having to create their own local files and connect over the WAN... You will have WAN lag but at least everybody can work whenever and wherever they need/ want.

HTH
Nick

[cporter.207875]

Any experience with wide area file sharing(WAFS)/caching solutions like Availl/GlobalSCAPE? These systems usually duplicate files at both ends and then keep those files syncronized. Is that workable for a Revit central file that's tracking workset checkout and element borrowing?

Thanks,

Andrew

OK, our office has used Availl/globalSCAPE for nearly a year, but we are just now attempting to share a Revit file between offices. We are experiencing the problem of not being able to load linked revit files when opening a local file if a user in another office has their local file open.
I am wondering if this is related to the Availl replication.
Also, if a user in one office STC, it can take up to 30 minutes before a user in a different office can reload latest.
As we have just begun trying to share revit files across offices, I don't know, yet, if there will be problems associated with borrowing.
Is anyone else out there using a replication software, like Availl, for remote file sharing?

[anthony.67953]

I have tried to connect to Revit via Remote Desktop but my model screen turns black and only the annotation shows on the screen. Does anyone have any thoughts on the subject?

Thanks

[truevis]

I have tried to connect to Revit via Remote Desktop but my model screen turns black and only the annotation shows on the screen. Does anyone have any thoughts on the subject?

Is OpenGL turned off?

Could try different settings in Remote Desktop before logging-in.