Managing a ProTools workgroup on panther server

[koo_koo_bonkers]

Hello all .

I support several ProToolsHD and LE workstations and am involved in managing an OSX 10.3.9 server. We have about 6 or 8 users logging in and getting their home folder served up every day. About half of them also operate the various ProTools stations with their network login. This works great and fits in nice with how we want to manage the network. I highly recommend small post / music shops invest in the OSX server software.

I have a few problems we can't seem to get rid of with both the HD and LE workstations.
Systems are : G4/5 _ 10.3.9 all updates_ Quicktime 6_ ProTools 6.9.1cs3._ only a local admin user as everyone logs into the server.

1- If we bounce to anywhere in the users home folder ( on the server ) ProTools will crash / quit.
2 - When using the workspace browser ( yes I've rebuild the database files etc. ) PT will quit crash when spotting regions into the timeline from a shared disk on the server.
3 - If we bounce to a shared disk ( on the server ) ProTools will crash / quit.
4 - Lately after moving from 6.9.1cs2 to cs3 we have been getting crazy " neo access error" and "neo unable to save" dialogs.

If anyone responds to this post I've got more crash reports and bugs to squash.
JOel

[DigiTechSupt]

Playback/record to network volumes is not supported in Pro Tools for several reasons this would be one.

All of the symptoms you mention appear to be database related. Pro Tools does not currently have the ability to share database files, simultaneously, from a single volume between two or more Pro Tools systems.

It sounds like if your Pro Tools systems are seeing your network volumes as valid audio drives, it is treating them like it would a local drive (Typically, Pro Tools sees network drives as a transfer only drive) and is attempting to create a new or read/write to an existing Digidesign database file on those network volumes.

Trashing the database files is not going to help because the problem stems from two or more systems trying to write to the same file which I'm not sure any system can handle. Something not limited to Pro Tools. Two or more neworked systems can potentially read a file but not write to a single file.

If Pro Tools sees the volume as a valid audio drive then its' going to use the database file on that drive as it's own, no sharing.

Until Pro Tools can manage databases more effectively on networks, I don't think there is a way to get around your problem other than using your network volumes strictly for push/pull, where the audio is moved to local drives on the Pro Tools systems and then posted back up to the server at the end of the day/session/etc. OR, create separate nework volumes for each system and allow only one Pro Tools system to access one volume at a time (which still, by the way, isn't supported).

Hope this helps,
Jon Connolly
Digidesign Product Specialist

[koo_koo_bonkers]

Playback/record to network volumes is not supported in Pro Tools for several reasons this would be one.
>> yes I've set "network shares" as transfer volumes in everyones digibase

All of the symptoms you mention appear to be database related.
>> Bingo !

Pro Tools does not currently have the ability to share database files, simultaneously, from a single volume between two or more Pro Tools systems.
>> Yes , this is obvious after eading the Digibase documentation

It sounds like if your Pro Tools systems are seeing your network volumes as valid audio drives, it is treating them like it would a local drive (Typically, Pro Tools sees network drives as a transfer only drive) and is attempting to create a new or read/write to an existing Digidesign database file on those network volumes.
>> You'll find on Pg7 of the newest digibase pro manual "Shared Network Volume Databases" ... databases for shared volumes are stored locally on your system drive. On Macintosh, they are stored in the Library/Application Support/Digidesign/Databases/Volumes folder.

Its hard to take the rest of your post seriously as it clearly contains incorrect / misleading information and allot of gueses.

Would someone who actually has experience with these functions please respond.

Thanks
JOel

[tal herzberg]

"OR, create separate nework volumes for each system and allow only one Pro Tools system to access one volume at a time (which still, by the way, isn't supported)."

I'm doing exactly that, 4 x 1.4TB voulmes off an iSCSI server, no problems what so ever, as long as only one user at a time is connected.

[DigiTechSupt]

No guesses in my post, however there was speculation on information your original post lacked, therefore, my apologies.

You might want to give Digidesign Tech Support a call at 650-731-6300.

Good luck,

Jon Connolly
Digidesign Product Specialist