How to See What is Checked Out to You in Solid Edge Insight

I often have people ask the best way to know if you have things checked out to you.  If there is an issue with a file (FOP issues are common for this) or a crash, then the file might not get checked back in correctly and uploaded to the server.  You should check each week or so to see if things are checked out and get them checked back in. 

Click HERE to go to our knowledge base and see two ways to easily check to see if you or others have something still checked out to you.  

If you have any issues, contact techsupport@allyplm.com.  

Madison Rye
Application Engineering Manager
Ally PLM Solutions, Inc

Performance Improvements with ST6 MT6 for all Solid Edge Insight and TC Users

Hi all Solid Edge Insight and TC users,

There are performance improvements made with ST6 MP6 that I wanted to share with you.

Limited Update and Limited Save (must be requested for ST6 but will come standard with ST7):

You need to request the add-in (email Madison.rye@allyplm.com with request for 64 bit only and I will request permission from Siemens).  You will get a link to download the add-in (64 bit) that delivered the ST6 UI to get access to this functionality in ST6 MP6.

For each client this add-in needs to be loaded and registered by the following procedure:

Copy the contents of the downloaded zip file into the Program Files\Solid Edge ST6\Program folder (or wherever you loaded Solid Edge if not loaded to the default location).
Locate the file registerLimUpdate64R.bat (one of the files copied into the Program folder in step #1) and double click it.

This will register the Add-In so Solid Edge can see it.

The add-in will make available the following UI located in the Large Assembly tab (which should be newly created by the Add-In).

Assembly features – Fix to increase performance if you use many assembly features:  

After MP6 is installed, please add the following registry key…

In order to realize this fix in ST6 MP6 and forward, you have to add 'MembassyBindOnce' as new DWORD (32-bit) value in the registry [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Unigraphics Solutions\Solid Edge\Version 106\DEBUG] hive.  To turn it ON or enable these fixes, its value has to be set to 1.  0 turns it OFF or disables these fixes.

Reverse Property sync: 

Make sure this is on by checking after loading ST6MP6 … 

The dll provided in the fix does this by creating registry key enableInsightRPS = 0 under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Unigraphics Solutions\Solid Edge\Version 106\SolidEdge_Insight 

O is so it does not do reverse prop synch saving time on the download

1 is so that it does do reverse prop synch taking more time on the download

Thanks,

Madison Rye, Application Engineering Manager at Ally PLM 

Learn about the New Search Service from SharePoint 2010 and Performance Fix for Insight

With the new search service we must use from SharePoint 2010, I wanted to put out some information on it.  This is used by the “where used” functionality in Insight.  Anything like releasing or revising will use the “where used”.  The incremental crawl is not instantaneous it operates on a schedule that you set in central administration.  Anytime the users do anything that uses “where used” and then do another function that uses “where used”, they may have an issue with this incremental indexing not completing.  Simply waiting the duration of the crawl in between the two things they are doing that require “where used” will resolve this.  

1) Keep an eye on your incremental search schedule time (central admin…manage service applications…search service application…crawl log…crawl history – to see how long it is taking). You want it to be long enough that it completes before another starts, but as short as possible to get the new “where used” information index as in the above example.  So, 5  minutes is a pretty typical incremental schedule, but it will need to be adjusted for your db size and amount of users.  Look in the crawl history to see how long it is taking and set it down if you are able – if it is completing during the time when the most users on the system in 3 minutes then set it at 5 or 6 minutes.  If it is taking longer, then set it higher.  Also you need to check as the time to complete will get longer as you get more users and more data.  Adjust as you grow. 

2) Check the crawl history (again central admin…manage service applications…search service application…crawl log…crawl history) to see if you have any errors.  Click on the error and drill down to find the URL for file causing the error.  Very typically, it is a draft file that for some reason caused a failure with the ifilter.  All you need to do is give a Solid Edge user that URL and have them open it, save it, and close it.  This will resolve after the next incremental crawl and you won’t see the error anymore.  If it is a released file, than a user in the Eng_Control group will need to do this.

