For remote operations, the primary benefits of the proxy are seen in operations that do not need to link to the host Windchill RV&S server. Synchronization of the information between the host Windchill RV&S server and the proxy is an ongoing operation that is invisible to users. Users seldom experience any performance difference whether they are working on a local project or a remote project.

Operations that send new data directly to the host Windchill RV&S server result in increased demands on the communication network and therefore are not aided by the cache technology of the proxy. For example, creating a project or adding large numbers of members are not aided by the proxy. To improve performance in these situations, compression properties can be set to maximize the available communication network.

For more information on compression, see “Windchill RV&S Server FSA Properties”.

While network issues are a constant in distributed development, FSA includes advanced compression functionality that dramatically improves network performance.

Through further improvements to metadata and bulk data priming operations, the total number of network round trips has been reduced—an important enhancement for high latency networks.

Remote access is efficient because information is sent only once over the slow network before being stored in the proxy cache for access by users. Synchronization of this information is an ongoing operation invisible to users that does not require an administrator. Users seldom experience any performance difference whether they are working on a local project or on a remote project.

In the case of a corporate network failure, users can continue to work through their Sandboxes on their local files. When the network is restored, users can check in or resynchronize their files with the master project while the automatic synchronization updates the proxy cache with any new data. Delays due to inaccurate information and due to data transfer are eliminated by implementing FSA.

Persistent data and automated recovery (from connection loss or server reboot) ensure that resynchronization is efficient and accurate. Access to current data is restored within seconds of the network recovery. On networks with intermittent failures, this automated recovery may go unnoticed by users.

In instances where the host computer is unavailable at startup, the proxy attempts connection at a pre-set interval of 5 seconds.

As a result of connection-related or other failures, the host Windchill RV&S server may not be available at proxy startup. In cases where the host is not available, the proxy automatically attempts connection at a pre-set interval. The interval starts at a minimum of 5 seconds and goes to a maximum of 25 seconds.

Because FSA replaces replication with an intelligent form of caching and updating, the administrative requirements are not ongoing. Once you have configured and implemented FSA, many administrative tasks are completed through automated synchronizations, recoveries, and updates. Manual synchronizations, merging, and conflict resolution are eliminated by real time access to project information. Similarly, manual recovery and resynchronization due to network failure is eliminated by the persistent data and automated recovery features of FSA.

As administrator, you can also manually prime the proxy for a specific Windchill RV&S source code project. Using the si primeproject command, you can populate data on the proxy for a specified normal, variant, or build configuration management project. For more information on priming the proxy for a project, see “Priming the Proxy”.