FAQ for Administrators
How do I determine our vault computer name?
How do I determine where our vault documents are stored?
Who should have access to the vault in Windows Explorer?
How does project structure affect performance?
How do I regain disk space on our server?
Can I edit files in the vault manually?
What can I do in the vault folder in Windows Explorer?
How do I move the vault and its documents to a new server?
Is it normal for SolidWorks Workgroup PDM service to take 10 minutes or more to start?
Are all three levels required in a revision scheme?
Is it safe to change a revision scheme in the middle of a project?
How do I configure a non-default path for the vault?
Can I specify the same path for the program files and the vault?
How do I configure the vault over a network?
Can I run more than one vault on our network?
Can I use SolidWorks Workgroup PDM over a modem?
Do I need to restart the vault server after a time change?
How do I determine our vault computer name?
The vault computer name is detected during installation. In the VaultAdmin, on the Vault Settings tab, the vault computer name is displayed under Vault information in the Vault computer field. The vault root directory appears in the Root directory field.
The root directory is the vault directory. The program files are installed in a different directory specified during installation.
How do I determine where our vault documents are stored?
In the VaultAdmin, on the Vault Settings tab, the vault folder name is displayed under Vault information in the Root directory field. Documents are stored in project folders under the root directory.
Who should have access to the vault in Windows Explorer?
Only the vault administrator and one systems administrator should have access to the vault directory in Windows Explorer for purposes of backing up and troubleshooting the vault. Clients should never be granted such access.
To grant access to a vault in Windows Explorer:
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In Windows, click Start, Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Services.
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Right-click Workgroup PDM Server and select Properties.
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On the Log On tab, set the account to a user with write permission.
How do I create a subproject?
On the Projects tab of the VaultAdmin, click New Project. After entering a name and description for the subproject, select a parent from the Parent list.
If you accidentally create a subproject at the root level, select the subproject from the Project list and choose a parent project from the Parent list.
Users can also create subprojects.
How does project structure affect performance?
If your users maintain a large number of documents, performance is improved if you create more projects or subprojects for documents rather than keeping documents in just a few projects.
The larger tree might result in a longer vault start-up time, but operations such as check in, check out, open document, and so on are faster.
How do I regain disk space on our server?
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Periodically delete Obsolete folders from the vault with Windows Explorer.
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On the VaultAdmin Projects tab, click Archive Project. Archive revisions that are not currently needed.
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You can restore archived revisions.
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You specify the archive directory on the Projects tab. The default archive directory is in the VaultData folder. If your purpose in archiving is to save disk space on the vault server, specify a folder on another drive, although archiving over a network is slower than on the same drive.
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Users can also archive document revisions if the vault administrator gives them permission under Delete, Rollback, Archive documents on the Vault Settings tab.
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On the Vault Settings tab of VaultAdmin, clear Keep extra copy of latest files. When selected, Workgroup PDM keeps an extra copy of all vault documents (rather than keeping just the most recent version) in a folder for each project called latest.
Can I edit files in the vault manually?
No. Editing files in the vault directly from the Windows file structure can result in unexpected behavior. Always use Workgroup PDM to manipulate files in the vault unless instructed otherwise by Technical Support.
What can I do in the vault folder in Windows Explorer?
As the vault administrator, you should be sure that you have read and write access to the folder in Windows Explorer. You should also be sure that only authorized administrators also have read and write access. Everyone else should be blocked from even reading the files through Windows Explorer.
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Text files for administrators. Several files in the subfolder pdmrc can be viewed in Notepad.
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Log files. You can view the log files in /server.log in Notepad.
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Backups. Back up the vault folder. Stop the vault service or lock the vault before copying the folder.
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Latest files. Zip up all the files in the latest directory in case of catastrophic system failure. (See Best Practices.)
How do I move the vault and its documents to a new server?
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Stop the Workgroup PDM service.
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Back up the vault.
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Copy the vault files to the new location and note the path.
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Reinstall the vault program files (preferably on the C: partition). When asked for the vault storage location, specify the new path.
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Reinstall the VaultAdmin on the new server (optional).
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Test the new installation.
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Delete the original documents with Windows Explorer.
Is it normal for Workgroup PDM service to take 10 minutes or more to start?
Yes, particularly if the vault contains large amounts of data. At startup, Workgroup PDM validates all data and repairs any inconsistencies to ensure accuracy.
The vault administrator can prevent this data validation. On the Vault Settings tab of the VaultAdmin, under On vault startup, clear Validate result.
Are all three levels required in a revision scheme?
No. You can choose to use only the primary level, or the primary and secondary levels.
Is it safe to change a revision scheme in the middle of a project?
Yes. Revisioning of the documents starts at the beginning of the new scheme. Previous revision information remains stored as part of the documents’ properties.
How do I configure a non-default path for the vault?
Specify two paths during installation:
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Program files
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Vault folder
On the Setup Type page of the installation procedure, click Change next to the default VaultData and type the full path name of the folder, including the drive letter; for example, d:VaultData.
Can I specify the same path for the program files and the vault?
No. You must specify different locations.
How do I configure the vault over a network? For example, I want to install the program files on one computer but store the vault on another server.
Enter the full UNC (Universal Naming Convention) path when prompted for the vault folder name. For example, for a vault on a computer named server, enter \serverVaultData.
Specify Windows Explorer access to the folder for the vault administrator as described here.
Can I run more than one vault on our network?
Yes. However, generally it makes more sense to create separate projects within one vault. Additional vaults might be used for testing.
Workgroup PDM allows only one vault per computer. Users can choose a vault by specifying the name of the computer during login.
Can I use Workgroup PDM over a modem?
Yes. Accessing the vault over a modem works well for checking in information, but is not recommended for extensive checking in or opening documents.
For users connecting frequently by modem, close the Preview window and hide projects to which the user has no access. SolidWorks Workgroup PDM Viewer is a good option for such users.
Do I need to restart the vault server after a time change?
No. Multiple time zones are supported in a work environment. For example:
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If daylight savings time changes, you do not have to restart the vault.
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Documents in one time zone have proper time stamps when users work with a vault in another time zone.
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If a vault was created in one time zone, then it is relocated and restarted in a different time zone, the vault updates properly.