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Hello Group,
Our company is currently undergoing a file storage "crisis" and I'm looking for some help. I'm looking for recommendations for a LAN file storage / management software system for our day-to-day design operations. We have several NT servers that are dedicated to groups of 10 - 20 engineers and are interconnected via a company-wide network. What we would like to do is set
up a "local" storage system on each of these servers to handle the daily work in process. The main features of this local file system would be:
- Windows NT compatible
- ability to store all types of Windows-type files
- ability to organize files by project and sub-projects
- support long filenames (>8 chars.)
- provide security (i.e. set authorization levels for various functions such as view, copy, edit, move, delete)
- simple to learn and use
- provide filename and, if possible, file content search capabilities
We currently employ about 150 controls engineers and have dozens of projects going on at any one time. Last year, we invested in a document database system (PDM) by Metaphase that was intended to manage storage, structure, revision control for all of our CAD drawings, PLC logic files, and other misc. files (Word, Excel, etc.) that are generated in the course of a design
project. Due to both the large number of file transactions taking place and all the database management activity that accompanies each transaction, the Metaphase system has proved to be unsuitable for the day-to-day work in
process. We are now looking to utilize it as a "central" storage system (for documents that have been "released" to the outside world), and to
interface to other company systems (ERP, etc). The "local" storage systems will connect to the Metaphase system.
No doubt there are many design companies that have similar requirements, so I'm hoping for suggestions about systems already in use. Pardon my wordiness, hopefully I've made clear the intention. As you can probably tell I'm not a network jock, but a user who volunteered to help investigate.
Thanks in advance for your assistance.
Jim Mooney
Controls Design Supervisor
Comaupico N.A.
[email protected]
Our company is currently undergoing a file storage "crisis" and I'm looking for some help. I'm looking for recommendations for a LAN file storage / management software system for our day-to-day design operations. We have several NT servers that are dedicated to groups of 10 - 20 engineers and are interconnected via a company-wide network. What we would like to do is set
up a "local" storage system on each of these servers to handle the daily work in process. The main features of this local file system would be:
- Windows NT compatible
- ability to store all types of Windows-type files
- ability to organize files by project and sub-projects
- support long filenames (>8 chars.)
- provide security (i.e. set authorization levels for various functions such as view, copy, edit, move, delete)
- simple to learn and use
- provide filename and, if possible, file content search capabilities
We currently employ about 150 controls engineers and have dozens of projects going on at any one time. Last year, we invested in a document database system (PDM) by Metaphase that was intended to manage storage, structure, revision control for all of our CAD drawings, PLC logic files, and other misc. files (Word, Excel, etc.) that are generated in the course of a design
project. Due to both the large number of file transactions taking place and all the database management activity that accompanies each transaction, the Metaphase system has proved to be unsuitable for the day-to-day work in
process. We are now looking to utilize it as a "central" storage system (for documents that have been "released" to the outside world), and to
interface to other company systems (ERP, etc). The "local" storage systems will connect to the Metaphase system.
No doubt there are many design companies that have similar requirements, so I'm hoping for suggestions about systems already in use. Pardon my wordiness, hopefully I've made clear the intention. As you can probably tell I'm not a network jock, but a user who volunteered to help investigate.
Thanks in advance for your assistance.
Jim Mooney
Controls Design Supervisor
Comaupico N.A.
[email protected]