standard config files located on a server, what should I look for?

If you search the Wiki, there is some information/lists on the avaulable configs and what they do. If you also search the forums there are some very good threads on how to set up your own build and make it available to other users.

http://communities.bentley.com/products/microstation/microstation_-_all_pre-v8_versions/microstation_-_all_pre-v8_versions_programming/f/163/t/21510.aspx

It might take a little reading, but it's a really good base for any beginner, and to be honest, none of this stuff is going to be super easy for any newby to the admin side of things. 

Basically, what ever the structure you build with, stick to the directory structure that Bentley use to make it easier to degug any issues you may have.

Using:

#---------------------------------------------------------------------------
#Set build locations
#---------------------------------------------------------------------------
%if exists (C:/standard/bentley/$(MS_VER)/Standards/.)
_USTN_SITE = C:/standard/bentley/$(MS_VER)/Standards/
%endif

%if exists ($(build_drv)standard/bentley/$(MS_VER)/Standards/.)
_USTN_SITE = $(build_drv)standard/bentley/$(MS_VER)/Standards/
%endif

allows you to set a location on the network as your site build. If you have a look at the way MS is installed on your machine you then get an idea of what you need to replicate on the network.

What this then means is that when MS starts up it will read any cfg file in the directory:

$(build_drv)standard/bentley/$(MS_VER)/Standards/

This could be:

X:\standard\Bentley\811\Standard\

and so on.

To start with you could hard code the paths in the cfg file you have in the appl directory until you work around the issues of setting a Client\Project etc. you could even just use a batch that copies in a new cfg file into the appl directory each time to set the build.

Thanks - I'll plow through this as best I can - It's starting to look familiar.

"None of this is going to be super easy for any newby to the admin side of things." Bentley's marketing department needs to look very long and hard at that statement. Some of us are "having" to come to this cold because of no other reason than contract requirements. Now that we're trying to use the software our impression of it will go a long ways toward whether or not we'd recommend it to other users.

Plenty of people here able to help and give you other options.

I'll also add little tidbits as I find them, in hopes they may help shed more light on the overall scheme...

 

"Datasets" and "Project" installation components:

The "Datasets" portion refers to the content installed under workspace\triforma\. This is where we populate cells, parts, DataGroup catalogs, etc, specific to that dataset; i.e., usually corporate or standards level stuff.

The "Project" portion refers to the folders installed under workspace\projects\examples\, which is a predefined directory structure for storing project-specific data. The delivered content is minimal, but does includes the BB_FloorMaster.dgn file as well as MasterProject.dgnlib for Project Explorer.

The arch_roles.cfg file's path is defined by the configuration variable ATFDIR_ARCHROLES, in the architecture.cfg file, located under the program\TriForma\Architecture\config\appl folder. It is by default set to $(TFDIR), or the main dataset folder or workspace\triforma\. However, this variable can also be set at the project level; i.e., in the *.pcf file, in order to change it's location as needed.

Note: If the same part & family name exists at both the "dataset" and "project" level, the part at the project level will override its dataset equivalent. This allows you to define a corporate or standard dataset to be used across the board, while allowing project-specific parts of the same name to take precedence only if and when they exist.

tcfonts:

Having not that long ago been exactly where you appear to be with your BA deployment I feel compelled to pass along what little info I can to help you out.  In addition to this forum, which you're obviously discovering as well, there were two other external resources which we have found extremely helpful.  At the midwest Microstation User Group's Conference last year there were a couple of sessions I attended which covered the topic of creating and deploying a corporate workspace.  The presenter was very knowledgable, made great use of the condensed time frame and his leave behind reference material was/is very targeted and useful.  We had been struggling to get the product sensibly deployed for a few months by then and this UserGroup conference experience really helped us get our firm's deployment over the hump and fully funtional.  A few months later I attended Bentley's instructor-led " Microstation...for CAD Managers" course for a more elaborate, in-depth exploration of the topics covered in the user group conference's mgmt/admin sessions.  Since we're located in a city with no Bentley resources beyond the local user community this meant travel expenses on top of the fee for the course plus my man-hours but in the end it still proved a very sound investment for our firm (and I'm not a Bentley employee nor have I been solicited for this plug either BTW).  Both the UserGroup-Presenter and the Bentley-Instructor did a great job and I don't hesitate to recommend either of them but, beware, these learning opportunities still did fall a little short in that they only covered 2-D Microstation without any reference to the Building verticals.  We were able to find our way from that point (thanks in part to the users on this forum as well as the Bentley tech support guys) but perhaps the v8i version of the Bentley mgmt/admin class, which I notice from the lms server listings is now being offered, will be different in that respect.  I notice that you unfortunately just missed an offering of the multi-day Bentley "...CAD Managers" class but if you navigate to the MCMC user community page at this site you'll notice that their annual conference is coming up in August.  If your need is more urgent than that I would be happy to pass along the contact info for the vendor who presented at the conf last year whom I suspect would be open to a private tutoring visit to your facility (and I'm not getting any sort of kickback from him either).

