SOLIDWORKS PDM Virtual Servers

Yes. We have a 'Core' level server set up with SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional and Standard. You can request access to this server through an account manager. The SOLIDWORKS PDM virtual server is accessed through using the Cisco AnyConnect client which is connected using our walk-through guide. You will be issued with a time limited password for access.

Often customers want to test the performance of connection from an office or for a remote user who may be travelling abroad. For expediency, we have also provisioned an FTP test to the server via the VPN to simulate PDM check-in and check-out activity. This provides a good approximation of the performance you can expect from a fully installed server setup for your business.

This period is known as the retention policy.

The factors that affect this policy are;

a) How often the backups are made (by default this is 24 hrs)
b) How big the incremental changes are that the backup captures each 24 hours
c) How much backup space is allocated to the server for storage in one of the other data centres

When we set up a server the default retention policy is 30 days. After a customer starts using the server we monitor the backups and assess if the retention policy needs to be reviewed. This is discussed with the customer and is either extended or shortened. Alternatively we can arrange for additional backup allocation space to be made available.

The Avamar backup functionality we use is mainly used for disaster recovery scenarios but we can retrieve any file or folder depending on the retention policy. However, customers have full access to the SOLIDWORKS PDM virtual servers and all of our PDM implementations configure some backup folders for key datasets such as the SQL database. As a matter of good practice we recommend that customers make additional copies of these files and store them in an alternative location such as an on-premise data store or a cloud hosted platform such as AWS or Azure. These can be kept longer, accessed more quickly and be made more frequently if necessary.

This level of access and flexibility allows us to cater for all levels of customer security requirements. You have complete access to the server to perform additional backups over and above the 24 hour fully incremental backup Solid Solutions will make.

Data restores for SOLIDWORKS PDM virtual servers are performed by Solid Solutions and requested through the help desk.

We are always available to discuss our SOLIDWORKS PDM virtual servers. Please either get in touch with your account manager, call us on 01926 333777 or complete the form opposite for a call back.