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Brian Schanen joined Autodesk in 2005 as a Product Designer and currently is a Customer Success Engineer for Autodesk’s Data Management products. Brian has taught at Autodesk University numerous times and has authored white papers on Vault and Productstream. He works with customers to implement a complete digital prototyping solution specializing in Autodesk Inventor, Autodesk Vault and Productstream. Brian lives near Detroit, Michigan.
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Logs, logs, logs
August 28, 2008 09:24 PMby Brian SchanenOne of the most important facets of lodging a data management support case and probably the main delay in diagnosis and resolution is the collection and documentation of error logs. Below is a list of the important logs and locations where they can be found.Supporting your case with these logs goes a long way to identifying and rectifying the problem:
FilesClient / ServerLocationInstallation LogsClient / Server%temp%\Prechecks.xmlPrechecks.xlsAutodesk Productstream 2009 Install.logAutodesk Productstream 2009 Setup.logAutodesk Vault 2009 Install.logAutodesk Vault 2009 Setup.logAutodesk Data Management Server 2009.logAutodesk Productstream Explorer 2009 Install.logAutodesk Productstream Explorer 2009 Setup.log“Logs for additional install components”SQL Installation LogsServerC:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\90\Setup Bootstrap\LOG\Files\Vault Error Logs (*.log)(XP, 2000, 2003)ServerXP, 2000, 2003 –C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Autodesk\VaultServer\Filestore\Vista –C:\Program Data\Autodesk\VaultServer\FilestoreSQL Server Log FilesServerC:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL$AUTODESKVAULT\LOG\Event Viewer Logs(System & App *.evt)Client / ServerStart > Run > “eventvwr” > OpenRight click Sys & App logs and “Save Log File As”IIS Logs (*.log)Server%systemroot%\System32\logfilesdwg & dwf iFilter Log FilesServerC:\Documents and Settings\<ComputerName>\ ASPNET\Local Settings\Temp\Index Block Attributes (dwg files)ServerC:\Program Files\Autodesk\Data Management Server 2009\Server\Web\Services\FilterConfig.xml-Brian Schanen
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Hotfixes - Things go in threes
August 26, 2008 08:50 PMby Brian SchanenIntroducing three recent hotfixes for Productstream 2009:
Hotfix - New Item Creation - User Defined Properties
This hotfix resolves two problems with default item properties.
- When creating an item, the default item type is document. Switching the item
type propogates the default document properties to the new item type. This hotfix
enables the default properties for the item type selected for new item creation
only. - If a list property is the first property displayed on an item, the drop down
for the property is disabled. This hotfix enables the list drop down.
Inventor Float Properties, Content Center & Search Fixes
- Improper Handling of Float Properties in non ENU Locales
- CC - ADMS to allow delete of a corrupted library
- Schema change to avoid CC corruption
- Conversion from an object containing real type from Lucene to a double type in ADMS is failing
Hotfix - SWX and Pro/E DWF Files wont open in Productstream Web Client
This hotfix resolves being able to view DWFs created with SolidWorks or Pro/E in Productstream Explorer.
- When creating an item, the default item type is document. Switching the item
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Here is one for the Admins
August 22, 2008 09:56 PMby Brian SchanenThis post is directed at the Vault and Productstream Administrators. In other words, those of you who are responsible for the fidelity of Vault – and you know who you are.
Populating the Vault with CAD data has been a concern for managers and administrators. There are several recommended ways, and in the past when end user strayed from these, there were undesirable consequences. In the 2009 release, an option is one by default with either a new or migrated Vault, that blocks manual Check In or “drag and drop” of CAD files to Vault. Find this under Tools>Administration>Files tab.
Attempting to add an Inventor file for instance, the user is met with a warning. The only option here is to close the dialog box. There is no workaround at this stage – even for a Vault Administrator account.