 

I look forward to Mr. Wagner's posts as well as we'll soon be migrating from our BAXM deployment to a BAv8i one.

tcfonts:

Having not that long ago been exactly where you appear to be with your BA deployment I feel compelled to pass along what little info I can to help you out.  In addition to this forum, which you're obviously discovering as well, there were two other external resources which we have found extremely helpful.  At the midwest Microstation User Group's Conference last year there were a couple of sessions I attended which covered the topic of creating and deploying a corporate workspace.  The presenter was very knowledgable, made great use of the condensed time frame and his leave behind reference material was/is very targeted and useful.  We had been struggling to get the product sensibly deployed for a few months by then and this UserGroup conference experience really helped us get our firm's deployment over the hump and fully funtional.  A few months later I attended Bentley's instructor-led " Microstation...for CAD Managers" course for a more elaborate, in-depth exploration of the topics covered in the user group conference's mgmt/admin sessions.  Since we're located in a city with no Bentley resources beyond the local user community this meant travel expenses on top of the fee for the course plus my man-hours but in the end it still proved a very sound investment for our firm (and I'm not a Bentley employee nor have I been solicited for this plug either BTW).  Both the UserGroup-Presenter and the Bentley-Instructor did a great job and I don't hesitate to recommend either of them but, beware, these learning opportunities still did fall a little short in that they only covered 2-D Microstation without any reference to the Building verticals.  We were able to find our way from that point (thanks in part to the users on this forum as well as the Bentley tech support guys) but perhaps the v8i version of the Bentley mgmt/admin class, which I notice from the lms server listings is now being offered, will be different in that respect.  I notice that you unfortunately just missed an offering of the multi-day Bentley "...CAD Managers" class but if you navigate to the MCMC user community page at this site you'll notice that their annual conference is coming up in August.  If your need is more urgent than that I would be happy to pass along the contact info for the vendor who presented at the conf last year whom I suspect would be open to a private tutoring visit to your facility (and I'm not getting any sort of kickback from him either).

 

I look forward to Mr. Wagner's posts as well as we'll soon be migrating from our BAXM deployment to a BAv8i one.

I'm just having a hard time believing it's this complicated - I feel dumber and dumber each passing day.

OK, we are going to have a lot information in this thread, maybe we can parse it all out at a later date (!). There are several ways to do this.

But, here's my take on the first steps to doing a relatively simple networked set-up. 

1. Create a folder location on your server for the networked workspace location, e.g., e:\BIM\Workspace\ 

2. Copy the delivered workspace from the installed location. So, copy all the folders under c:\...\Workspace\ to the newly created network location (in this example e:\BIM\Workspace\ ).

The delivered workspace will probably be on your hard drive in this location:  C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Bentley\MicroStation\WorkSpace\

Note that 'Appliction Data' is a hidden folder so in Windows Explorer you need to have "Show hidden files and folders" set in Tools->Folder Options->View->Hidden files and folders->Show hidden files and folders

3. Once that is copied over you should have a folder structure like this (note that I have structural and mechancial apps installed so I have extra folders) :

This is the start. Next post will go from here.

 

<Paul Wagner> wrote in message news:62730@communities.bentley.com...

OK, we are going to have a lot information in this thread, maybe we can parse it all out at a later date (!). There are several ways to do this.

But, here's my take on the first steps to doing a relatively simple networked set-up. 

1. Create a folder location on your server for the networked workspace location, e.g., e:\BIM\Workspace\ 

2. Copy the delivered workspace from the installed location. So, copy all the folders under c:\...\Workspace\ to the newly created network location (in this example e:\BIM\Workspace\ ).

The delivered workspace will probably be on your hard drive in this location:  C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Bentley\MicroStation\WorkSpace\

Note that 'Appliction Data' is a hidden folder so in Windows Explorer you need to have "Show hidden files and folders" set in Tools->Folder Options->View->Hidden files and folders->Show hidden files and folders

3. Once that is copied over you should have a folder structure like this (note that I have structural and mechancial apps installed so I have extra folders) :

This is the start. Next post will go from here.

---

http://communities.bentley.com/Products/Building/Building_Analysis___Design/f/5917/t/26367.aspx#62730

<tcfonts> wrote in message news:62703@communities.bentley.com...

I'm just having a hard time believing it's this complicated - I feel dumber and dumber each passing day.

---

http://communities.bentley.com/Products/Building/Building_Analysis___Design/f/5917/t/26367.aspx#62703

Thomas Voghera:

Paul

can't use the wiki for this?

--
regards / Thomas V