topic Re: Work on a TeamWork project over the internet? in Project data & BIM

Work on a TeamWork project over the internet?

alexliz24 — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 16:29:48 GMT

We are a small firm of three active architects (although at times there can be more) and having the blessing (curse?) of also working from home. At the office we have setup TW files for all our projects (well, the new ones, anyway). We use ArchiCAD 10 on MacOS X and WinXP. Right now, the TW files reside on a WinXP box, although that could change if needed.

Here comes the question:

Can we establish one computer (Win or Mac) as a file server, and log on to that when we sign-in on TW projects, even when not in the office? That is, can ArchiCAD access and sign in to TW project files over DSL on a remote file server? Ideally, we would like to avoid expensive VPNs, or even setting up VNC. Perhaps just using the MacOS X file server capabilities.

I am currently also posting at the Apple Discussion Area on how to properly setup a MacOS X file server, but, obviously, some GS input will be necessary.

Many thanks, people.

Re: Work on a TeamWork project over the internet?

TomWaltz — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 16:33:47 GMT

Could you technically? Absolutely.

Just beware, depending on your file sizes, Send & Receive can take a couple minutes over Gigabit Ethernet.... it will be WAY slower on cable or dsl connections.

Re: Work on a TeamWork project over the internet?

alexliz24 — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 16:39:38 GMT

At the office we have 100 Mbit Ethernet, and Send & Receive only takes a few seconds. Am I missing something?

Re: Work on a TeamWork project over the internet?

TomWaltz — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 16:42:53 GMT

How big are your files? I'm used to seeing 70+ MB files (with AC10 compression)

Re: Work on a TeamWork project over the internet?

alexliz24 — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 16:58:18 GMT

Ah.
[gulp]
I see.

What about the way in which we will be able to point to the remote server's path to Sing In?

I imagine we'll need to specify an IP address and somehow point to the .plp, but all I've ever seen in the Sign In dialog is local volumes/drives. Is it handled through remote volume/drive aliases?

Re: Work on a TeamWork project over the internet?

TomWaltz — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 17:31:46 GMT

alexliz wrote:
I imagine we'll need to specify an IP address and somehow point to the .plp, but all I've ever seen in the Sign In dialog is local volumes/drives. Is it handled through remote volume/drive aliases?

Archicad will not even know the difference. It will all be either through a remote drive mount or an AFP connection through Windows or Mac.

I know the concepts but could barely begin to tell you how to set it up. I've used it before, but never made one myself.

Re: Work on a TeamWork project over the internet?

alexliz24 — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 17:37:52 GMT

OK Tom, many thanks.
I guess for the time being, it's back to the Apple Discussion Area for me.
See you on the flip side.

Re: Work on a TeamWork project over the internet?

__archiben — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 21:19:42 GMT

are you going to be using a single key-server dongle, or multiple individual ones? if you're going the key-server route, be sure and keep the right port open on your firewall - 22347 ???

~/archiben

Re: Work on a TeamWork project over the internet?

alexliz24 — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 07:10:48 GMT

Thanks, Ben; no, just multiple usb keys.

Re: Work on a TeamWork project over the internet?

SeaGeoff — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 21:06:23 GMT

We have a Mac OS X file server at the center of our office network. Our ISP has set-up an afp address which is essentially an IP for our network from the larger internet. From home this afp address (or a saved alias/favorite) brings up a server log-in just like I get from within the office and the server's volume(s) mount just the same. I can do anything from home that I do in the office with speed being the only issue. Despite high bandwidth on both ends large file transfers are still much slower than 100BT ethernet. I would never consider loading libraries across such a connection but would feel fine about TW send & receive, as long as it was only occasional. Please note that this a Mac only set-up and I have no experience connecting windows clients in this manner.

Re: Work on a TeamWork project over the internet?

alexliz24 — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 14:04:18 GMT

OK, I have now setup the FTP server on an XP box at the office, and tried to connect to a TW project from my home Mac last night.

I logged in anonymously, pointed to the remote .PLP through the Sign-In dialog in ArchiCAD, but then kept getting the 'Server disconnected' message from the Finder. I switched to the Finder, and managed to copy the 25MB .PLP onto my Desktop. Any ideas why ArchiCAD lost the connection through the Sign-In process, while the Finder was able to copy the monster?

Also, how do you point to the FTP server from a Win XP ArchiCAD? On the Mac I can point to the Sidebar where I see the mounted FTP dir. But on XP?

UPDATE: Failure to Sign-In from a Mac client

I tried to Sign-In to my TW test project on the ftp server. I sat in front of my Powerbook at home. TeamWork menu, Sign In, the dialog comes open, I click on the Sidebar where the already connected server's IP address shows as a remote drive, navigated to the project's folder on the remote ftp server, click once on the .PLP (see attachment SignInDlg.jpg), click OK, and...

after a while ArchiCAD informs me that "Project 'Marathonodromon45test.plp' not found or stored name doesn't match. Please find the Project manually. [OK]"

What gives?