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Task:

You have installed Allplan on several local workstations. Now you want to change the installation so that you can access a common network drive.



Note:

Before you switch to a network installation, it is essential that you back up all the data of all the workstations.
We strongly recommend that you take advantage of the expertise of Nemetschek’s technical support staff. We are happy to help you!



Solution:

The following description shows how to change several workstations where Allplan is installed locally and the project data is also stored locally on each computer to workstations with a common network drive without Workgroup Manager.

1st - getting ready
Choose one of the workstations where you will install all the projects and the office standard (hereinafter referred to as the main workstation).
First, move all the projects to the main workstation.

1.a: copying resources into projects
To make sure that the projects in your office have a uniform appearance, change the path settings for the projects' resources to 'Project'.
Make the following setting for each project:
Allplan -> File menu -> ProjectPilot - Admin -> select the individual projects one after the other -> right mouse button -> Properties -> Settings tab
Set the path settings for 'Pen and line definitions', 'Fonts', 'Patterns, hatching styles, area styles', 'Bar and mesh cross-section catalogs', 'Layer structures, line styles, drawing types' and 'Attributes proposed' from 'Office' to 'Project', if necessary.
The corresponding elements are copied from the office standard directly to the project. This ensures that the project settings stay the same even when you copy the project to the new server with the new office standard.

1.b: same folder name as project name
Open the 'General' tab and select the 'Same folder name as project name' setting if you want to proceed as described in 2b.

1.c: pen color ("Color stands for pen")
The pen color for the "Color stands for pen" setting is a user-specific setting that is not saved in the project but in the user folder (...\Usr).

2.a: backing up projects of the individual workstations and importing them to the main workstation (recommended method):
Back up the individual projects. To do this, open the Services application and select Data Backup -> Create -> Entire folders -> Projects.
You can back up several projects in a single operation.
Before you start, specify the backup folder on the network or on the local hard disk: Services application -> Configuration -> Backup path ->Browse for Folder.

The next step is to import the saved projects to the main workstation.To do this, open theServices application -> Data Backup -> Import -> Projects Before you import the individual projects, you can create new Allplan projects at the main computer. As an alternative, you can also create a new project during the import.

2.b: backing up projects of the individual workstations and importing them to the main workstation (special approach):
This approach should only be used with good reason for exceptional cases as it requires in-depth knowledge of Windows.
With this method, Windows Explorer is used to import the projects to the main workstation.
If some project names exist twice, you need to rename these projects before you back them up.

You can then rename the existing 'project.dat' file in the Prj folder of the main workstation.
Next, select the Services application -> Service -> Hotline Tools -> reorg -> Restore project management file.
The system creates a new project administration file (project.dat), which should list all projects with names.

Now the main workstation contains the latest version of all the projects of the office.

3rd - merging project defaults
Open ProjectPilot at the individual workstations and copy the elements you want to transfer (symbols, smart symbols, lists, schedules, and so on) to the external path. Of course, you can set the external path to a common network folder that can be accessed by all workstations.
Next, open ProjectPilot at the main workstation and copy the contents of the external path to the office standard.

4th - data backup

• Back up the projects, office standard and user settings at the main workstation:
  You can also copy the ..\prj (projects), ..\std (office standard) and ..\usr (user folder) paths to a backup folder (Nemsic, for example) on the hard disk.
• In addition, you need to back up the ..\usr\local folder at every stand-alone computer.
• Export the user interface setting of each user to a file: Allplan -> Tools - > Customize .... -> Export...

5th - uninstalling
Remove Allplan from all workstations.

6th - reinstalling
Before you install the same version again, create and share a folder (Nemdata, for example) on the future data server. Create a subfolder - Allplan - in this folder.

The next step is to reinstall the same version on all the workstations.

Specify the following installation paths:
Program folder:
local (C:\Programs\Nemetschek\Allplan, for example)
Central file storage folder:
Browse -> Network...
Find the sharedNemdata folder and select the Allplan folder.

After this, start installing.

7th - testing the start and restoring the backup
After the installation (check whether Allplan starts), copy the ..\prj and ..\std folders you backed up from the main workstation to the new ...\Nemdata\Allplan server folder.

Next, use Windows Explorer to copy the contents of the former user folder (…\usr\local) of the stand-alone workstation to the new user folder of the computer you just installed.

8th - updating the project administration file
Go to the project.datfile in the ...\Nemdata\Allplan\Prjfolder and rename itproject.alt.After this, do the following:
Services application -> Service -> Hotline Tools -> reorg -> Restore project management file.

9th - summary
Now all the workstations access a common network drive with the same project pool and office standard.
With this type of installation, only one user can access a project at any one time. If several users are to work on a project at the same time, you need to install Workgroup Manager.