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Also, there is a performance fix for Insight in MP6 for ST6 and MP11 for ST 5 that is due out in a few weeks.  This will turn off property synching on file open with empty cache.  The only thing we need to remember is that by turning this off – if you go into the SharePoint page to change any properties (open internet explorer and navigate to your server website and navigate to your file and then hover over and get the arrow dropdown and edit properties) – it will not update in the file properties until you open that file and save it.  Most people are not editing properties this way anyway.  Please consider getting this loaded if you are using Insight to see improvement in time to open files on empty cache.

Remember that you need to do the following:

MAINTENANCE PACK

Done each month or every other month (usually I suggest staying one month behind in case of any issues) – Maintenance pack on server, Solid Edge client and viewer-only client must all match levels - So if MP6 is out, you load MP5 unless there is a very good reason and when MP6 comes out, there is a very good reason – performance improvements.  

Since MP5 is available now and MP 6 is not this example is for MP5 – 

You will load the MP5 for the server (https://download.industrysoftware.automation.siemens.com/solid_edge/ST6/InsightServerSPF2010/64bit/MP05/)

then the MP5 for Solid Edge (https://download.industrysoftware.automation.siemens.com/solid_edge/ST6/SolidEdge/) - need to choose whether you are running 32 bit SE or 64 bit SE – if on a 32 bit machine, you will have 32 bit Solid Edge installed.  If on a 64 bit machine and you check to see if the install is in  C:\Program Files\Solid Edge ST5 then it is 64 bit Solid Edge and if it is installed in  C:\Program Files (x86)\Solid Edge ST5 then it is 32 bit), 

and then MP5 for the Viewer Clients (https://download.industrysoftware.automation.siemens.com/solid_edge/ST6/SEViewer/32bit/MP05/). 

On the server, you download the maintenance pack and put it on the desktop.  With all users out of Solid Edge and all checked in, this can be simply double clicked to run.  It takes about 5 minutes to complete if you are moving from maintenance pack 5 to maintenance pack 6.  If you are going from no maintenance pack to maintenance pack  5, then it might take about 15 min as it will load all the fixes for the previous maintenance packs automatically.   

On the client machine (Solid Edge or Solid Edge Viewer machines), you just download the appropriate maintenance pack (there is a separate maintenance pack for the machines just running the viewer as shown above) and put on the desktop.  With Solid Edge or the viewer closed, then you just double click to run.  It takes about 5 minutes to do.

Thanks, 

Madison Rye

Application Engineering Manager at Ally PLM Solutions

How does your company manage product data?

There are things that I see at every company without data management...files are stored out on a network drive, employees are not sure which version of a file is the latest and sometimes having to redo work, employees are working on the same assembly at the same time causing rework, manufacturing is working from print or a pdf without having the benefit of 3D, and finding out why a prior engineering change order was created involves finding a packet or file folder somewhere in a filing cabinet.  If you don’t have a data management system, you are probably shaking your head up and down right now knowing that some or all of these issues occur at your company, but you don’t have the time or money to fix them.

These are the reasons that Insight, product data management (PDM) tool, was created.  Insight licenses come free with Solid Edge Classic so only the installation costs money.  I can minimize downtime by working out the details on my virtual machine before I even go to install the software.  I have installed Insight for Solid Edge at companies with the issues discussed above and have seen the following major benefits at every company:

• Searchable history – search tools are extremely fast and easy to use
• Security – the right people get access to the right data at the right time – only allow manufacturing access to released data
• Single source of data – check in and check out policy
• Instantaneous access to information – as soon as a change is made - it is flagged as new in the system
• Seamless integration – do not have to learn a new software package 

Solid Edge Insight is based on Microsoft SharePoint, the leading business productivity solution that brings information management and access, collaboration and people-driven processes into a familiar environment where people do their work every day. The all new Insight for Solid Edge ST5 is Solid Edge Insight XT. Insight XT builds on 10 years of technical leadership and customer success in the area of Microsoft SharePoint-based CAD file management with Solid Edge Insight. This entry-level solution for managing Solid Edge files was first introduced in 2001, and has been deployed by more than 1,000 customers. Find out more about how Solid Edge customers have improved their CAD data management over the last 10 years.

Join me for a webinar on August 28, 2012 from 10AM-11AM EST covering Solid Edge Insight: Learn how to manage your Solid Edge data with software you already have.

You can register here.

Madison Rye

Application Engineering Manager

Ally PLM Solutions