| Rev # | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | May 2020 | Updated and revised for use by customers. Received full editorial review. Reset as document version 1.0 |
| 1.1 | May 2023 | Updated screen captures and Knowledge Base articles |
Note
All SolidPractices are written as guidelines. You are recommended to use these documents only after properly understanding the issue. Distribution of this document is limited to Dassault Systèmes SOLIDWORKS employees, VARs and customers that are on active subscription. This document may not be posted on blogs or any internal or external forums without prior written authorization from Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corporation.
This document was updated using version SOLIDWORKS 2023 SP02. If you have questions or need assistance in understanding the content, please get in touch with your designated reseller
Preface
This SolidPractice document provides information about network and hardware considerations for the implementation of the SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional software version 2023. However, these considerations apply in general to both older and newer versions.
It is best to use this document in combination with instructions you find in the existing installation and administration guides for the SOLIDWORKS PDM and SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional software and with other SolidPractice guides and Knowledge Base solutions.
The administration guides are available in the SOLIDWORKS PDM installation directory under \Program Files\SOLIDWORKS Corp\SOLIDWORKS PDM\Lang, or from the SOLIDWORKS Support website at:
http://www.SOLIDWORKS.com/sw/support/Administration_guides/ServicePacks.html
Your Feedback Requested
We would like to hear your feedback and also suggestions for new topics. After reviewing this document, please take a few minutes to fill out a brief survey. Your feedback will help us create the content that directly addresses your challenges.
Implementation Planning
Hardware Planning
In any SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional implementation planning, hardware and network are important factors to consider. For information about Windows® operating system (OS) requirements, visit the SOLIDWORKS System Requirements web page:
http://www.SOLIDWORKS.com/sw/support/SystemRequirements.html
An implementation of SOLIDWORKS PDM consists of the following server
services: Database Server, Archive
Server
, and Web Server. However,
these “servers” are not actually physical servers. They are processes
that run on a single computer or on multiple pieces of hardware.
Depending on the size of the deployment, one or all of these “server
processes” can exist on a single piece of hardware. This is evident in
the following image, where the SOLIDWORKS PDM Archive
Server process and the SOLIDWORKS PDM Database
Server process are both running in the
Services console.
Knowing the functionalities of the following SOLIDWORKS PDM server services is helpful toward making a confident determination of the hardware needs.
SOLIDWORKS PDM Archive Server
Maintains file vaults and provides client access to SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional.
Sends the files between archive server and the clients.
Sends files from the archive server to other archive servers during replication.
Validates user logons when using the SOLIDWORKS PDM login, and when using the Windows login for communicating with Windows services to authenticate with Active Directory.
SOLIDWORKS PDM Database Server
This is the “helper” service for SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional file vault databases, which installs on the computer running the Microsoft® SQL Server® software. However, you can install this service on another server. The service connects to SQL Server service.
This service processes jobs, such as email notifications and replication changes. The service logs in to SQL Server and queries for new jobs to process.
You can restart this service while users are logged in to the system. When the service restarts, it begins processing jobs in the database queue.
Microsoft SQL Server
The SQL Server service provides storage, data processing, access control to data, and transaction processing. In short, this service controls how database information is delivered to the SOLIDWORKS PDM clients, the database server process, the archive server process, and the web server.
This service contributes the most to SOLIDWORKS PDM performance and uses the most processor and RAM resources. This service requires the dedication of sufficient hardware resources to function efficiently.
Whenever possible, always try to install the SQL Server and the Archive Server on separate hardware servers, especially for medium and large implementations. SQL Server is CPU, memory, and disk intensive. It is a best practice to install the SQL Server on hardware that contains no other applications. Sharing resources with other applications only degrades the SQL Server performance. For a small-scale implementation of SOLIDWORKS PDM, it is possible for both the Archive Server and the SQL Server to exist the same server. However, ensure that there are enough hardware resources to support both services.
