The multiple site environment allows users to design products across multiple locations as if all the users were in one location. There are two different methods to accommodate this functionality.
The first method is to centralize the database for all sites. The database for Vault can sit on a separate server as illustrated here.
The second method is to set up a main site with the database and main file store located on the same server. The main site has the most users and is where the most design work is done.
In these environments, users open data files such as AutoCAD drawings, Inventor Assemblies, or Microsoft Office documents from their local file Store. All metadata is read from and written to a central database so that users can open large files much faster than if they copy them across the Wide Area Network (WAN)