PDMWorks on ANY machine except the one with Solidworks on it!!!!

I thought I could find my way round most things or know someone who could find a way, but this has myself and everyone I know stuck! I can not get into the vault, if the vault is not on the same pc but is on a Windows network machine or a Novell network server.

I even tried just two xppro machines networked though a network hub. With Solidworks 2003 sp4 , client addin, standalone client, vault admin, on machine1 and the vault (with vault admin) installed on the machine2. I can get into the vault from machine2, but can't get into the vault from machine1. On machine2 I have shared the Pdmworks folder and every folder in it, I have even tried sharing the root directory! I tried adding the path in the machine1 registry, still no luck! Why could they not include a browse option for the vault location(opps tooooo easy that one!)??

AHHHHHH! what a piece of crap software! And yes, by the way, I have asked my Var!

No comment as they are trying very hard on my behalf, It is solidworks USA who are very sloooow. The Pdmworks help section is also utter utter rubbish, not as good as the solidworks help section. Please come to your own conclusion on that comment!

I brought this on Monday 15th September, it is now Friday 19th September and I still don't have a working pdmworks. Oh well another expensive mug mat, it will go with the free AOL disks I keep getting, but is worth a lot less! Oh! by the way, I almost forgot to ask, with all my frustration, can anyone help??

Reply to
pete
Loading thread data ...

How is anyone going to be able to help you since you have already determined that the software is "a piece of crap" and less valuable than an AOL trial disk? Enjoy your new mug mat, and good luck.

...

On the other hand, hypothetically speaking of course, if it turned out to be user error instead of crappy software, here are some things an inept user might have done to screw it up. You really haven't given any useful details that would point out exactly what your mistake was (such as what happens when you can't access the vault, an error number, message or something).

- firewall up between two machines

- incompatible versions on server and client (client cannot be later version than server)

- server service is not running

- didn't install with admin privileges

- manually changed file structure in vault

- don't know the default admin login or password

- not entering the name or IP of the server correctly on login

- vault not installed correctly

Can you ping between machines? Can you run the vault admin on the server? What happens when you try to sign in from the client machine? You know that when you login from the client you have to enter the name of the server in the login window, right (don't use "localhost")? Did you check to see the pdmService.exe process is running on the server?

PDMWorks is the easiest to install PDM product I have ever worked with. It's really very simple, and if done correctly, it works every time.

Out of curiosity, how did you install the PDMW vault on the Novell server

You already know of course that sharing the pdmworks vault folders has absolutely no effect and is actually a bad idea.

The reason they do not include a browse to vault option is that you shouldn't do that. You should "never" browse to the vault. Dealing with the vault directly can cause the kind of problems you are seeing now and others.

Your VAR might not be responding because you are either overlooking something very simple or have done something really stupid to screw things up. I apologize for being so direct, but in the end it's more helpful than just agreeing with you.

Have you considered paying someone who knows what they're doing to do some implementation work for you?

I suppose it would also be dumb of me to ask if you got any training.

Anyway, good luck.

matt.

Reply to
matt

Reply to
kellnerp

kellnerp wrote in news:du7bb.301397$ snipped-for-privacy@rwcrnsc52.ops.asp.att.net:

Paul,

Do you have anything to quantify the "somewhat inefficiency" or is it just a guess? I've been told by someone I trust that setting the server service and the vault data on two different machines doesn't double the network traffic by sending the data from the vault to the server to the client. I'm working on getting a Linux box up so I can play with testing this sort of thing (main constraint is time, i've got the box and the OS).

Did you do this just to see if you could or for some other purpose like disk space, or backup?

I was mainly asking the question because someone who can't sign into the vault is probably going to have some difficulty making a trans-OS installation work, or an incorrect trans-OS install may be the source of his not being able to connect.

Thanks for the input.

matt.

Reply to
matt

Hi, thanks for the direct approach I prefer that. I think that as I pay £995 a year for the subscription and the help line, I shouldn't have to pay anyone any more money. Would you? But here is the info you wanted, I think you are right, I have made a stupid mistake somewhere, but I only followed the information given to me by my VAR. We actually done the installation over the phone step by step!

Ok, lets take the simple configuration first.

