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TomU23-Emerald IV
23-Emerald IV
June 9, 2014
Question

Publishing w/Remote Site & WAN Utilization (long)

  • June 9, 2014
  • 1 reply
  • 2453 views

We currently have one master site and one remote site with limited bandwidth between them. A remote file server has been configured to reduced the load on on the WAN connection during business hours and improve CAD application performance for the remote users. Unfortunately, publishing seems to be defeating this functionality. Publishing is currently configured to happen on check in. I'm curious if there is a better way to configure things.

Desired Functionality:

1.) Remote user uploads data --> data is stored on remote file server only

2.) Later, when replication is scheduled to take place (off hours)

a.) Data on remote file server should be copied (replicated) back to master server.

b.) Data on remote file server should be moved to replica vault (instead of cache vault).

3.) Once data arrives at the master server, it should then be published.

- Of course for users at the master site, publishing should still take place immediately upon check in.

Actual Functionality:

1.) Remote user uploads data --> data is stored on remote file server only

2.) WVS publishes the data

a.) The file is copied file from remote file server to the publish server - ACROSS the WAN

b.) The publisher publishes the files and then stores them on the master server (local).

c.) The files used for publishing are then deleted from the publish server

3.) Later, when replication is scheduled to take place (off hours)

a.) Data on remote file server is copied (replicated) back to master server - ACROSS the WAN AGAIN

b.) Data on remote file server is moved to replica vault (instead of cache vault).

I'm not sure the impact, but WVS authentication is currently set to use the user's credentials during the publish job (auth=$user). I'm concerned that this may cause WVS to pull from whatever file server the user has configured for their default vault, regardless of where the publisher is physically located.

Is there a way to have all data checked into the master server published on check in but delay publishing data checked into the remote site until after the data has replicated?

1 reply

D
Darrell13-Aquamarine
13-Aquamarine
August 2, 2014

Have you made any progress on this? Could you share your experience since posting?

We are adding a remote site that will generate a lot of publishing and I know you can configure Distributed File Server Workers for Pro/E-Creo to publish at remote sites to avoid the WAN transfer, but I haven't tried it - http://support.ptc.com/cs/help/windchill_hc/wc100_hc/index.jspx?id=ConfigDistributeFileServerWorkIntro&action=show.

I'm also wondering if you have any master vaults at remote sites. We currently only have one master vault at the master site, but I think you can create a master vault on any site. It would probably make sense to do that if most of the data generated at a particular site will only be used there. Any experience with that?

T
TomU23-Emerald IVAuthor
23-Emerald IV
August 7, 2014

PTC's recommendation (after much discussion) was to place an additional publisher at the remote site. There are some settings you can add that will allow data checked in at a remote site to be published by a publisher also connected to that remote site. When the scheduled synchronization happens both the primary cad objects and the published representations will be copied back to the master.

I am running with a single master. If there was a master at the remote site (for certain content), then the content would stay there unless there were replication rules to push it somewhere else.

PTC has published a 39 page technical brief called PTC Windchill Vaulting and Replication Planning. It does a pretty good job of explaining how most things work, but some of the recommendations don't hold true in a single master scenario. (For example, remote sites without a master should not have both replica vaults and cache vaults - they should only have cache vaults and the replication rules should point to this vault.)

G
GaryMansell12-Amethyst
12-Amethyst
August 8, 2014

Tom,

Where did you get the information that Windchill Installations with only a single Master should have just Cache Vaults at the Replica sites and rather than both a Replica and Cache Vault?

This is contrary to my own understanding, the documentation that you refer to and also a PTC Tech Support guy (who really knows his stuff) that helped me archictect our new 10.1 System.

Our previous 9.1 System only had CacheVaults, whereas we were advised by PTC to split this into a Cache and Replica Vault for our 10.1 System. I have to say, it has been running for 9 months now like this and seems to work fine.

Please can you explain why a single Cache Vault is best for a Replica Site without a Master rather than both a Cache and a Replica Vault?

Thanks and Regards

Gary

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