Vault 2015 R2 - Subscription Release

Autodesk has just announced the R2 subscription release of Vault 2015 Workgroup and Professional.

The main improvements to the vault functionality are:

Copy Design

New workflows and productivity enhancements, including reference-based copy, property and file behaviour management, automatic file numbering, and performance improvements.

Vault Office

 

A new client is avaliable which allows non designers to participate in document release and change order management 

Unified Lifecycles

Items can now have a company defined lifecycle path in the same manner as files. Categories, Numbering Scheme and Revisions can now be controlled.

For the full list of changes see the link below:

http://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/vault-products/getting-started/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2015/ENU/Vault/files/GUID-0ADFC21B-C4E7-4197-A753-3132304F869D-htm.html

This new release should be regarded as an upgrade to the vault (the same as 2014 to 2015) not an update. Major changes to the Vault API means a full migration is needed after the install.

It should also be noted that some Vault Professional functionality has been removed:

• Compare Bill of Materials
• Item Import
• Item Export
• Item Package Service API’s
• Purge Item
• Purge
• Purge All
• Item Restore
• Item Rollback Lifecycle State Change
• Item Effectively
• Restricting Item Lifecycle State Change to Change Orders

We recommend that you fully read the whats new information before committing to the upgrade.  

It is also good practise to install any version upgrades, such as this, to a test environment prior to upgrading your production Vault. You will need to test how your workflow procedures and processes will be affected and understand any changes that may be required. Further user instruction may be necessary on the new version.

Vault WG/Pro 2014 update paths

Updating your Vault server and client is always something to plan in advance, especially the server as it will take the Vault offline while it upgrades and then take time to migrate your databases to the latest version.

If you are running Vault Workgroup or Professional and are using, or intend to use the Subscription Release, then the latest service pack offerings from Autodesk should be handled with slightly more care than usual.

The following upgrade path is advised:

Vault > Vault SP1 > Vault Subs1 > Vault Subs1 SP1

You should ignore Vault SP2 completely where the Subs Release is concerned.

If you are not on subscription, or do not want to use the Subs Release, then the standard path of SP1 then SP2 will not be a problem.

A tip is not to launch the ADMS Console until you have applied all updates.  Launching mid-way will require a separate migration for each stage.

S.C.

Installations and You, 2015

It is that time of year again!  The 2015 product releases are starting to trickle out on the subscription site, and many of you will be taking advantage and adopting early.  Whether you are keen to try out the new features, or just to take comfort in being at the latest version, it will pay dividends to pause for thought and consider the following before your itchy trigger mouse finger tries to cash cheques that your smooth-running design office can't handle.

Backup your data

Firstly, the Vault.  This is the most important one not to get wrong.  The potential for unexpected downtime while efforts are made to restore functionality is fairly high, and there is the possibility of data loss.
Pose these questions to yourself, or the IT individuals involved in your upgrade/install:

- Do you have experience with the installation or upgrade of Vault and are aware of the potential pitfalls?
- Have you read the installation guide, cover to cover?  There's a lot of content in there and it is all important.
- Do you have an understanding of how Vault relates to SQL Server?
- Do you know the part that IIS plays in your set-up?

If you answer no to any of these questions then you need to either put in some time to understand what is required prior to your install, or get an experienced professional involved.

Backup your data

When it comes to Inventor, there are some important aspects to consider particularly when upgrading.  Backing up your Application Options is just the tip of the iceberg:

- Do you know which resources are shared on your network and how to back them up?
- Do you understand which non-shared resources get completely replaced during an upgrade and how this might affect your projects?
- Are you aware of the migration process in its various forms?

Then there is licensing.  Do not mix up single and network at the install - a mistake here will likely lead you to reinstalling the entire suite (the registry can be modified instead but only if you are confident in knowing which keys to change, and this has to be done for every individual application).

Backup your data

- Do you have your new license file, with the correct server information?
- Do you need to upgrade LM Tools?
- Can your clients communicate with the license server and do you know how to diagnose if they can't?

Micro Concepts support line will be available to offer advice on any specific queries you have with your installation.  If you are certain that you want to proceed on your own then we would advise clearing up any gaps in your knowledge before you do and give us a call to run things through.

Backup your data

Unfortunately what we cannot do is guide you step by step or run installations remotely.  This is due to the length of time the actual installation process takes and this can become much longer when issues arise, the diagnosis of which is compounded by the sheer number of variables that could be the cause.  For Micro Concepts to be involved any deeper than an advisory role it is necessary to arrange a site visit.  If you choose to hire the services of another contractor, make sure you confirm with them that they absolutely know what they are doing!

