Server Tasks

Autodesk uses several background processes to perform common housekeeping chores to ensure that the system runs optimally. The administrator has the ability to view which background processes are running on the server and how often they run by accessing the View Server Tasks dialog.

View Server Tasks Dialog

The Server Tasks dialog contains the following information:

  • A status icon Indicates whether the task is active or inactive but scheduled to run again
  • Server Task The name of the server task.
  • Start/Scheduled The time at which the server task began or is scheduled to begin.
  • Site The name of the site associated with the server task.
  • Vault The name of the vault associated with the server task.
  • Period The type of frequency with which the server task is executed. For example, a server task could be recurring or executed only on-demand.
  • Frequency (minutes)-The number of minutes before the next execution of the process.

Background Processes

Task Description

File Store Validation

Compares database metadata against the file store to determine if all of the files in the database exist in the file store.

File Store Replication

Note:

Vault Collaboration and Professional Editions Only

Copies files that exist on one site's file store to another site's file store where the specific files do not exist. This process is scheduled by the user.

File Store Cleanup

Note:

Vault Collaboration and Professional Editions Only

During file replication, files are only copied from one server to another. If a file is deleted from one server, it may not be deleted from a second server. The file store cleanup process compares each file store against the SQL database and removes files which have been deleted from the data management environment. If the environment has only a single site or, if the site runs a backup, this process may be disabled.

Update Statistics

Runs Update Statistics on the SQL database. This process improves query performance, which in turn improves vault performance.

ECO Email Notification .

Note:

Vault Professional Only

Sends email notifications that have been saved in a queue. Automatic Email notifications must be enabled.

ERP Packaging

Note:

Vault Professional Only

Communicates with an existing ERP system. ERP Integration must be enabled.

Property Re-indexing

Extracts properties from a bulk of files and updates the database with the new information. This operation can be started and stopped by the user. If the operation is stopped and restarted later, it will start with the last file processed.

Search Indexing

Takes properties from the database into the indexer for the first time. This indexing yields faster results when the user searches the database on specific properties.

Content Indexing Service

Extracts the full text contents from existing files in the vault, allowing full content searching. This process only runs if full-content searching is enabled. If full-content searching is enabled and you attach a vault, this process will initiate. If anything interrupts this process, it will continue from where it left once it is restarted.

Search Index Optimization

Updates the indexing engine which helps return search results quickly. When the process is running, the indexer is locked. This process runs during off hours to prevent user down time. If this process does not run, the vault server would have to index on demand, which would cause slower performance during peak use times.

Content Indexing Service Update

Adds newly created and updated content to the vault server's search index. This process runs every twenty minutes once full content searching is enabled.

Purge

Checks the effective date of an item and determines if it should be active or expired at that particular site. If the environment is entirely one time zone, this could be changed to once every 24 hours. To change the time of the item effectivity process you need to edit the Web.config file.

Item Effectivity Update

Note:

Vault Professional Only

Checks the effective date of an item and determines if it should be active or expired at that particular site. If the environment is entirely one time zone, this could be changed to once every 24 hours. To change the time of the item effectivity process you need to edit the Web.config file.

Item Lock Cleanup

Note:

Vault Professional Only

When the vault server and the SQL server perform different actions on the database, it will apply locks to prevent data collision. If something interrupts these processes, these locks may never be removed. The item lock cleanup process runs through the database and removes any lock that is left behind. To change the time of the item lock index process, you need to edit the Web.config file.

You can locate the Web.config file at C:\Program Files (x86)\Autodesk\ADMS Professional <year>\Server\Web\Services\Web.config. Look for this line and change the value to the time that you desire.

<!--time of day to clear entity locks. -->

    <addkey="LockVacuumTime"value="3:0:0"/>

Viewing the Server Tasks

  1. Select Tools > View Server Tasks. A list of all server tasks is displayed in the Server Tasks dialog with the start time or scheduled start time, the site, the vault, the length of the task, and the number of minutes before it will be executed again.
  2. Click Update to refresh the list of server tasks.
  3. If Property re-indexing is listed as a task:
    • Select the task and click Details to launch the Property Re-indexing Status dialog. This dialog displays the status of the task, the number of files that have been re-indexed, and how many files remain for re-indexing.
    • On the Property Re-indexing Status dialog box, click Details>> to display the file that is currently being indexed and a description of that file. You can click the Print Preview link to print the information listed in the File grid, or click Stop to halt the re-indexing process.
  4. Click Close to close the dialog and return to the main screen.