SQL Server and Memory
When choosing a server, the main consideration is memory usage. If given enough memory, SQL Server always tries to load the database in memory, and reserve as much of the memory as the Windows OS allows. This is because SQL Server performs much faster when everything loads into memory.
Because RAM plays such a large role in performance, it is generally better to have more memory. It is important that you do not consider or allocate system resources of less than 8GB RAM. On its own, the Windows OS can use up to 4GB RAM. If possible, have sufficient memory to cache the entire SQL Server database, while leaving 4GB or 10% of the total memory free, whichever is larger.
SQL Server and Processor
CPU usage for the SQL Server process (sqlservr.exe) rises and falls throughout the day. Because SQL Server is multi-threaded, it takes advantage of multi-processor hardware and multi-core processors. Having sufficient CPU resources helps to optimize the SQL Server performance. The Microsoft licensing model for the PDM Processor Site License (PSL) is based on the physical cores instead of the number of physical processors.
Effective with the release of SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional 2021, the Microsoft SQL Server Standard license and client access license (CAL) are no longer included. With this change, you must purchase the SQL Server license and CAL separately.
SQL Server and Windows
The Windows OS directly affects the SQL Server performance. For a current list of Windows operating systems, visit the SOLIDWORKS System Requirements web page:
http://www.SOLIDWORKS.com/sw/support/SystemRequirements.html
SOLIDWORKS PDM Database Server
This process consumes very little RAM and processor capacity on the server. The process simply queries the existing SQL Server database and processes notifications, schedules, and updates. When selecting hardware, this process should not be a concern.
SOLIDWORKS PDM Archive Server
This process replicates data from site to site, and delivers files to and receives files from clients. This process does not use much processor or RAM. However, it does benefit from faster I/O access. The recommendation is to use a solid-state drive (SSD) drive, or to avoid using a hard disk drive (HDD) with a spindle speed of less than 10,000 RPM.
Disk Space Considerations
When configuring a server for SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional, you also need to consider the disk space required for the archive server. You can determine the current disk space need from your current file storage size; however, it is more difficult to estimate future requirements for disk space. It is important to deploy a storage system that can grow as needs arise.
SAN and NAS Devices
SOLIDWORKS does not test or officially support Network Attached Storage (NAS) and Storage Area Network (SAN) devices for use with SOLIDWORKS PDM. However, there are many successful deployments and continuous use of SOLIDWORKS PDM with NAS and SAN devices. For additional information about using a SAN, NAS, or a UNC share, see the following Knowledge Base articles:
Abstract : Is it possible to store the SOLIDWORKS® PDM file vault archives on a remote network share (UNC share, NAS, SAN etc)?
Article ID : QA00000107549
Abstract : Is it possible to use remote storage SAN/NAS setups for storing the SOLIDWORKS® PDM Professional file vault archives?If using a remote NAS or a UNC share, you can experience performance issues if the network throughput does not match the throughput of a local storage I/O subsystem. To decide which setup will work best in your environment, be aware of the I/O activities of your databases and the capacity of the I/O (disk) subsystem.
Network Considerations
During the planning phase, if other remote sites are involved, it is important to understand the network infrastructure. Remote sites connect through the Wide Area Network (WAN). Therefore, the performance of remote sites is highly dependent on the quality and latency of the WAN connection. If frequent drops occur in the WAN, then you must resolve the drops first. Network drops prevent a successful SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional WAN implementation. This section focuses on three primary areas: latency, bandwidth, and throughput.
Latency
Latency refers to the length of time it takes to deliver information to a remote site. Latency is measured in milliseconds by using the ping command. A default ping sends 32 bytes of information to the remote site and waits for an acknowledgement. The total time of the round trip is the latency.
