Hey all,
Has anyone else had an unpleasant experience using Microstation XM and Geopak over a VPN?
Well through trial and error we have determined that the main problem lies with the GPK file. If two indivduals working remotely off of the server access the GPK file using the plan view and labeler tool, the reponse times vary from 3 min to a complete seizure of Microstation. Sometimes followed by a not responding error from Microsoft, and then you have to end the program. We have lost microstation elements in DGN and REF files several times. Elements that have been in the drawing for many months. I'm not sure why we would randomly lose elements in our drawings. Anyways luckily we had back ups.
So for now we are copying the GPK file to our local servers to use for referencing only. Any time someone needs to make a change in the GPK, they can do so on the remote server. Then everyone has to update their local gpk files. Everything seems to work great like this other than the tedious and dangerous method of having mulitple GPK files.
I have looked into the VPN network configuration and everything seems to be fine. I used a networking analyzer to watch for packet losses, which there are none. I also checked our computers TCP settings to see if our maximum transfer units are configured properly. No problems there. So the problem in my opinion is with the GPK file.
Is there a way to tweak Geopak or Microstation to allow us to comfortably work with one GPK off of the remote server? Is there anything we can do to make working over the VPN with Microstation and Geopak better? Why is there a bottle neck for only allowing one person to work effectively with the GPK file? Why would we lose elements in a DGN from a program crash while working over the VPN?
I hope the new V8i is much better for working over the VPN! Last I heard they got rid of the GPK file.
Thanks ahead of time!