<< Click to Display Table of Contents >> Navigation:  Options > Environment > Remote Access Options

Remote Access Options

This mode is for companies that have worldwide subsidiaries connected to synchronized database via Internet.

Enable the Remote Access Mode

The Remote Access Mode requires DBWARM module to be enabled.

The geographical distribution implies that each subsidiary sets its ownerships on all its documents. This enhanced security system could also be applied on a LAN to distinguish among separate departments working on the same CAD documents. Every person belonging to a given department could not modify any of the documents created in another department.

The Company ID identifies the name of the company in order to set the ownership attribute to documents.

For a complete description of the geographically distributed installation, refer to the separate document available on the cd.

This option cannot be activate until the database structure is adapted to support the necessary information. You can adapt the database structure automatically using the DBCustomizer.

Use Multiple Network Drives

Enabling this option you can use as many network drives as you need, having a DBW_COMPANY_INFO different for each network drive used. Please note that using several drives implies decreasing the working speed of the system.

Example

Suppose your files are archived on the network drives M: and Z:. For each of them, the other companies must have a share exposed on the WAN. A typical table could look like the following:
DBW_COMPANY_INFO

 

When the Use Multiple Network Drives option is enabled, the NETWORK_DRIVE field must be assigned even if only one drive letter is used.

 

Enable Local Mode

This option enables the Local Mode. See specific help topic.

To enable this option you have to enable following options too:

Open/Save→Save As→Automatic check-in after a DBWorks 'Save as...'
and Open/Save→Save As→Automatic check-out after the check-in

Release Local Ownership on Checkin

This option forces the release of the Local Ownership at Checkin time.

The Local Ownership is always released at Approve time.
It's strongly suggested to keep this option active to avoid confusion with local copy when switching between Work Local mode and normal mode.

'Take/Release' Ownership on 'Increment Revision State/Approve'

When this option is checked it is possible for an external designer to work locally at home.

The model can also be used on a LAN to enable designers working on very large assemblies to have the assembly files on their local computer.

A new database field OWNER_COMPANY_ID will store the original COMPANY_ID value.

Make foreign documents with a not null OWNER_COMPANY_ID

If checked, MechworksPDM considers foreign alll the documents for which the field OWNER_COMPANY_ID is not null. In this case the documents remain in a read only state.

A special case managed is when the OWNER_COMPANY_ID is of the type <company id>\<user>, filled by the Briefcase module for buffering the informations needed to send back a modified document. In this case, the document is considered foreign.

When this option is used, it is mandatory that in the Tables2.DFL the field OWNER_COMPANY_ID must be listed between the visible fields.

Always refresh Document Local Copies on Open

If enabled, it maintanins updated any downloaded foreign document that will be opened by the designer.
The refresh operation applies to the currently opened document and to all its children documents.

Avoid out-of-date local copies highlighting

If checked, DBWorks avoids to highlight in red and to show with a special symbol in the preview window any downloaded local copy that is currently out-of-date (see Remote Access Interface topic for details).

Please note that this option should be used only when migrating an existing DBWorks database from the old YYYYMMDD format of the LAST_MODIFIED_DATE field to the DBWorks 2007 YYYYMMDD HH:MM:SS format, which is the only format with which the out-of-date components highlighting can work correctly

Deny 'Take Ownership'

This option fully disables the Take the ownership functionality, so allowing only the Transfer Ownership mode.

Please note this option is not active and disabled when OffSiteMode is enabled

Allow 'Take Ownership' even when the file does not exists

This option controls if the 'Take Ownership' action must be stopped or if it can be continued in case the remote file does not exist.
Please note that by disabling this option it will no more be possible to take the ownership of Remote 'fake' components records (since a 'fake' component record does not have any file associated with it).

Please note this option is active and disabled when OffSiteMode is enabled

Copy all revision files on a change of ownership

If this option is enabled, MechworksPDM copies all the files concerning previous revisions (.gz, .tree and .jpg) when taking the ownership of a foreign document and ensures that the current owner of a document is able to visualize or activate previous revisions of a document also if they have not been designed in his company. This behavior has been added as an option because copying the files implies an increase in the network data traffic that in some cases can be heavy.

Please note this option is not active and disabled when OffSiteMode is enabled

Copy all revision files on every download/upload

By checking this option, at every download/upload, all the revision files (.gz and .tree) will be downloaded/uploaded (files of the same date/time will not be copied).