Bandwidth
Bandwidth is the theoretical total amount of data that can send simultaneously over a network. It is measured in Megabits per second (Mbps) or in Megabytes per second (MBps), which is equal to Mbps x 8. The following chart shows the bandwidth for different devices.
| Device | Bandwidth (Mbps) | Bandwidth (MBps) |
|---|---|---|
| T1 | 1.54 | 0.19 |
| T2 | 6.31 | 0.79 |
| T3 | 44.74 | 5.59 |
| T4 | 274.18 | 34.27 |
| T5 | 400.35 | 50.04 |
Throughput
You can think of throughput as the “actual” bandwidth. Because no network is 100% efficient and other applications contribute to network traffic, you need to determine the throughput when considering and baselining WAN performance.
Plotting a network diagram
Knowing the network structure of your company comes in handy when implementing SOLIDWORKS PDM in a WAN environment. You should try to obtain a snapshot of a network diagram similar to the one below.
When adding remote sites, if there are more than 3-5 users, then it is best to deploy a local replicate archive server to improve the retrieval and saving of physical files. This is especially true if these users are primary CAD users. In addition, include the number of CAD users per site to help determine the performance needs at each site. A replicate archive server does not improve network traffic between workstations and the SQL Server. For sites with a large number of users, SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional 2017 introduced database replication for read activities. This can be a viable solution to help improve the remote site user experience. For more information, see the chapter “Vault Database Replication” in the SOLIDWORKS PDM Administration guide.
To determine the WAN latency, run a ping command from a Windows command prompt.
In the example above, the maximum latency is 59ms. You could use that value, or you could use the average value of 41ms. Your choice depends on the delta between the minimum and maximum. The delta in the above example is 38ms. If the delta is greater than 10ms, use the maximum latency during your planning. For a better estimate, run the command:
ping servername –t
If you let this run for a few minutes, you will obtain a better reading of latency. The default packet size for the ping command is 32 bytes. You can add a larger packet size by using the -l option with the ping test. For example:
ping servername –t –l 500
This command increases the package size to 500 from 32 bytes for the ping test. If there are packet losses, it is best to investigate the quality of the WAN connection.
By gathering all the information you need to complete the network diagram and latency information, it may be easy to see potential problems with the intended SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional implementation.
Network latency greater than 250ms
During the planning phase of the SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional implementation, consider the replication needs in the WAN environment. File replication can move hundreds and thousands of files each day from site to site. Your WAN environment must be able to handle the extra traffic that replications introduce.
High WAN latency is usually the reason for most performance problems that users experience with day-to-day operations such as checking out files, searching, browsing folders, and saving data cards.
Here is an example of how latency affects performance.
Case study – 53ms Latency
In a SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional environment, tests were first performed on the LAN. Then, the same tests were performed at a remote site, which returned a WAN latency of 53ms.
The following table shows three activities between a LAN and WAN with latency of 53ms.
| Times (seconds) | Difference due to latency | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scenario | Latency (<1ms) | Latency (53ms) | Time (sec) | % |
| Log In | 2.4 | 3.8 | 1.4 | 58% |
| Search (1466 results) | 3.5 | 4.3 | 0.8 | 22% |
| Display of Check Out File Dialog | 1.5 | 2.6 | 1.1 | 73% |
| Totals | 7.4 | 10.7 | 3.3 | 45% |
As you can see, the total time increases by 45% with a latency of only 53ms. User log in is over 1 second slower over the WAN. In each instance, the SOLIDWORKS PDM client sends 15-20 queries to SQL Server and waits for a response due to the latency. The remaining time is spent “delivering” the result to the end user, which is affected by the actual throughput and limitation of the WAN.
Throughput
Much like latency, throughput issues typically ripple down to the users. Throughput has a major effect on file replication. In most cases, you want to set up file replication to occur during non-business hours to reduce network traffic going through the WAN. Having excessive network traffic going through the WAN during business hours can affect the user experience and interfere with other applications and services.
SQL Server Configuration Best Practices
This section provides an overview of specifications you can adjust to improve SQL Server performance. For a much more detailed discussion of these best practices, refer to the SolidPractices document “SQL Server Performance.”