Machine1:- brand new machine with brand new install of XP Pro Brand new install of solidworks office pro Selected install of solidworks client, stand alone client and vault admin using the default installation directories

Computer name is "cad1"

Workgroup =WORKGROUP

IP address 192.168.0.1

I have set ([HKLM] |software\DesignSource\PDMWorks\server\ - root Path = \\cad2\

Machine2:-brand new machine with brand new install of XP Pro Selected install of vault admin and the vault using the default installation directories

Computer name "cad2"

Workgroup =WORKGROUP

IP address 192.168.0.2

Hub between the two PC's 100Mb Netgear

From Machine2, using user name :- pdmwadmin password :- pdmwadmin computer name :- localhost I can get into the vault with no problems

From Machine1, using user name :- pdmwadmin password :- pdmwadmin computer name :- cad2

or using From Machine1, using user name :- pdmwadmin password :- pdmwadmin computer name :- \\cad2\

or using From Machine1, using user name :- pdmwadmin password :- pdmwadmin computer name :- \\cad2\PDMWorks

or using user name :- pdmwadmin password :- pdmwadmin computer name :- 192.168.0.2 I get an error 40

I then mapped Machine's C: drive, as drive P: on Machine1

I then set ([HKLM] |software\DesignSource\PDMWorks\server\ - root Path = \\P:\cad2\PDMWorks

From Machine1, using user name :- pdmwadmin password :- pdmwadmin computer name :- \\P:\cad2

or using From Machine1, using user name :- pdmwadmin password :- pdmwadmin computer name :- \\P:\cad2\PDMWorks

or using From Machine1, using user name :- pdmwadmin password :- pdmwadmin computer name :- localhost

I get the login screen Then an error saying"can not find user names"

I have tried sharing the whole C: drive on Machine2 and then even the individual folders I can see the pdmworks directory on Machine2 from Machine1, I can even see the files in the folder. That's it so far, except one last thing, d/clicking on the vault exe file I get a message saying" insufficient permissions" Phew! that was a lot of remembering!

Reply to
pete

Reply to
pete

Hi, thanks for the direct approach I prefer that. I think that as I pay £995 a year for the subscription and the help line, I shouldn't have to pay anyone any more money. Would you? But here is the info you wanted, I think you are right, I have made a stupid mistake somewhere, but I only followed the information given to me by my VAR. We actually done the installation over the phone step by step!

Ok, lets take the simple configuration first.

Machine1:- brand new machine with brand new install of XP Pro Brand new install of solidworks office pro Selected install of solidworks client, stand alone client and vault admin using the default installation directories

Computer name is "cad1"

Workgroup =WORKGROUP

IP address 192.168.0.1

I have set ([HKLM] |software\DesignSource\PDMWorks\server\ - root Path = \\cad2\

Machine2:-brand new machine with brand new install of XP Pro Selected install of vault admin and the vault using the default installation directories

Computer name "cad2"

Workgroup =WORKGROUP

IP address 192.168.0.2

Hub between the two PC's 100Mb Netgear

From Machine2, using user name :- pdmwadmin password :- pdmwadmin computer name :- localhost I can get into the vault with no problems

From Machine1, using user name :- pdmwadmin password :- pdmwadmin computer name :- cad2

or using From Machine1, using user name :- pdmwadmin password :- pdmwadmin computer name :- \\cad2\

or using From Machine1, using user name :- pdmwadmin password :- pdmwadmin computer name :- \\cad2\PDMWorks

or using user name :- pdmwadmin password :- pdmwadmin computer name :- 192.168.0.2 I get an error 40

I then mapped Machine's C: drive, as drive P: on Machine1

I then set ([HKLM] |software\DesignSource\PDMWorks\server\ - root Path = \\P:\cad2\PDMWorks

From Machine1, using user name :- pdmwadmin password :- pdmwadmin computer name :- \\P:\cad2

or using From Machine1, using user name :- pdmwadmin password :- pdmwadmin computer name :- \\P:\cad2\PDMWorks

or using From Machine1, using user name :- pdmwadmin password :- pdmwadmin computer name :- localhost

I get the login screen Then an error saying"can not find user names"

I have tried sharing the whole C: drive on Machine2 and then even the individual folders I can see the pdmworks directory on Machine2 from Machine1, I can even see the files in the folder. That's it so far, except one last thing, d/clicking on the vault exe file I get a message saying" insufficient permissions" Phew! that was a lot of remembering!

Reply to
pete

"pete" wrote in news:bkjurs$qo7$ snipped-for-privacy@news.freedomsurf.net:

Sometimes it makes sense to call in an expert. If you can't get it up and running and are thinking of using the installation disk for a mug mat, then the purchase price was wasted. Most of the time, though, a professional implementer helps you integrate the tool into your process without you needing to learn from experience or worse yet mistakes.

Did I mention that the "expert" is not always at your local VAR?

This is the first useful clue. Who told you to do that? It's a misguided hack. You only get the \server\ path in the registry if you have the vault server installed on that machine. First check to see if the vault is running or installed on your machine. Check the Task Manager of Cad1 for a process called pdmwService.exe. Then do a search of your hard drive for that name. The vault data and executables should be installed on Cad2, not on Cad1.

