multi site

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Teamcenter Multi-Site Collaboration

Why need Multisite

Today’s increased focus on revenue growth and international competitiveness has driven manufacturing companies to seek new ways to accelerate product development through process innovation, global alliances and strategic partnerships. But along with the new opportunities, globalization has also created tough new challenges.

Introduction

Multi-site collaboration provides real-time data sharing across the entire enterprise. This is a solution for companies with different offices or vendor at different locations of the world. The data is replicated to different sites in the Multi-site federation so that all the sites can have the copy of the data. At any point of time only one site will have the ownership rights on the data and hence the data integrity is maintained.

Terminology

The following are some new terminologies used in the Multi-site module.

Site: Each Teamcenter installation is called a site.

Remote Site: Any site other than the current site is called a Remote site.

Object Directory Services (ODS): The ODS site maintains a record of each object in the entire Multi-Site Collaboration network. The ODS does not store the objects, it maintains a record that is similar to a library card; it tells which site is currently storing it and some basic information about it. There should be at least one ODS server in a Multi-site federation.

Terminology

Integrated Distribution Services Manager (IDSM): IDSM is the object transporter. It performs the import export functions in case of remote import and synchronization. Each site participating in the Multi-site federation should have an IDSM server.

Remote Procedure Call (RPC): Multi-site uses RPC for host-to-host communication. The default program numbers for ODS service is 536875585 and that of IDSM service is 536875586.

Remote Find: This is the process of searching for the availability of an item in a remote site.

Remote Import: Remote import is the process of performing an import of a remote item in to the local database.

Terminology

Remote Export: Remote export is the operation by which an item is send to the remote site.

Synchronization: Synchronization is the process by which all the replica items are kept up to date.

Publication Record: When an item is published a record will be created in ODS database. This record will have the basic information like item id, name, owning site etc. All other sites connect to this Multi-site federation can query this object.

Export Record: Whenever a remote import or remote export is done an record will be created in the owning site of the object which will have the export details of the exported item.

Pre - Requisite

Multi-site installation should be performed after the corporate server installation. Pre-requisites for Multi-site installation.

The following are the pre-requisites for Multi-site installation

1) At least 2 installations of fully working Teamcenter.

2) Network connection between the two sites.

3) OS user to run the Teamcenter services. This user should be a DBA in Teamcenter.

Installation - Multisite Collaboration

Multi-site Services :- The multi-site services should be installed after the installation of the corporate servers.

Installation of Multi-site Services : -

Run the Teamcenter Environment manager and select the Configuration Manager and click on the Next button.


The “Successful” message shows that the installation is successful and once it is successful click on the Close button and the installation is complete.

Verification – Multisite Services

This installation process creates 3 services in the windows machine. The services will get started automatically. The existence of the services can be verified by opening the Services window in the windows box.

Verification of RPC

After starting the Multi-site services the rpc should be checked to see if the ODS and IDSM program numbers are there. For this the exe %TC_ROOT%\bin\rpcinfo.exe should be executed. This should bring up NobleNet RPCINFO window.

Verification of RPC

This brings up the RPC servers in the entered hostname. The program numbers 536875585 is for ODS and 536875586 is for IDSM. These two program numbers should be there, only the Multi-site can work.

Multisite Configuration

After Installation and verification of Multisite services and RPC, Multisite Configuration has to be done as per requirements, such as,

Number of sites to be configured Preferences Changes ACL Modification FMS Change POM Transmit File

Multisite Operations

Publish: - Publishing an object makes that object available to other sites. Any workspace object can be published, but it is a best practice to publish only Item objects. This is controlled by a preference.


There are two more options for publish operations wherein more than one publication site can be selected for publish. For this the options “To Default ODS …” and “To ODS Publication List …” should be selected.


Remote Search: - When an item is published, it will be available for remote search. For this there is a saved query by name “Remote…” available in Teamcenter.


If the entered item is there in the ODS, it will be shown as the result of the query. Even though the item ICON is shown for this item, we cannot expand this item. This is just an indication that the item is there in the ODS. In order to use this item at the local site, this item should be remote imported. The remote import operation is covered later.


Remote Import: - The process of importing an item from a remote site is called “Remote Import”.

To import a remote item, the item has to be first present in the ODS server. Once the remote find is performed for the item, the item will be displayed in the Remote search window. From that window the item should be selected and Tools->Import->Remote… menu item should be selected. This brings up the following progress window


The options for the remote import can be viewed and changed by clicking on the options button.


A confirmation dialog will be shown with all the selected options. On this dialog “Yes” button should be selected to continue further.


The remote import process will start as shown above. If the user wants to stop the process, it can done by clicking on the “Stop” button. It is not recommended to click on the “Stop” button.

Once the remote import is complete the item will automatically gets copied to the clipboard.

The remote imported item 000006

is pasted to the home folder of the user.


The owning site attributes of the item and all its attachments should show the site from which the objects were imported from. In this case it is MP3.