Memory allocation
Always set a Maximum server memory level for SQL Server service. Do not keep the default value of 2 petabytes, which allows SQL Server to consume all available memory on a server computer. The typical maximum limit is set to 80% of the total physical memory of the server. Leave at least 4GB for the Windows OS.
Defining and maintaining the database and transaction log files
To minimize file fragmentation, it is important to manage the initial size and growth of the database (MDF) and transaction log (LDF) files properly. Fragmentation can cause overall slower performance of the SQL Server in the same way that a fragmented disk can affect performance of a computer. As shown in the next image, when you create a SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional vault, the initial MDF and LDF file sizes are relatively small.
If you do not change these values after a migration or implementation process, the files can become large and fragmented over time. Do not depend on Autogrowth to manage the MDF and LDF files, because doing so can also lead to fragmentation. It is a best practice to periodically check the MDF and LDF files and manually increase the file size as needed. Only use Autogrowth as a contingency for unexpected growth.
As a best practice, change the default value of 1 MB for Autogrowth of the MDF file to a larger value, or to a value of at least 20%. Also, perform a similar change to the file LDF, and do not restrict the growth of the LDF file. Restricting growth of the LDF file can cause the SQL Server to become unresponsive upon reaching the maximum size. Also, ensure that there is enough disk space to accommodate the growth. Running out of disk space causes the SQL Server to become unresponsive. When using the Simple recovery model, there is less need to manage the LDF file actively. The Simple recovery mode periodically commits transactions to the database, which reclaims log space. For the Full recovery model, make sure to schedule a full back up of the MDF and LDF files. SQL Server then truncates the LDF to the initial file only after a full back up.
This information about the Autogrowth settings also applies to the Tempdb MDF and LDF files.
Hard drive configuration
The proper configuration of storage (local or SAN) can improve SQL Server performance. Database (MDF) files have random reads and writes disk activities. Log files have contiguous writes and few reads. Separating the database and log files can improve disk I/O performance by reducing disk contentions. The general best practices for setting up storage configuration are as follows:
Local Disks
Consider separating the Windows OS, database (MDF) files, and log (LDF) files on their own RAID setup. For Example: Windows OS in RAID 1, database files in RAID 5 or 10 for hard disk drives or RAID 1 for solid state drives, and log files in RAID 1 or 10.
If using a SAN, consider separating the Windows OS, MDF files, and LDF files each on their own Logical Unit Number (LUN) setup.
For a large database, also place the Tempdb database file in a separate RAID or LUN setup.
Storage Drive Speed
Use a SSD when possible for SQL Server files because of the superior read and write performance. When considering use of a hard disk drive for a server, choose hard drives with a spindle speed of at least 15K RPM, because faster drives experience better I/O performance.
Processor (CPU)
When selecting a server computer for SQL Server implementation, consider choosing a server with at least two CPU slots, and a CPU with high core density, such as a Quad over Dual. The presence of more slots and high density CPUs enable the server to handle future growth without the need of replacing the server.
SQL Server supports processor affinity using the CPU affinity mask and affinity I/O mask. You can use this feature to dedicate the processors for SQL Server use only. Setting the mask manually can enhance performance for the server, but this is usually done with the guidance of a database administrator (DBA) for large SQL Server deployments that run multiple instances of SQL Server. For most SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional deployments, use the automatic options for the affinity mask for processors and I/O. Do not adjust the affinity on a production server that you are not familiar with, because it can also degrade performance.
Maintenance
Shrinking Database
Shrinking a database is the same as removing unused pages. There is no need to shrink a database unless large amounts of data (files) have been deleted such as destroying many files in the vault. Make sure you run a rebuild of indexes after shrinking, because the shrinking process will fragment the indexes.
Daily Backup
It is critical to perform daily a backup of the database and log files.
For the Full recovery model, back up the SQL Server database first and then back up the transaction log file if performing a full backup. This commits all transactions from the log to the database and truncates the log to the initial file size. The transaction log can grow substantially when left unattended and possibly consume all of the hard drive space when there is no restriction specified for Autogrowth. It is important to back up the database and transaction log on a regular schedule.
