Internet Speed requirements

It is also possible to use Bentley Share which synchronize drawing across all computers which is tuned better for DGN files than Google, Dropbox or Onedrive.

Projectwise is great but should be more available.

Yongan.Fu said:

If you directly access the files on your company's shared server through VPN, it is the worst case. MicroStation constantly save changes to DGN file. So in this case, MicroStation has to heavily use Internet and the DGN file is easily destroyed when the Internet is unstable.

isnt that in essence what I said is the worst case  for speed and latency, the real business world requires cybersecurity we  have  no option but to use  vpn  and internet when working from home by  remote which for most of us is the new normal working from home at least 3days a week and 2 day in the actual office work place...download all the files work on them and  put them back is still not very efficient and ultra slow transfers when send uploads....but you got to do what you have to do....right?

MaryB said:

How does your VPN workaround function if the CAD Standards/Workspace/Worksets are over the same network as the project files?

We use Networked workspaces so that all our computers have access to the same standards, without the need to maintain every client workspace on every single computer. This also paths and redirects all of our configuration variables and project resources to our network location. I do not believe this is an unusual setup...

For this complex case, ProjectWise Managed Workspace is recommended. Using VPN to access your company's PW is almost same as you work in Office. Just speed is a little bit slow depending on your internet speed.

MaryB said:

How does your VPN workaround function if the CAD Standards/Workspace/Worksets are over the same network as the project files?

You would set your workspace to Bentley share folder which is located at "%userprofile%\share". Then any changes which admin does to Workspace automatically get synchronized to local computers. Point _USTN_CUSTOM_CONFIGURATION variable to this folder.

Also work with DGN files in share folder so they get synchronized and then can be copied later to some project delivery folder. This way you would get mini-Projectwise and managed workspaces. One unique feature of Projectwise is spatial indexing so I do consider anything named Projectwise without spatial indexing as true Projectwise and will not call "Bentley share" as "Projecwise share". It is bad marketing same like trying to call margarine as butter.

ProjectWise Managed Workspace requires the purchase of additional software, the training of people on that software, the training of the person who will be setting up and maintaining that software, and the time required to set up and troubleshoot that software, not to mention the production (billable) time lost by the person learning how to set up the software. This is a very pricey suggestion. I am not going to be able to "sell" this idea for a department of a dozen people.

ProjectWise is not "plug and play". I've worked with enough firms who do use ProjectWise to have seen how important it is that it be set up correctly (standards, permissions, etc.) and how frustrating it is when something isn't right.

Oto - Is this OneDrive, or something else? How does that work with my office network? I don't have the authority to change how the entire office stores project information, and it's all on the network. Also, how does that prevent someone else from downloading the same file to their share, working on it and saving it back up? Sneaker net problems - If more than one person works on the file, one person's work gets lost. I've seen that too many times. The minute a file is copied from the main server to anywhere else, that leaves the server copy open to being changed by someone else.

How does this work out if your Windows profile gets corrupted? It doesn't happen often, but it is a possibility. They had to create a new one for me just last week.

I am a MicroStation guy. I am not an IT guy. Our IT guys are NOT MicroStation guys.
Time to learn something else new...