Monday, September 27, 2010

Blogger Day - Feature Focus 1 - Revit Server

Quick Overview of Revit Server:

It is a software solution that takes advantage of server technology (hopefully existing in your firm)
  • Uses a Central Project server and Local Project Servers
  • User experience is simple - select a project file from a Revit Server list of projects
  • Performance - data borrowing speed goal is 100ms or less
  • SWC Process
  • #1 Reload latest is from Local Server if data has been prefetched from thetrnal server
  • # Model Update - This is a function of Revit on the local machine. Revit Server project will not affect this.
  • #3 Save - Data needs to migrate to the central project server
There can only be ONE central server (technically possible to create multiple but teams are limited to one at a time) This means it is WAN/Domain exclusive or in other words, limited to inside the firewall, all teams must share the same domain. Daily users provide the Central server name or IP address to connect

Technical Requirements:
  • One Server per location (exception as mentioned earlier about one server)
  • Windows Server 2008 (64 bit OS)
  • Internet Information Server 7.0
  • Web Services
  • Silverlight plug-in for revit Server Administrator
  • Minor configuration changes (~ 5 IIS settings)
  • Prefer a project server that doesn't have office email exchange server and other web heavy applications
Limitations:
  • End users cannot delete, rename or move central and folders on Revit central servers using revit client, but they can do that using Revit Server Administrator
  • Disabled features: Editing requests and Rollback
  • No longer possible to work at risk
  • Worksharing monitor does not function with Revit server but will be replaced by a Bluestreak add-in monitoring worksharing activity
Revit Server Administrator: (highlights)
  • Any user can type the server name in browser window (access controlled by IT permissions)
  • Based on Microsoft Silverlight tech. Must install plug-in
  • Create, delete, rename and move folders and cntral models on central server
  • lock/unlock central models for backup and restoration
  • View submission history for any model

Robert Manna with Burt Hill has been working with this technology quietly behind the scenes. He shared a nice graphic relationship diagram on his post a few minutes ago.

He disclosed that he's doing a AU Virtual class on this subject, you'll want to check it out!
...snip
I can also finally admit that my AUv course "Virtually" There: Using Revit with Geographically Dispersed Teams: AB22-1R" is intended to primarily focus on Revit Server, implementing it, and our experience using it on a real project team involving multiple offices and an external consultant.
...snip

5 comments:

iyyy69 said...

Interesting, but maybe start with what this is suppose to address? Or did I miss something? Is this a new feature for geographically separated users to work on the same central file without a VPN, etc?

Andrew Dobson said...

Great Post, Thanks

Revit Server looks great, but we don't have Server 2008, so presumably we can't use this rather fantastic looking new feature?

Is Server 2008 64-bit required for just the central project server, or for local project servers as well?

Robert said...

All servers running the Revit Server application require Windows Server 2008 (note R2 is not officially supported at this time, nor is virtualization officially supported). The Revit Server app is the same program for all servers, its just a question of which server is designated as the "Central" server and the rest will be "Local" servers.

Anonymous said...

Hi,
just throwing a question out here.
I have a CS on Site A and a LS on Site B. Revit users can connect to CS and LS depending on the site they are in.
No I install a new LS in Site A the has to connect to an OFFSITE CS (I know that this should not work). When I try to connect to the LS in Site A it cannot be found. I can PING the server on name and IP.
Has anyone tried this (CS and LS in same IP-Subnet)?
Please let me know
Regards,

Franc
abt

Steve said...

Hi,

As long as each server is part of the same WAN then they should be able to work. If a Central Server is created on a Server in Office A, a local server also located in Office A ought to be able to allow users to connect to the local central servers project file.

You have to use the Revit Server administrator tool to establish the projects that are available. The users specify the IP address or server name when they choose to connect to the Revit Server projects.

Consider reaching out to Autodesk Support to help sort out your specific issues. I don't have a server infrastructure readily available to me unfortunately. I have to visit clients to "play" in this sandbox.