For the Simple recovery model, just back up the SQL Server database. There is no need to back up the transaction log, because SQL Server commits the transactions and truncates the log at regular intervals.
Remember to offload the backup files if they are created locally on the SQL Server computer. Keeping these files on the SQL Server computer is dangerous due to the risk of disk failure or corruption.
Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly
Either schedule weekly reorganization of indexes, or update statistics at midweek and rebuild the indexes over the weekend using the SQL Server Maintenance Plan Wizard. There is no need to reorganize indexes before a rebuild process, because the rebuild process removes all indexes before rebuilding. See the Knowledge Base solution:
Abstract : Using SOLIDWORKS® PDM Professional, what is the recommended procedure to rebuild the table indexes in a file vault database using a maintenance plan in Microsoft® SQL server? Review the MDF and LDF files monthly to make sure that they have not exceeded the initial sizes. Manually increase the initial file sizes as necessary.
At a quarterly interval, test the database restore in a non-production environment to validate the integrity of the backups.
Frequently Asked Questions
This section answers various FAQ’s that relate to hardware and networking.
Can we use an existing SQL Server installation for our SOLIDWORKS PDM installation?
You may already have a SQL Server installation on your network and the last thing the IT department wants to do is manage another piece of hardware and another instance of SQL Server. If IT wants to integrate the SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional database within an existing SQL Server instance, there is no problem. However, make sure that you understand the environment before saying “yes.”
Ask the following questions:
What other applications use this SQL Server instance or server?
If the answer is our “ERP” software, “accounting” system, or email server service, then always avoid sharing SQL Server or installing SOLIDWORKS PDM on the same server. There are risks with having everything on one server, and some systems force various versions, patches, or service packs of SQL Server that SOLIDWORKS PDM may not support. Make sure that you understand the situation and risks.
Can we restart services or will this shut down the company?
During the implementation, there may be a need to restart the services or server. Would this be a problem?
Sometimes, troubleshooting performance or connection issues requires stopping or restarting the service. There must be an option to restart services occasionally.
Can we have access to a SQL Server username and password with required rights?
If adding the SQL Server database to a server within the datacenter of a large corporation, it may not be easy to get a username and password for the SQL Server. IT managers are very sensitive to security are not likely to share this information. This common scenario could slow down the implementation, especially if IT is remote to your location.
Can we use our SOLIDWORKS PDM SQL Server for other applications that require SQL Server?
See the Knowledge Base solution:
Abstract : Can I install or develop another application or database using the bundled Microsoft® SQL Server Standard edition license provided with SOLIDWORKS® Enterprise PDM ?Effective with the release of SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional 2021, it is no longer possible to purchase a SQL Server Standard license and CAL together with SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional. With this change, you must purchase the SQL Server Standard software on your own.
Is there any way to control the bandwidth that replication consumes?
The short answer is No; at least not by using SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional. When a remote user initiates on-demand replication, the process copies as much data as it can across the WAN as fast as it can. A large replication job could slow network traffic for a remote site that uses a common connection for SOLIDWORKS PDM, VOIP, ERP, and internet traffic.
If you need to “throttle” or optimize the bandwidth, you can look to “bandwidth shaping” devices. You can use such devices to define priorities for business critical applications so that there is no interruption to your ERP system or VOIP phone system when you replicate a large data set.
Scheduled File Replication
You can control the amount of files sent with each scheduled replication job and trickle files across the WAN as opposed to hitting the network with large replication jobs. You cannot control the exact bandwidth used, but you can limit the amount of information that transfers.
The following information comes from the “SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional Replication Guide.”
Replication performance setting
By default, when file archives are transferred using a scheduled replication, up to 10 files are transferred at the same time between the source and target servers. If this setting is too high (uses too much bandwidth) or too low (does not use enough bandwidth), you can change the default setting to a number between 1 (file) to 64 (files) using the following registry value. The setting affects how many files the target server should allow to receive at the same time from each source server.