This option may impact the overall performances of the download/upload operation when many revision files have been created for a document.

Please note this option is not active and disabled when OffSiteMode is enabled

Always Refresh Children Documents Local Copies on Parent's 'Take Ownership'

When checked, an automatic refresh of the current documents children local files is performed at every Take Ownership action.

Allow same user to take the ownership of his own checked-out files

In cases where the DBWORKS_USERS table is shared among many branch offices of the same company group, so where the same user can login (possibly using Microsoft Roaming Profiles) with the same DBWorks ID and PWD on multiple sites, it may be useful, once some documents have been Checked-Out by this user on one site, to continue to work on the same documents from a different site.
If this option is checked, MechworksPDM allows the Take Ownership command on documents in CHECKED-OUT state belonging to a different company, but only if the CHECK_OUT_BY value is the same of the current user login’s ID. MechworksPDM refreshes (and downloads if not available) the local copies of the documents, and applies a CHECKIN file operation to the remote files and a CHECKOUT file operation to the local files, thus giving both the ownership to the local company id, and the proper write permissions to the currently logged in user.
The same permissions are allowed also to any user belonging to the DBWArm Group DBWorks Admin.

Please note this option is not active and disabled when OffSiteMode is enabled

Manage Standard Parts on a change of ownership

This option controls if the Standard Parts can become proprietary (take ownership) or foreign (transfer ownership) components.

if unchecked, the PDM doesn't perform a Standard Parts change of ownership when executing a RMB → Take Ownership of the node and all the children

Manage Standard Parts on download

This option allows to separate the standard parts download from the component download.

if unchecked, the PDM doesn't perform a Standard Parts download when executing a the RMB → Download the Remote Component and all the children

Manage all the Parent Drawing on a change of ownership

This option controls if all the parent drawings (even if NOT main drawings) can become proprietary ( take ownership ) or foreign ( transfer ownership ) drawings.

If unchecked, drawings that are not related drawings (according to the Drawing↔Part Link Mode rules) are not managed by the batch functionality.

User Server Side File Transfer

By enabling this option is possible to delegate to a server process the transfer of the files managed by the Transfer ownership and Download functionalities.
The architecture assumes that on each server a StandaloneClient is installed and running.
See specific topic Server-side file transfer for the Transfer ownership functionality

Please note this option is not active and disabled when OffSiteMode is enabled

User DBWAclServer protected File Transfer

See specific topic.

Please note this option is not active and disabled when OffSiteMode is enabled

Never download remote files

If you check this option, MechworksPDM does not download any remote files.
This is a workaround that allows to work with VPN connections where the Client Workstations are not able to ping the remote server, but the servers ping each-other.
The scenario where this option whould be used is a file synchronization with the replicate_cscript.vbs or equivalent, which ensures that the files are always synchronized and available locally.
Checking this option, MechworksPDM only performs database operations, with no file transfer when documents change of ownership.
Note that the Download and Refresh Local Copies commands make no sense when this option is active.

Please note this option is not active and disabled when OffSiteMode is enabled

Always download linked document

If checked, it makes the program always propose to download also any linked document (following the Environment→Link Mode options settings)

Download/Upload Revision Output files

When checked, any download/upload operation will also transfer any already created Revision Output file if the Revisions→Output→Output files alternate folder (root) is not null.

the assigned output files alternate folder must exists in each remote site

Download Attachments

If checked it includes the Attachments during the Remote Access download process.

Download obsolete components

If checked it includes the obsolete documents during the Remote Access download process.

Exclude from Offsite Mode the following directories

This option allows the company to exclude from OffSite Mode any number of specific directories.
Any file in those folders (and subfolders) will be unmanaged by OffSite Mode:

•they won't be downloaded

•they won't be uploaded

•no TakeOwnership will be executed (the COMPANY_ID field won't change on check-out)

•they will be loaded from the remote location, losing all the performance advantage that OffSite Mode guarantees on those files

This option has been designed to let the users work with their custom Design Libraries in OffSite Mode with no need to completely download them, that would be typically be an issue in many environments.

Download only from Local Server

If checked, the files belonging to a foreign company will be downloaded from the local server, rather than from the foreign server. It is assumed that the Remote Access Replication Process has already downloaded the files from the foreign server to the local server.

Enabling this option may lead to download files out of date if the Remote Access Replication Process has not downloaded the updated file yet.

---

Use OnRemoteAccessAction.LST script

Use OnRemoteAccessFileTransfer.LST script