Transferring the site ownership can be done by selecting the “Transfer Ownership” checkbox during the remote import operation.


Remote Export : - Remote export is the process of pushing an item to a remote site.

Select the item that is owned locally by the site and select Tools->Export->Remote… menu item.


The selected item will be shown in the

progress dialog. The site button should

be clicked in order to select the sites to

which the item has to be sent.

In the Remote Site Selection dialog the

sites should be selected and added to

the “Selected Sites” list. Once this is

done the OK button should be clicked.


The selected site will be shown in the “Target Sites” list. The options button should be clicked for selecting the export options.


The confirmation window comes up with all the selected options. On clicking “Yes” button the Remote Export process proceeds.

The progressing ICON will come up in the Remote export dialog indicating the export is in process.

Once the process is complete, there will not be any feedback in case of success and the dialog will get disposed. If there are failures the dialog will remain there with the error message.

This completes the remote export process.


If the remote export process was completed without error, the item will get an export record and the exported-to property of the item should show the site to which the item was remote exported to.

In the remote site the item should be

available in the Home folder of the

user to which the item was sent. The

owning site of the item and its objects

should show the remote site.

i.e. DP-PACK in this case.

Synchronization

Once an item was shared with a remote site, using remote import or remote export, the replica item should be maintained up-to-date whenever a change is done at the owning site. This update is done by the synchronization process.

Normally the synchronization in a site is run as a scheduled task, so that it can perform once or twice in a day. This depends on the business needs of the customer.

There are different synchronization options available.

Automatic Synchronization: - In this type of Synchronization, the replica site will get updates in real time. Whenever the item at the master site gets updated, the changes will be pushed to the replica site. Automatic synchronization keeps the network between the sites very busy. When an item is remote imported the automatic synchronization is set to the item, in the import export options dialog window.

Synchronization

Automatic Synchronization

Synchronization

Batch Synchronization : - Batch synchronization is performed using the data_sync utility in the %TC_BIN% directory.

While performing a sync operation, -sync and –update options should be used. For detailed help of this utility please refer the Teamcenter help manual.

On Demand Synchronization: - On demand synchronization is the GUI based synchronization in which the user can perform the sync as per his requirement. On demand synchronization is based on the object on which this operation is executed. If it is on a single object, then it is “Object Synchronization”, if it is on a component, then it is “Component Synchronization”.

Synchronization

Object Synchronization : - Object synchronization is just to check the synchronization status of any shared workspace object. If the object is found out of sync, then remote import should be used to update the object.

The object should be selected in

Teamcenter and Tools->Multi-site

Collaboration->Check Replica Sync

State should be clicked. This is

same as clicking Tools->Multi-site

Collaboration->Synchronize->Object.

Synchronization

If the object is up-to-date, then the above message will be thrown.

If the object is out-of-date then the following message will be shown

.

Object synchronization can be used for any workspace objects.

Synchronization

Component Synchronization : - Component synchronization is for components, specifically item revision class objects. This should be run from the My Teamcenter application.

There are 3 options for Component Synchronization.

1) Report Mode.

2) Sync mode.

3) Background Mode.

In Report mode, just a report of the out-of-date and up-to-date objects will be shown. The actual synchronization process will not be carried out.

Synchronization

An item or item revision should be selected in the “My Teamcenter” application and Tools->Multi-site Collaboration->Synchronize->Component… should be selected.

Synchronization

The selected component will be shown in the “Synchronize Component…” dialog. The synchronization preferences should be clicked to change the preferences.

At least one sync option and the revision rule

should be selected. IN this case the Report

Only sync option is selected.

The sync preferences dialog will get disposed

And the Yes button should be clicked in the

“Synchronize Component…” dialog.

Synchronization

The confirmation dialog for the synchronization preferences will come up and Yes button on this dialog should be clicked.

Synchronization

IN the My Teamcenter a new page comes up marked as “Sync Report”. The selected component will be shown and the sync status of all it attachments will also be shown. In the above screen, as all the objects except the Item Revision master form, are out-of-date.

If the objects are out of date the Sync state property for that object will have the value “out of date”. For up to date object, this property will be NULL.

Multisite Utilities

The utilities that can be used for multi-site data sharing are listed here. Refer the Teamcenter help manual for the detailed help messages of these utilities.

item_export : - This utility is used to export the item and it attachments from a site, to import to a remote site.

item_import : - This utility is used to import the objects that were previously exported from a remote site.

data_share : - This is the command line utility which can perform publish, unpublish, remote push, remote checkout and checkin.

data_sync : - This is the command line synchronization utility.

Multisite Utilities

dsa_util : - This utility is for sharing the schema definitions with a remote site. This should be used by system administrator.

export_recovery : - This utility is for recovering the site ownership of an object.

sync_on_demand : - This is the command line utility of on demand synchronization.

database_verify : - This utility is a system administration utility for checking the differences between two sites.

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