Cracking the Vault

#21 Do... Use one Vault Project file (Inventor).

Using multiple Inventor project files can have an impact on how an assembly file resolves the children it consumes. Autodesk has published a best practice on how to configure one Vaulted project file here.

BEST PRACTICE FOR VAULT PROJECTS

 

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#20 Do... Submit any Customer Error Reports to Autodesk.

No one likes to see them. They normally happen at the most incandescently infuriating time and indeed Software vendors don't like to admit that software can sometimes be...slightly less than perfect. Crashes are a fact of life and the reality is that no software is ever perfect. When you experience a crash you are normally, ungracefully dumped back to the desktop, resulting in one of these....

DONT FORGET TO ENTER YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS

All Autodesk software users acknowledge that software is not perfect by accepting the End User License Agreeement (I know you probably never read it :-) ).

However, Error Reports are a fundamental basic tool to allow all software developers to improve the quality of their products. Not only do they provide precise information as to what commands were executed and failed immediately prior to the crash, but they provide invaluable statistical information to development  so they know what issues to fix first based on the numbers submitted. If they get 500 reports from one issue, they will fix that, before addressing the issue reported only 10 times. Simple.

There is a tendency to think that if you send the Error Report, it will disappear into a black hole and the issue will never get fixed. My personal experience is the complete opposite. This is true both of Autodesk products and other vendors like Microsoft. Indeed I have used an erroneous email from home (no way for anyone to tell my name or who I work for) to send an Error Report to Autodesk only to be contacted days afterwards by a QA engineer asking for more information on how to reproduce it. Other times, I have received an email back saying that the issue is fixed in a public hotfix or service pack.

So, if you experience one of the above error reports, and it occurs regularly, it really is in everyones best interests to click "Send Report" every single time.

 

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DuplicateVaultGuid [217]

You are trying to attach a database to a Vault Server and you get this message in the ADMS Console Log.

30/01/2012 10:21:59 Connectivity.Application.VaultManager.ServiceException: DuplicateVaultGuid [217] (Vault, VaultX) ---> Connectivity.Core.Exceptions.CoreException: DuplicateVaultGuid [217] (Vault, VaultX)

Server stack trace:
at Connectivity.Core.Operations.AttachVault.AttachToMaster()
at Connectivity.Core.Operations.Attach.Execute(Boolean markForMigration)
at Connectivity.Core.Services.KnowledgeVaultService.AttachKnowledgeVault(String name, String datafile, String logfile, String filestore, Boolean markForMigration)
at System.Runtime.Remoting.Messaging.Message.Dispatch(Object target, Boolean fExecuteInContext)
at System.Runtime.Remoting.Messaging.StackBuilderSink.SyncProcessMessage(IMessage msg, Int32 methodPtr, Boolean fExecuteInContext)

Exception rethrown at [0]:
at System.Runtime.Remoting.Proxies.RealProxy.HandleReturnMessage(IMessage reqMsg, IMessage retMsg)
at System.Runtime.Remoting.Proxies.RealProxy.PrivateInvoke(MessageData& msgData, Int32 type)
at Connectivity.Core.Services.KnowledgeVaultService.AttachKnowledgeVault(String name, String datafile, String logfile, String filestore, Boolean markForMigration)
at Connectivity.Application.VaultManager.KnowledgeVaultService.AttachKnowledgeVault(String name, String datafile, String logfile, String filestore, String dbUser, String dbPass)
--- End of inner exception stack trace ---
at Connectivity.Application.VaultManager.ProgressCommand.Execute()
at Connectivity.Application.VaultManager.AttachVaultCommand.OnExecute(ExplorerCommandContext context)

 

#19 Do... Enable CIP (Customer Involvement Program).

This enables Autodesk to understand the features of Vault that are most commonly used and to build new functionality in to them. The first time that you run either a Vault Server or Client application you would be asked if you want to participate. If you clicked OK to the default option “No, Thanks”, you can re-enable it from the Help Pulldown menu.

 

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"Error updating file links"

When performing Vault certain commands such as a "Get" you can sometimes see this message.

 

This can happen when a Vault client is installed, but there is no software registered with the operating System for viewing Inventor files.

If Inventor is installed on the machine, run the application and close it before re-trying the Vault command.

If Inventor is not installed on the machine run "Inventor View" close it and retry the Vault command.

#18 Do... Participate in the next release Vault Beta program.

Currently, Autodesk releases new versions of Vault on an annual basis. The software evolves from one release to the next. The most effective mechanism that Autodesk has to ensure that the software is released with as many issues as possible addressed before it is release is for customers to test the new functionality and migration processes with copies of their production databases. Typically, next release beta programs run between December and Spring and are announced on the official Autodesk public discussion forums.

 

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#17 Do... Understand what language combinations are supported for Vault.

Vault Server and Client software is supported in a limited number of language configurations. These are documented in TS1093327.

 

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#16 Do... Apply the latest Vault Updates. Read the instructions in the readme

In the past Autodesk would release a Vault Hotfix for each issue that is discovered. This was a good strategy to get Hotfixes released to address specific issues that were affecting production. But the feedback we received from Administrators was that it was practically very difficult to roll these individually over multiple systems. So lately you may have noticed that many of the Hotfixes being released now for Vault x 2011 and 2012 are now cumulative. So a "Multi Issue Hotfix" should contain most (if not all) of the hotfixes that preceded it. There will still be Hotfixes released to address hot issues, but these should be consumed with the next Multi Issue Hotfix. There may also be the situation where a specific hotfix is released immediately prior to a Multi Issue Hotfix, but is not consumed within it. In that case, we just couldn't get it in, in time but didn’t want to delay a big patch that could help most users. You should look at the readme of the Multi issue Hotfix to see if the issue is listed or not. If it is not listed, it should be consumed in the next Multi Issue Hotfix.

 

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#15 Do...Add common Autodesk Filetypes to the domain Antivirus exclusion list.

When a file is created on a server running an Antivirus scanner. This will cause performance problems not only during the Check in\Add to Vault process, but also during the backup process. The problem is made worse still when the Filestore is remote from the Vault Server itself or if you backup to a remote share on another server. To avoid this add the following common Autodesk filetypes to the Antivirus exclusion list on all servers and clients. 

1. .dwg
2. .ipt
3. .iam
4. .idw
5. .ipn

Additionally, if you regularly Vault other filetypes, add those as well. (.doc, .xls, .ppt)

 

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#14 Do... Prevent any environmental changes to the server once it enters production

This includes changes to the network, the hardware or software. It also includes any configuration changes to the Vault software itself, made via the ADMS Console or any Administration Vault or Global Settings made from a Vault Client. If changes are necessary, ensure that they are carried out on the test server first.

 

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