As the message states, you should use the appropriate application to add the files. This means Inventor, Autoloader, or Task Scheduler. Only through these applications can relationships be maintained. But what happens if this is switched off? Next let’s examine what happens if you uncheck the option in the Administration dialog box and “drag and drop” Inventor files into Vault. Remember, this is for demonstration purposes only…
I have unchecked the option for the next steps. As I drag and drop a folder of Inventor files into Vault, I am again met with a message. Note the hint about using the Inventor add-in and lost relationships. But you can continue by clicking yes. And that’s when the badness can occur.
Examining the results, initially we see that there are in fact no relationships between files. This IDW is adjacent to its IPT child, yet unaware of the dependency.
Furthermore, files that should have classifications like iPart factories and members are not displayed correctly. The iPart in the following image should have a different icon and tooltip.
Finally, one of the more painful side effects is missing DWF’s. These are not generated unless the files are Checked In through the appropriate application (hint hint).
So, why would anyone need to uncheck that option? Should it be left on full time? One use case is to populate the Vault with Template files. If you place your Inventor templates in a Vault folder, you may elect to add them manually. These are not intended to hold any file relationships, and a DWF is optional. I suggest keeping this on during all production work hours. It’s a nice option that give additional peace of mind that your data is accurate both in Vault and when retrieved.
The Vault Knows All...
-Brian Schanen
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A Property Tuning example
August 20, 2008 10:29 PMby Brian SchanenFollowing the last post about Re-Indexing and when you should perform one, here is a real life example I had to go through. I thought I’d screen cap and share with the group.
I had migrated a Productstream 2008 database to 2009 and was running an Advanced Find. The Property drop down was filled with loads of props that I would never search for, like the G_H and G_L properties in the image below:
These are dimensional parameters exported from the Inventor file. These find their way to custom iProperties, and in Vault/Productstream 2008, would be automatically indexed upon Check In. Note that this does not happen anymore in the 2009 release, but if you are like me, you have old backups to restore and these properties will appear.
So with the 2009 release, you can go to Tool>Administration>Files tab and click Properties. This will open the Property Definitions window. From the filter at the top, select the File list. Browse down to the Properties in question.
Highlight (or Shift-select) and click the Edit button at the top. Change the State to Not in Use and click OK.
Perform this for all unnecessary Properties. As you exit, you’ll be met with a message stating that the job is not done – you will need to re-index at the ADMS Console for these changes to take effect.
Remember that with Vault and Productstream 2009, you do not have to have everyone log out of Vault to re-index.
The Vault Knows All...
-Brian Schanen
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When to perform a Re-Index Properties and Rebuild Search Indexes
August 14, 2008 09:30 PMby Brian SchanenRe-Index
The Re-Index command will scan an entire Vault – one at a time – to extract and index properties from the versions of files. After a re-index, the usage count in the Property Manager will be updated. It is only necessary to run the ‘Re-Index Properties…’ command if you make the following configuration changes:
- When adding a new property to ‘In Use’,
- When changing an existing property from ‘In Use’ to ‘Not in Use’
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Add new iFilters to extract additional information from vaulted files.
To Re-index Properties in a vault you must first select the vault in the ADMS Console. The “Re-Index Properties…” command can then be found under the ‘Actions’ pull-down menu.
There are several options within this dialog box.
- Re-Index all files - all files for the specified vault are re-indexed
- Re-Index latest and released versions only - only the latest version, the released versions, and pending released versions are indexed
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Calculate – returns the number of files that will be re-indexed based on the selection made above
By default this process will run as a “Below Normal” priority and will allow an administrator to re-index the server without loading the server. Additionally the re-indexing process runs without blocking access to the server and automatically pauses and continue for operations such as backup and server reboots. Although Clients can access the vault while it is being re-indexed, not all properties may be available until the re-indexing has finished.
To check on the progress of the re-indexing process, select the vault again in the ADMS Console then select the ‘Actions’ pull-down menu > Re-Index Properties… which will bring up the following Re-Index Properties Status dialog box.