To set the number of files transferred at the same time between source and target servers:
On the target archive server, open the Windows Registry Editor and browse to the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\SOLIDWORKS\Applications\PDMWorks Enterprise\ArchiveServer
Create a new DWORD value.
Name the value ReplicationThreads and enter a value of from 1 to 64. This specifies the number of files that can be received at the same time. The default value is 10.
Restart the SOLIDWORKS PDM Archive Server service
How do I initially replicate a large amount of data?
The easiest way to replicate data is to use the standard replication. You could set up scheduled replication to occur once a night for a few hours and eventually the data would transfer. For example, if you consistently have a 1.5 MBps transfer speed to Asia during the off-work hours, it takes more than 38 hours to copy 200 GB of data, even with an ideal connection. At four hours each day, the initial replication takes 9-10 days. One important aspect of on-demand replication is that it never “turns off.” Therefore, if a user in Asia needs a file, then replication initiates for that file. Users in Asia can continue to work during the initial replication.
If this timeframe does not work, another way is to create a “temporary” archive server in the local region, replicate the data locally. In this scenario, you could then ship the drives or server to Asia, and install them in the server there. If the archive server name is different, then you need to change the name in the SQL Server tables. The downside to this method is that you must wait for the shipping, and some do not want to risk losing a disk that contains copies of your intellectual property (IP).
The following Knowledge Base solution discusses another way to copy the vault for an initial replication:
Article ID : QA00000104569
Abstract : How is a complete copy of a file vault archive in SOLIDWORKS® Enterprise PDM synchronized for initial replication when setting up a new server?
Can users continue to work if there is an interruption of the network?
It depends on the length of the interruption. If the interruption is of short duration, you may just experience a slow response time to a query or when browsing data cards and folders. If the interruption is long enough in duration (more than a few seconds), you could lose your connection to the vault. At that time, your folder view becomes blank and you receive connection errors. If this occurs, users may need to log out and log back in to re-establish a connection.
When planning a SOLIDWORKS PDM implementation, you must have a good understanding of the WAN environment. For information about the WAN, consult your IT representative or other resources.
Troubleshooting SQL Server and Network Connections
Overview
As discussed in the planning section of this document, SQL Server performance has a drastic effect on the overall SOLIDWORKS PDM performance. This section focuses on common SOLIDWORKS PDM issues that relate directly to SQL Server performance.
Client connection Issues
Often, users experience the symptoms of SQL Server or network issues before the administrator becomes aware of the issues. This section presents some common cases.
Folder browsing performance tends to relate directly to the number of files there are in a particular folder. In generally, users should experience the same time estimates as when browsing in a folder outside of the vault. However, as the file count gets larger, the browsing time tends to be slower when using SOLIDWORKS PDM, especially for users at remote sites. This is because SOLIDWORKS PDM sends SQL requests to the server when the user browses. The SQL query reviews the files in the folder and determines which files the users can access, based on the file state and folder permissions.
Starting with the release of SOLIDWORKS PDM 2020, there is an improvement to the end user experience due to implementation of asynchronous mode. Activities such as browsing into a vault and switching between files in SOLIDWORKS are faster. Users can continue their activities while SOLIDWORKS PDM loads the information in the background.
Could not get the files from the database
If the connection to the SQL Server is lost during browsing, a message similar to the following appears.
Sometimes, a user can refresh the folder or browse to the folder and everything works be fine. However, if the SQL Server connection is lost for more than a few seconds, then the user may not be able to connect again, without logging out first. If users consistently encounter the “Could not get the files from the database” error, then review the SOLIDWORKS PDM client log to determine if there are repeat connection errors. If you confirm this issue, consult with your IT representative to investigate if there are issues with the WAN connection.
