Print Organizer exports managed workspace for every file

Please set the InterPlot config variable IP_PW_USE_MANAGEDWORKSPACE_CACHING=true in ip.cfg and test.

After starting Print Organizer and adding the first DGN, open Task Manager and examine the ustation.exe processes.  You may need to go into Task Manager Options and ensure the Command Line column is displayed.  There should be two ustation.exe processes; you are interested in the one that contains the -ws_USTN_WORKERMODE argument.  Look for the -wc argument; it specifies a path to a .cfg file in the workspace subfolder of the PW user working directory.  The path may be truncated.  Hopefully enough will be displayed to uniquely identify the .cfg file.  If not, you may need to use a superior task manager application, such as Process Explorer (technet.microsoft.com/.../processexplorer.aspx).  Sample screenshot attached.

Make a copy of that .cfg file somewhere.  Now add the second DGN to Print Organizer.  Does that ustation.exe process automatically restart?  Does it restart with a different .cfg file specified in the -wc argument?  If so, make a copy of the new .cfg file and compare them.  Are they different?  If they are different, that's why Print Organizer is re-downloading the managed workspace for each DGN -- it believes the workspaces are different.  Comparing the .cfg files may give an indication as to why.  Something unusual in the ProjectWise configuration blocks would be my guess.

I had no trouble finding the ustation.exe process and the appropriate filename, but the file appears to be a TMP instead of a CFG. It opens with Notepad regardless. No, the ustation process does not appear to automatically restart when I add a DGN.

I added a DGN to Print Organizer, then saved the TMP file elsewhere as 1.txt. I added another DGN, then copied the same TMP file (still referenced by Task Manager) as 2.txt. I added a third DGN, noticed that Task Manager wasn't changing, and sorted the workspace folder by "Date Modified" and discovered two more-recent TMP files. I copied the most recent one and named it 3.txt.

I opened all three TXT files in Excel and used a simple "IF" statement to run down the whole file and identify discrepancies. All three files are exactly the same except for the PW_MANAGEDWORKSPACE_SHADOW_THIS_CONFIG_FILE and _DGNFILE variables. The latter, _DGNFILE, is specified in the PW_MWP_COMPARISON_IGNORE_LIST variable and should be ignored, right?

Call me ignorant, but I have no idea what InterPlot is. I don't have an "ip.cfg" anywhere on my C:\. Is this add-on absolutely necessary for plotting from Microstation on a ProjectWise managed workspace?

It sounds like that's working as expected. MicroStation is creating the composite-managed-workspace .tmp file for each DGN, Print Organizer is determining that no meaningful differences exist between the .tmp files, and thus is not restarting its worker process. Of course, you are enforcing this behavior -- even if config differences did exist -- by setting MS_PLT_PWWORKSPACE_OPTIMIZATION=2. But in this case it does not appear that the cfgvar is necessary or relevant.

Copying out all the contents of the managed workspace is performed at the same time the .tmp configuration file is created. This is not done inside MicroStation proper, however. It's performed by a ProjectWise Explorer component running inside MicroStation, called MCM, and is outside my area of expertise. In my testing, .rsc files referenced by the CSBs are *not* being re-copied out and overwritten when the .tmp file is regenerated. Downloaded once, they remain unchanged in the local user working directory.

I can only suggest logging a service ticket and talking with someone familiar with ProjectWise Explorer and MicroStation integration. Some ProjectWise Explorer setting or customization may be responsible.