Product: Smart Cache ver 4.0 Release Date: April 4, 2023
Single Site Revit Worksharing over Windows Native Drive Letter (SMB)
We are excited to launch the single site Revit worksharing capability on Smart Cache! This capability allows Revit designers to map a Windows native drive letter (SMB) to a Smart Cache device deployed within their office, create Revit central models on the native drive letter (or UNC path) and work on their Revit local models. Multiple users within the same office can concurrently work within a Workshared model since Smart Cache allows them to synchronize Revit-locks (family, element locks) and this ensures that the local models stay aligned with the central model.
What is Supported with Single Site Revit Collaboration?
- Smart Cache 4.0 supports Revit worksharing for a single device deployment
- Global File Lock on the Revit central model ensures that the central model cannot be modified directly in the cloud or at other office locations
- Windows native drive letter or UNC format access to the project folder containing the Revit central model
- Automatic user mapping between Power User account in CFS to the Active Directory user account. The user mapping is needed in order to map a Windows native drive letter with an Active Directory user
- Intelligent caching on Smart Cache to host the Revit central model and all the linked files associated with the model. IT does not require to synchronize the folder
What is not Supported with Single Site Revit Collaboration?
- A separate Smart Cache device needs to be deployed for Revit collaboration. We do not support Revit collaboration and Desktop App drive connections to the same Smart Cache device.
- The SMB drive letter cannot be used to work on applications other than Revit. Users will experience application errors since Smart Cache doesn’t support some of the application requests over the native drive letter.
- Revit users connected to different Smart Cache devices cannot work on the same central model. Smart Cache only supports single-site Revit collaboration
- Folders containing Revit central models cannot be selected for synchronization. We currently support Revit collaboration on central models in the cached folders.
- Revit collaboration cannot occur when the Smart Cache device is offline. This is because Smart Cache requires Global File Locking for Revit collaboration
- We have not certified Worksharing Monitor for this release. This will be planned for an upcoming release.
Cache Warming
We are excited to launch another important new feature in Smart Cache where files get prefetched to cache through customizable cache warming setting, so when the user opens for the first time the application response time will be much faster compared to earlier experience.
Cache warming configuration needs to be performed during the initial device configuration setup when customer admin initiates the installation of Smart Cache device.
As part of the setup wizard for the new device, cache warming page comes in the second step as shown below in the screenshot.
- Required folders need to selected from the folder picker and currently it supports up-to 10 folders of any type can be selected (it's an mandatory field)
- Required file type extensions need to be entered in the input text box and it takes any file type extension type for e.g. .docx, .pdf, .xlsx, .rvt and others. (its an optional field)
Key Highlights of Cache Warming
- All file type extensions are supported and it supports more than one file extension.
- If a folder is selected for cache warming and file extension is not selected then all files in that folder hierarchy will be candidates for downloading files into cache.
- Up-to 10 folders only the user can select from the folder picker for downloading of files.
- 5000 files per folder is the upper limit for cache warming.