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!
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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.
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