ABD SS5 QuickConfig Standard - Deployment Files

Part of the underlying strategy is to use as many of our delivered resources in situ as possible, using local resources instead of copying them to the network.

I am leaving _USTN_WORKSPACEROOT alone and only using _USTN_SITE to relocate the necessary folders/resources. The local workspace\system folder is used and in the case of ABD, the local copy of the regional dataset.

Using the regional dataset locally improves performance by reducing network traffic.

The statements conventionally placed in custom mslocal.cfg files are all in C:\...\WorkSpace\Standards where CAD admins (or consultants!) without full admin access can get at them.

Use of parentdevdir allows the value of _USTN_SITE to use the value of  _COMPANY_WORKSPACE in the company config file. A user that finds a need to edit this section will probably have got beyond the basics!

PCF is a folder that only contains PCFs. The delivered Project folder also contains default project data, I want to make it clear what is stored.

The .BAT setups are relatively complex internally. They are an interim measure pending something more sophisticated that might have a GUI, that could for example allow different drives to be chosen. Use the three bat files as documented and, assuming the existence of P and W drives, the whole setup is ready to go in a couple of minutes. QuickConfig_ABD_Standard_DeployStartUpConfig.bat and QuickConfig_ABD_Standard_CreateUserPreferences.bat make adding machines and users very easy. Both can be added as start up scripts.

The bat files  use their own internal variables to enable future change, either for future application versions or to easily allow the user/CAD admin to change drive letters and paths.

Having said that, in the case of changing drives it's probably easier to use the subst scripts to create the whole setup locally, test it, then copy the contents of the folders created by DEMO_ABD_subst_SetupFolders.bat to the required network drives.

After that, change the W and P drive statements in Template_Company_Startup.cfg (in the Installation folder created by QuickConfig_ABD_Standard_Deployment.bat), roll that file out to the users using QuickConfig_ABD_Standard_DeployStartUpConfig.bat (manually or as a machine start up script) , ask each user to run (or add as a user start up script) QuickConfig_ABD_Standard_CreateUserPreferences.bat. (Note, these two scripts will need the WorkSpaceDrive variable changed if W isn't used.)

The batch files are also designed to accommodate SS6, just change the ABDversion variable to SS6 and a whole new workspace can be created as easily for SS6.

The delivered documentation tries to strike a balance between a concise guide to deployment from pages 2-5, with some background provided by the remaining pages, and anticipation of the questions that might be asked.

A technical backgrounder is in draft.

Hi Marc

It's great that Bentley are providing quick start configs, it really is, but why so complex with re-defining paths to use parentdevdir, when all these are set out of the box to the correct locations in _USTN_WORKSPACEROOT? Why rename the standard Projects folder  to be "PCF"? And why so complex with the .BAT setups? Something so easy to define as a company workspace (using a simple single custom mslocal.cfg) has suddenly become a feat in IT deployment and only serves to reinforce the issue of workspace cfgs as a black art & a downside of committing to the Bentley tools.

The reasoning behind this approach would be really helpful.

Thanks