Distributed, Multi-User Configurations
However, you can use concurrent design successfully even if you do not have access to the recommended network and hardware resources. See Network and Hardware Recommendations.
Depending on several factors such as your network setup, the types of machines you have available to host the RSCM Server services, how you are able to store and back up your data, and how many users need to be able to access the project, you might find that another configuration performs better or is more suitable to your project and your resources.
For more information on setting up this configuration, see RSCM Server Administration.
Dedicated RSCM Server with Project Data on a File Server
If the network connection between the RSCM Server and project data is slower than the network connection between the RSCM Server and the clients, the performance of the entire process will be affected. Every time a client accesses the database through the RSCM Server, it does so across the network between the RSCM Server and project data. Make sure this network connection has adequate bandwidth for the number of clients that will access the project.
An example where this configuration is useful is if your file server runs an Operating System not supported by an RSCM Server, such as a Network Appliance Filer or a Storage Area Network solution. In such a scenario, you would run an RSCM Server on a machine with a supported operating system and access the file system from that RSCM Server.
This project data file server could be a NetApps®. SAN, NAS, Windows, UNIX, or similar system.
RSCM Server Hosted on a Client Machine
In this configuration, the entire design process again is dependent on the state of Client x, whether the project data exists on a file server or on the Client x machine.
Consider this configuration if Client x is the machine of the only developer making edits and the other clients are accessing the project as read-only, perhaps as reviewers. In this case, the performance is high for the developer (with the data on the Client x machine) and the performance across the network for the other clients is non-critical.
Note that in the above case Client x must use the RSCM Server; otherwise the other clients cannot access the project concurrently, not even in read-only mode. In this example, the edit/view-only permissions are controlled by the permissions of the project folder.
The user on the Client x machine must be careful not to shut down the machine when other clients might be connected. Be sure to read Maintaining Data Integrity if you use this scenario.
