Very slow saving of files over network

[patrickh]

Hi, I am a network admin (by no means an Autocad expert) but I'll try to give you what information I can to help you help me.

We are running Acad 2008, with the data files stored on a workstation. Only 2 other workstations access the same data files. I recently upgraded their network to gigabit and file transfers perform blazing fast generally.

On both workstation computers, saving an average complexity document (the acad users' words, not mine) hangs up sometimes for 15 seconds before finishing. It happens pretty much every time, unless no modifications have been made.

I have tried copying the documents over to the local computers and saves perform perfectly when I do that. I know the obvious answer is "the network" but when watching task manager, network activity stops when the save hits the snag. They are using all new hardware for the gigabit networking, NICs and a switch. The old setup performed the same, with 100 mbit NICs and switch.

Any good ideas?

[ReMark]

Three networked CAD computers on a system that is serving how many other employees? Is the AutoCAD software on the network too or is it loaded locally?

[patrickh]

Thanks for replying.

The workstation "server" only serves these two computers and one other that doesn't really use it.

Autocad is loaded locally, the "server" is acting simply as a file server.

In the past 30 minutes we've learned more. Moving the data file to the "slow" workstation and sharing it, and then *accessing it* from the "server" results in fast performance, where doing the opposite (serving from the server, working from the WS) was slow.

I have eliminated the switch ports as the culprit, now going to swap network cables. Switching which computer is the server is an option, but the client prefers to know what the problem was so we keep sleuthing.

[ReMark]

Invalid shortcuts can slow things down too.

For future reference, here is a link to an AutoDesk Discussion Group re: Network licensing and management that may be of use.

http://discussion.autodesk.com/index...categoryID=142

[patrickh]

I was unable to find anything in there relating to our problem. We switched the machine that had been the "server" to another machine including all the files. Now that machine has no problems saving, but my machine now has the slow saving problems that the other machine had. No idea how to fix this. It must be a problem with the software somehow because simply copying a file accross the network is lightning fast but saving across the network takes forever. Only the user operating the "server" has the fast save times. Any ideas?

[ReMark]

Are there a lot of Xrefs used?

How does your system work? You said the drawing file is stored on the network. Does the CAD operator work with the original file straight from the network or does he download a copy of the file and work with it locally? Rather than save to the network why can't the CAD user copy the revised file to the network? Maybe that would be faster.

How slow is slow? How long would it take to save a comparable sized document file to the network versus an AutoCAD drawing file?

[ReMark]

What OS is being used?

Has this issue always been a problem or did it just surface?

If it is recent, what changed?

[zars]

No firewalls o routers I assume?