[ORD] When will we be able to install different versions to run in parallel?

Currently, it is possible to install and run only one version of OpenRoads (or any CONNECT product AFAIK).
But different versions of ORD have somewhat different schema. Older versions cannot run design created with newer versions, and there is no way to save a newer version back to an older version.

This is going to be a BIG problem as more and more DOTs come online with their ORD conversion. I can see myself coming to a point where Indiana would only run on one version, Ohio will only accept a different version, and Colorado may run on another version entirely. Never mind partnering with other firms, and getting data in whatever version they run.

It is not realistic to believe that every major client in the world will be running the exact same version of OpenRoads at the same time.

I don't even know how firms are supposed to manage this.
Are we supposed to keep a library of laptops lying around idle, for working on projects with THAT version, and others sitting around for the projects with THIS version?
I've seen some mention of "virtual machines" but that sounds like a lot of IT overhead, which would be crippling to smaller firms. It may not even be practical for larger firms to do on a company-wide basis.

Lack of backwards compatibility paired with the inability to run different versions in parallel is going to hamstring production with multiple clients and multiple partners.
What is Bentley doing to address this problem?

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  • Since I now wear a DOT hat, you might think that this would seem to be a non-issue to us. But you would be wrong.

    We are still working on our "Beta" workspace and have fewer than a dozen users with ORD even installed. I cannot easily keep track of what version they are running. And since most of us are still working remotely, it is not as easy to check. As the CAD manager, I really want to install the most current release to evaluate, but then, It complicates my job if I am also working on DGNLIB's for the workspace.

    The downgrade tool gives no indications of what actually happens in a file as it is downgraded. So if I put something in a DGNLIB and then downgrade it so the other users can work in the workspace, is it possible something I added was only part of a newer version and is therefore stripped back out?

    And having spent 20 years away from the DOT, I feel the consultants pain. I worked in dual CAD firms where we had to deal with multiple versions of Autodesk products and had to deal with the occasional occurrence where someone upgraded a file to the newer version for a client using an older version. And since we also worked for multiple DOT's, we often had to deal with workspaces that were intended for a particular MicroStation version. In those days, you could usually install different versions on the same PC and users had to deal with it.

    We really need to be able to install more than one version on a single PC.


    Charles (Chuck) Rheault
    CADD Manager

    MDOT State Highway Administration

    • MicroStation user since IGDS, InRoads user since TDP.
    • AutoCAD, Land Desktop and Civil 3D, off and on since 1996
  • Running different versions on the same computer is something we are currently working on. It should come first half of 2021.



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