This may well be the source of your problem, and if so, both I and your VAR owe you an apology. To correct it? I hesitate to tell you to delete anything from the registry, but... just rename the \server\ path to \serverX\, or if you find that the vault (data and executables) was installed on the client machine (a common error), then just uninstall the vault.

Out of curiosity, which version of SW/PDMW are you using? The install for PDMW 2004 is much better than 2003. There are also a few new functions in

04 that you may find useful.

Don't do that. All it needs is the computer NAME, ie - cad2.

Don't do that.

Ok, another clue. Error 40 means "Network Unknown". I'm gonna guess that happens because of the bogus unc path in the \server\ entry in the registry that I mentioned above.

no, no, no.

Don't do that.

Aaayyeeee! Don't do that.

This is telling you that it can't find a portion of the vault install on the cad1 machine, which is kind of a good thing. It means you don't have a functional vault on the client machine.

AAAHHHHH! No, no, no. Don't map or share the vault data folder. ALL access to the vault should happen through the pdmwService.exe server application. Users should definitely not have access to the vault folders. They don't need it. Even the administrator shouldn't browse the vault unless you need to recover something from a "latest" folder or you're going to back it up, or... unless you ask someone who knows more about PDMW than your VAR first.

In a production install, no one should be able to see these folders except the administrator of the vault from the server machine.

Anyway, get rid of that \server\ entry in the registry and let us know if it works.

Good luck.

matt.

Reply to
matt

Yahooooooo! Special thanks to a Solidworks trainer from Texas for all the information he sent me. I would mention his name, but I not sure if I am allowed. Also thanks to everyone who have also helped. I now have a fully working PDMWorks Vault! Mirrored and a scheduled back up onto a tape drive, ("to be sure, to be sure" as the Irish would say)

I would kiss you all, but I don't want you getting the wrong idea! ;-) lol All I can say is thank heaven for this newsgroup, without all you helpful peeps, I would still be using Autocad LT2000, (yuck!) I'm sure you will see lots more posts from me, (as I am still wet behind the ears), also the company I work for, is only just getting into the 18th century, let alone the 21st century. Compaq deskpro2000 with Intel P100's till March this year, to give you some idea!

Some examples of revision and life cycle controls would be very useful to me, from prototype to sign off. my idea would be:-

eaxmple:- sheet metal

prototype check drawing revision update1 pre-production check drawing2 revision update2 production sign off

with the revisions list to match

would this work or is it stupid because there is an easier or better way? Straight forward answers are welcomed!

Pete

Reply to
pete

"pete" wrote in news:bknn81$fle$1 @news.freedom2surf.net:

Well, if you can't tell us the guy's name, maybe you can tell us what the fix was?

matt.

Reply to
matt

The fixes I used were as you and the Texas guy said: Get rid of the mapped drive. Unshare ALL shared folders and files on the machine with the vault on. WAIT at least 20mins after changing anything to see if it works, because even though the vault services may be running, it can take this long for the vault to be read into memory. Enter the name of the vault computer as the name(no \\ or c:\ tags) i.e.:- draw-database not \\draw-database

I will look tomorrow for any other changes I made,( there were quite a few!), and update you.

The WAIT 20mins was a very important one!

Reply to
pete

Your Welcome Pete! Guess having the Vault Debug Guide was worded better than I! Daniel SolidWorks Cewrtified Certifryed Certified Professional!

Reply to
Daniel B. Nordeen

Matt,

Like you I am short on time to putter. When I had NT on my main machine it was working. When I switched to XP recently I couldn't get it setup. Don't know if it is XP or if I forgot some tweak that I had to do on the NT box. There seemed to be a slowdown compared to running native. I attributed it to the fact that PDMWorks does do a lot of writing to the vault in the creation and upkeep of the "database". Do I have quantifiable numbers, no. The files are small. The other problem is that during the vault install there are two times it asks for a directory to install the vault in. I can never keep straight which is which.

The last I played with it was to try to get the PDM service to run under W> kellnerp wrote in

Reply to
kellnerp

kellnerp wrote in news:VzObb.316853$ snipped-for-privacy@rwcrnsc52.ops.asp.att.net:

Yeah, that's been a problem. They've improved that in SW04. There is now a separate install for client and server, and the server distinguishes between VaultData and Vault.

If you have any success with Wine, please announce here. I haven't had any questions about that yet, mostly just Novell. It's probably just a matter of time until someone hits me up for Linux.

Thanks for the info.

Matt.

Reply to
matt

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