Finally:  Backup your data!

Modular Phone Handsets

In the mobile phone world, the term 'upgrade' currently refers to exchanging your handset for a new one (and extension of your mobile contract for ~2 years), but Dave Hakkens has been hoping to bring the meaning more in line with computer terminology with his Phonebloks concept:

When I first saw this, I appreciated the nobility of the idea but felt a little dismay as it is something I thought would be hard to convince the mobile manufacturing industry to get on board with.  I saw it as the type of concept that makes for great BBC viewing when it is trashed and thrown out of the window in the Dragon's Den.

However, Motorola has just announced a new project called Ara which is the realisation of exactly what Dave proposed.  The vision is to do what Android has done for the software industry and bring open source modular hardware customisation to the smartphone market, and allow users to control the style, cost, and performance of their phones as they see fit (and ultimately reduce the size of hardware graveyards).

Stay tuned for an alpha release of the MDK (Module Developer's Kit) this winter.

Windows 8.1 incompatability

Windows 8.1 is not fully supported by Autodesk software at this time.

From our tests so far, and from the official Autodesk blog, Vault is not compatible with the new operating system update.  We were successfully able to load our clients, but not the server.

However, there are fixes for AutoCAD, AutoCAD Eletrical and AutoCAD Mechanical available now.

If you use Vault then we would advise waiting for more information from Autodesk before updating your operating system to 8.1.

Vault Upgrade Information

Many of you will have started receiving your Autodesk 2013 media, or perhaps you have already downloaded it via the Autodesk Subscription website. If you normally complete your own upgrades/installations then Autodesk have released a useful document for Vault upgrades, to help navigate you around the pit falls.

If this is something that would be useful to you, then please visit the website below, which contains some useful information plus a link to the mentioned document.

http://wikihelp.autodesk.com/Vault/enu/Help/Help/0206-Autodesk206/0261-Upgradin261

Inventor Data Migration

What is data migration?

Data Migration is the process of updating Autodesk files and Design Data from a prior release to a newer release.

Do I need to migrate?

It depends. When you upgrade to a new release, Migration of files is not essential; files will be Migrated on their own when you Open and Save a file created in an earlier release (R11 – present) to your current release. Legacy data that is out of production does not require any kind of Migration process.

Vault Data Migration

Concept and Terminology

As customers upgrade from release to release of their Inventor platform this typically also involves migration of CAD files and increasingly CAD data stored in Autodesk Vault document management solutions.

Migration from an Autodesk Vault perspective is twofold, often the change of database versions is referred to as Migration and indeed during the installation process the Autodesk Data Management Console will report that it is “migrating” databases.

This Migration however refers only to the Metadata component of the Vault system where new tables and property definitions are added to the Database set, during this process no managed CAD files are modified, created or touched in any way.

Migration of your CAD data becomes a secondary operation to be completed after the Database Migration, this CAD file Migration is what this article is intended to cover.

As Autodesk Vault allows support for the latest plus 2 previous versions of Inventor with Vault, permitting users to work with legacy Inventor formats, it is important that there is no assumption made about the need to migrate CAD data.

Migrating CAD data to the latest version of your CAD system means that the latest version only of each CAD file in the Vault will have a new version created – in essence every unique CAD record will have a new version, increasing the Filestore size.

In a design environment where Item or File Lifecycle schemes are utilised by either Vault Workgroup, Vault Collaboration or Vault Professional there are a number of additional file access and security considerations which will need to be addressed in order to successfully Migrate the Vaulted data. See Autodesk's document on Migrate released or locked CAD files.

Plan your SQL Upgrade for the Next Release of Vault

Microsoft are stopping support for SQL 2005 in 2011. If you have an existing Autodesk Vault installation, you will probably be using SQL 2005 and that will require updating to SQL 2008. Microsoft’s timeline is available on a link from the Micro Concepts Blog here:

http://microconceptstechnical.blogspot.com/2011/01/microsoft-sql-2005-retirement.html

There are two main scenarios for the upgrade.

• SQL 2005 Express Edition:

If you are using the free version of SQL installed from the Autodesk Vault DVD you can upgrade to the SQL 2008 Express database which can be downloaded from Microsoft. This document details that process.

• SQL 2005 Developer, Workgroup, Standard or Enterprise Editions:

The 2008 version of your database will have to be purchased from your Microsoft supplier before upgrading your server. Please contact your IT Department to budget and plan for this upgrade. If you need to check which version of SQL you have installed, Appendix A in this document (Page 13) has a solution to query your database to return the version information.

Click here to read the full Technical Document