Networking ToolPalettes

I have a question regarding globalizing the Tool Palettes. If I set this up as a networked file directory in the Tool Palettes File Locations path in the Files tab, and someone makes any changes to the Tool Palettes on their seat of AutoCAD, will they change the Tool Palettes across the network as well? Would I need to set up some type of Write restrictions with my I.T. Administrator for all the other guys using AutoCAD? Thanks in advance.

Yes, unless the folder structure is locked down (i.e. made read only for the masses, with only one user able to alter them) then any changes made will affect all users.

This is true. I have set that up in a few of our offices here on the west coast. We have roughly about 13 different palette structures from our Company standards to client standards. These are locked down with folder permissions.

We did find that creating one location for multiple offices did not work. Well it did actually but it caused AutoCAD to slow down so much that it became unusable because of the networked connections.

Hope this helps

In my experience - you should only have one person with WRITE access to the tool palettes. If more than one person have WRITE access, then the last one out wins.

In my experience - you should only have one person with WRITE access to the tool palettes. If more than one person have WRITE access, then the last one out wins.

I sat down with my I.T. Administrator today... he said he's perfectly fine with this setup. We are going to sit down when we have time and brainstorm which server and what type of directory hierarchy we're going to use, because I want to utilize this not only with the Tool Palettes but also with the *.LSP file like you state on your Blog, so I can further take advantage of efficiency in the office.

I do wonder though, what are some other common things I can utilize in a network environment using AutoCAD? Anyone?

And thanks for all the help from everyone.

 

I do wonder though, what are some other common things I can utilize in a network environment using AutoCAD? Anyone?

Pen tables... keeps from having to replot because someone mucked with the lineweights or shading to suit their particular style of the day...

Plotters and pc3 files, keeps everyone's plots looking the same.

Ah yes... good point. Didn't even think about the Pen Tables.

Cui and lin files, blocks, all kinds of programming (i.e. lsp scr dvb arx dll) ; pretty much everything you wish to be standardised should be on a sharable network resource; and its location(s) should be set up in the autocad search paths

All of the above....

The really cool part is once you have established your network location as the the TOP support directory, anything you add to that location will be used (like "acad.pgp", "acad.lsp", "acaddoc.lsp", sdsk.dfm file for LDT, "acad.fmp", etc.) and in the same notion, if you remove it - AutoCAD will revert to the next copy it finds, which is usually the local one (C:\Documents and Settings\username\etc.)

Well then let me ask this then: I was thinking about setting up the Network Directory with the same hierarchy as Autodesk does it (or maybe as close as I can get). So, can if I add in the root directory, will it pick up the PGP and LSP files, as well as the rest that are in sub directories or do I need to map out their paths individually?

You'll need to map each directory, Acad search path is explicit to the directories named in Options > Files, not their sub-directories.

Also, there is no need to mimic the stock AutoCAD paths. You really only need one or two network directories. Files that you have no intention of using at the network level (such as most of the other files in C:\Program Files\AutoCAD 2009\Support) - just leave them on the local machine. AutoCAD will pick them up and use them since they will still be found in the Support file search path...

Okay, got with my I.T. Administrator and we got a folder set up with all the Permissions in place. I went ahead and did a little bit of folder hierarchy. I attached two images with the Files Tab, and the new network folder directory. Just wanted to get some input as to how I did it. So far it seems that everything is working great. and McSwain, that ACADDOC.LSP tip for the Lisp Archive was fantastic. That REALLY helps out, instead of adding something to the Startup Suite and importing it station by station... ugh...

Anyways, highlighted in Yellow are the newly formed directories. Think this is a good 1st shot?

And here are the files in the Host Networking directory.

Looks like a very similar (if not identical) to the way I have set up our's at work too.