It is possible to bump the process priority from “Below Normal” to “Normal” using the command line; in which case re-indexing will complete sooner; however, server performance will degrade due to the higher priority of the operation. Please refer to the ADMSConsole_2009 help for additional information: Chapter Server Console - ‘Command Line Server Console’, and Chapter Property Tuning - ‘Re-index Properties in a Vault’
Rebuild Search Indexes
For most properties in the vault, search indexing occurs automatically. When adding a new property to ‘In Use’, you will need to perform the ‘Re-Index Properties…’ and search indexing will occur automatically [without the need for the separate step of ‘Rebuild Search Indexes’]. One exception being if you change a User or Group Name [because this change can affect multiple vaults]. In that case, the user is messaged that they need to rebuilt the search index for the User or Group name change to be consumed.
NOTE: A ‘background’ process - Search Index Optimization (Index.Optimize) - updates Productstream’s and Vault’s indexing engine. This engine enables Productstream and Vault to return search results quickly. When the process is running the indexer is locked. This process runs during off hours to prevent user down time. This process should only take a couple of minutes at most, even in a really large environment. If this process does not run, the data management server would have to index on demand. This will cause slower performance for most users during peak times.Refer to the Vault Background Processes.pdf in the White Paper section, http://www.autodesk.com/vault-whitepapers to change the default time of the index optimization process.
Significant architectural changes were made by separating the search indexing from the main database in Vault/Productstream 2009. This change was made to provide enhanced capabilities in both flexibility and performance. This change impacts the administrator and end-user workflows in many ways. Tasks like search indexing used to be both automatic and immediate. Search indexing is still automatic but it is no longer immediate. After a file is added to the system it could be a couple of minutes before the file appears in a search. Hopefully this one time inconvenience is a fair trade for the performance gains.
Speical thanks to Pascal for the details in this post!
The Vault Knows All...
-Brian Schanen
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Tailoring Productstream with your Company’s images
August 13, 2008 10:57 PMby Brian SchanenProductstream has several areas that Administrators can configure with corporate logos and landing pages. The first one we’ll examine is the Productstream Web client.
You’ll need to log in to the web client with an administrator’s account. Next click the Configure button to access the setting that all users of the Web client will see. In the Attributes area, on the right side of ‘Header’ click the Change button. The allowed size is 365 x 95 pixels for any JPG or GIF of your company’s logo. Browse to this image file and load. The new image will appear in the upper left of the page.
The next area is the When starting Productstream, the user enters on a default landing page.htm located at C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Data Management Server 2009\Server\Web\Services\VaultHTML\pages\PSLandingPage.htm. You can create your own with the same name and replace this one.
This is just a .html page like any other and the usual tools to add Text, Links or Active Buttons to activate other applications can be added. This can serve as a central location to place the companies “Best Practice” guidelines, latest news, links to commonly used Engineering information, etc. Just remember to keep the filename and format.
-Brian Schanen
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Batch Plot your Designs with Autodesk Productstream
August 11, 2008 10:40 PMby Brian SchanenAutodesk Productstream provides extended data management functionality to collect a complete drawing set for a major design and batch plot to a selected device. The Plot command can be launched from a variety of ways within Productstream. The first is from the Standard toolbar. This brings up the dialog and you can add files or Items, and their related sheets. The other popular method is from a group selection like a Bill of Materials tree or Saved Search.
During the collection process, or once all drawing sheets are collected, the Batch Plot list can be saved off to an xml file on the user’s machine. This allows for submitting to a device at a later time or when all the design layouts are ready. When all sheets are ready for printing, or at any time, you can load the plot job, modify the settings, and submit the job.
From the plot manager, each sheet is represented in a row and has individual settings that can be modified such as the number of copies, target device, and paper size. A preview of the file is provided for quick validation of setup. To ensure that the drawing sheets are accurate and up-to-date, upon submitting the job if there are newer versions of any of the sheets you will be prompted the list may need to be refreshed.
Alternatively, you can click the refresh button at anytime to scan for new versions from Items or Files. The plot manager will load in the newer version of the files and sheets.
Once you have all the latest data for printing, you can apply a global Plot Stamp and watermark to your sheets. This is configurable through an options dialog box and has provisions for File Name, Date, Time, as seen in the image below.
-Brian Schanen