No database connected to this view
Typically, this error does not relate to the database itself, it is the result of a bad “vault view.” In this case, there is usually corruption in the registry, which requires the manual removal and re-add of the view. For more information, see the following Knowledge Base solution:
Article ID : QA00000105491
Abstract : What does the message "No database connected to this view" mean when browsing into a SOLIDWORKS® PDM local file vault view folder?
For information about how to remove the vault view manually, see the following Knowledge Base solution:
Article ID : QA00000106320
Abstract : How is a local SOLIDWORKS® PDM file vault view manually removed / deleted?
PDM Search Performance
The SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional search tool runs as a separate application with its own connection to SQL Server. When a user runs the search tool, it connects to SQL Server by using the Search.exe program. The integrated search that runs from Windows File Explorer connects to SQL Server by using the Explorer.exe program. Search performance relates to the current SQL Server activity and the current network conditions.
SQL tracing (monitoring performance)
To monitor that actual SQL Server response time for activity, use the SQL Server Profiler performance tool, which is included on the SQL Server installation. The tool runs a continuous trace of all SQL activities, and is useful for capturing specific activities for a short duration. Do not use the SQL Server Profiler tool for long term monitoring.
For a demonstration, run the SQL Server Profiler application and start a new trace. To isolate a particular SQL activity, you can filter the trace based on certain parameters such as application and hostname.
After connecting to the SQL Server, click the Events Selection tab and then select Column Filters.
For searching, filter by an application with the name Search.exe, as shown in the next image:
The next image shows the SQL Server Profiler running a trace during an SOLIDWORKS PDM search. The Duration is 3125 milliseconds (3.125 seconds).
Search performance case study
Network monitoring tools help make it easy to predict your search performance.
As an example, two servers (the SQL Server and a remote archive server) with a T1 (1.54 Mbps) connection were used to collect the following data during SOLIDWORKS PDM searches.
The KB Downloaded per search result row of this table shows how much data transferred to the remote server during a search. Based on this testing, you can expect a requirement of about 0.45 KB to download each line of a search result. Therefore, if a search returns 1000 results, you need to download approximately:
1000 x 0.45 = 450 KB
T1 Line = 1.54 Mbps download = 192 KB per second
In this case, it takes 2.33 seconds (450 KB / 192KB) to obtain the search results. The Download Time (sec) row of the table shows how many seconds it takes for a user to receive the search results when using a T1 connection. You can conduct similar baseline testing in your WAN environment.
Archive Server Errors
Common archive server errors relate to replication and missing archive files. Sometimes the two are related, such as in a case where replication failure could lead to missing files on a local archive.
File missing from local archive
If there is a mismatch between the database and archive folder, the users may see one of the following errors when performing a check out, get version, or get latest version operation.
To troubleshoot this issue, see the Knowledge Base articles:
Article ID : QA00000109626
Abstract : When the 'Get Latest Version' command fails in a non-replicate SOLIDWORKS® PDM file vault, how do I resolve the error code 'E_EDM_RCE_ERROR’?
Abstract : In a replicated SOLIDWORKS® PDM Professional environment when 'Get Latest Version' command fails, how do I troubleshoot the error code 'E_EDM_RCE_ERROR' and 'The latest version of the file is not available on your local archive server.'?
Choosing the Right Service
If internal investigations and network changes do not help, consider contacting your local internet service provider (ISP). In general, to obtain the costs associated with a faster or more reliable internet connection, be prepared to provide your requirements to the ISP. This may mean that a Leased Line is required. The main service options include:
Leased line
The ISP dedicates a private line connecting two or more locations for a monthly fee. There is a higher cost associated with better speed and reliability.
Single-pair high-speed digital subscriber line (SHDSL)
This is a high-speed upgrade to DSL that uses better technology.
To learn more, see the following topic:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_service_provider
Multiprotocol label switching (MPLS)
MPLS is gaining in popularity because of the ability to direct data from one network node to other nodes based on short path labels, and without the need perform lookups in a routing table. Other advantages of using MPLS include bandwidth reservation and path optimization.
References
Primary sources of information include the SOLIDWORKS Knowledge Base.
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