PDMWorks 2005 problem - have you seen this?

We just upgraded to 2005, including our PDMWorks. Everything is going
splendidly, excpet for one thing. A user is trying to check an assembly into
the vault, and gets the following error message:

Unable to write custom properties to the file "5003338-011.SLDPRT. Please
make sure that the file is not being used by another program.

Well, it's certainly not being used by another program, so we used
SolidWorks Rx (wayyy cool by the way) to isolate the problem. Using the
option to "turn off" options/settings, the assembly easily checked in to the
vault. Next, we experimented with settings in SolidWorks, and tracked it to
the system option "Search file locatons for external references". If the
option is checked, PDMWorks check-in fails. If the option is not checked,
all is right with the world. This happens on everyone's machines.

Dell Precision 2.6Ghz
1GB RAM
Some have Win2K, others have WinXP (SP2)
(SP2 is NOT the problem - this happens in Win2K as well)

I know, I know...Doc, it hurts when I do this. Doc: Well, don't do that.

SolidWorks is aware of our issue, and they have agreed (insisted actually)
to look at our vault data. But, I would like to ask if anyone else has seen
this problem, or would you be willing to try to replicate it.

Thanks,

Richard Doyle

 

Richard,

There's someone named Ed Ortiz in the SolidWorks Discussion Forum that's
having the exact same problem. Look in the PDM/Works section.

Dave H

 

Dave,
I work with Ed, and I've been tasked with correcting the problem. SolidWorks
is on top of it, but so far we seem to be the only folks in the land with
the problem. I'm just fishing to see if anyone else had seen it.

Richard

 

Richard,

Just out of curiosity, is your vault locked down. Is it visible to SW
users? And is the vault on a logical drive that also contains
non-vaulted SW files and that is listed in the Reference files
settings?

 

Richard:

What directory is your Tools, Options, File Locations, Referenced
Documents pointing to? Network? Read only? Does removing a path from
the list allow it to check in even with the "Search File Locations"
turned on?

Does the 5003338-011.SLDPRT file have external references, or is there
anything of note about it? (in context, mirrored, base part,etc.)

How is the Tools, Options, External References, Load Referenced
Documents setting set?

Is that part from a library folder (designated on the Toolbox tab)?

Do you have any macro features in any parts?

What kind of machine/OS is the server running on?

I'm definitely interested in this issue. Please keep us updated.

matt

 

Matt (and P),
This issue started after we upgraded to 2005. Nothing unusual about the
upgrade, followed all of the instructions, didn't change any permissions,
the vault is visible and accessible to all. Strangly enough, we can check-in
individual parts (from the same assembly) without a glitch.

See my other answers below.

Richard

The only referenced document path is pointing to the common toolbox folder
on the server. And yes, removing this file location "solves" the problem. It
should be noted that the assembly I am checking in does not have any toolbox
parts in it.

Nope, nothing external is referenced. And this isn't the only culprit part,
it's specific to the first part in the assembly. In other words, attempting
to check in a different assembly causes the same error - with the first part
in the tree (I hope you can understand that statement, cause it ain't very
clear to me).

Set to "all"

It's a WIN2K server, probably put together by our crack IT staff in 1941.
It's hard to make out the machine brand with all of the duct tape and
bailing wire, but we've never had a problem before the upgrade.

SolidWorks is interested too. Joy is sending me a USB DVD drive today so we
can dump the vault and send it back. I don't think it's a vault issue -
judging by the fact that when I turn off the external reference switch it
works. Also, removing the reference to the toolbox directory fixes the
problem. Thing is, these setting didn't change between 2004 and 2005. We
don't need to search external references because our file structure is flat.
Setting the toolbox path is all we should need. Too bad that doesn't work
any more.

Any suggestions you can offer are appreciated, although the workaround we
found is fine so far.

Thanks,

Richard