Revit Server Roles
Host: Revit Server is similar to a central server. The host would enable Revit Server instances geographically or organisationally to be central.
Accelerator: In this role, a Revit Server assimilates data from different sources. Members in the same local area network( LAN) as the Revit Server Accelerator enjoy better performance when connecting to central models.
Administrator: The Revit Server Administrator management tool is used to create, delete, rename and move folders and central models on Revit Server hosts and configures user or group level permissions.
To better understand how these roles function, let’ s look at an example. If a company has its main office in London and others contributing to the project are in Bristol, Revit Server allows employees from both offices to work simultaneously on a Revit project file. This central file is saved in a local data server within its local area network( LAN). Individuals can access the central file on the data server. However, Revit automatically creates a copy of the central file on the individual client workstation, which is referred to as a local file, rather than open the central file. With subsequent changes, local files evolve differently from the central file. Hence, each local file is synchronised with the central file. This is better known as work-sharing.
In a LAN, load and sync speeds are fairly rapid, as the data is close to end users. When the same work-sharing occurs between two or more offices over the wide area network( WAN), the speeds of load and sync are slower. Revit Server lets two or more servers communicate across the WAN by caching( or replicating) the data on one server to the other. Thus, what is needed is to keep the data close to the end users. For this, each office must install a single instance of Revit Server on their data servers, creating a Revit Server Network.
The Revit Server in London could play host and administrator roles while the Revit Server in Bristol assumes the role of Accelerator. Thus, all central files would be in London and would be cached to Bristol. Using the Revit Server Administrator site via a web browser, the Revit Servers in the network can be administered.
What is C4R and what are the benefits?
When teams are working on a local area network( LAN), C4R, the cloud file-based worksharing method, enables accurate performance. It does not need the installation of a Revit Server.
Similar to Revit Server, the C4R method uses cloud computing but this time also for storage and hosting of the model. Using BIM 360 Team, C4R provides access to, and collaboration on, central Revit models on the cloud to project teams across varied disciplines, locations and companies. This means that individuals or teams from any of the locations can add, delete or modify elements of the project at any time so that the alterations can be viewed