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<\/p>\nHello to all,<\/p>\n
Welcome to this new edition of the SOLIDWORKS Support Monthly News, coauthored by members of the SOLIDWORKS Technical Support teams worldwide.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Attention all SOLIDWORKS users!<\/p>\n
The SOLIDWORKS World Top Ten List is now open for idea submissions and discussion.\u00a0For those of you who are new to the SOLIDWORKS World Top Ten List, it is an opportunity to submit your ideas for enhancements to SOLIDWORKS. Once ideas are submitted, you will be given the opportunity to vote for your favorite ideas. All ideas are considered by SOLIDWORKS development and the Top Ten ideas will be presented at SOLIDWORKS World 2018 in Los Angeles, February 4-7.<\/p>\n
Submitted ideas can be viewed by visiting the SOLIDWORKS World 2018 Top Ten List area<\/strong><\/a> of the discussion forum. Click on \u201cContent\u201d just under the Top Ten List banner. You can also click on the categories on the side to sort by specific areas of SOLIDWORKS (Assemblies, Drawings, Simulation, etc.).<\/p>\n Important dates<\/strong>: By Tim KWONG<\/em><\/p>\n The PDM Status Report<\/strong> tool has become an indispensable tool for investigating performance issues. The report creates snapshots of the SQL server and vault database information for analysis.\u00a0 Always run the tool on consecutive days at around the same time when try to understand the SQL server workload. Analyzing the reports may reveal areas of interest that warrant further investigation. The following example demonstrates the use of the information from the Performance<\/strong> tab as part of the troubleshooting process.<\/p>\n CPU Usage by Process and By Database:<\/strong><\/p>\n The CPU usage graph below shows three high and sustaining CPU usage periods. During these periods, users most likely experience overall slower PDM performance due to SQL server being under stress. The most severe period occurs after 2 PM and ends around 2:30 PM. The other two periods have lower CPU usage but the durations are still substantial. When high and sustaining CPU usage periods are revealed in the report, need to engage users and get confirmation of slower PDM performance during the time periods.<\/p>\n Current Database Object Execution Statistic Report:<\/strong><\/p>\n The object names are PDM stored procedures. Top CPU usage stored procedures don\u2019t always equate to performance issues. High CPU usage could be typical behavior of the SQL server or victim of external or internal SQL server stress. The screen capture below shows XRef_GetTree consuming 26.6% of the SQL CPU usage. The XRef_GetTree has an average duration of 241 seconds and 57 million database reads. This is typical indication that a GET activity is slow and also may affect other users. For this situation, the XRef_GetTree is executed twice which may indicate fileset specific performance issue. Check with users and ask if certain particular files are slow when performing GET activities.<\/p>\n The second top stored procedure is Arc_GetSysFileStatus which consumes 25.4% of the SQL CPU usage. This stored procedure is executed for either a schedule or on-demand replication and having the Archive Status dialog active. For an environment with multiple replicated archive servers and large number of users, the high usage could be normal especially if one or more remote replicated archives have started replication. Need to check if any scheduled replications are running during the capture and check the frequency of replications amongst the sites. If hourly or continuous replications are discovered, then recommend a daily replication schedule to reduce CPU usage during the work hours. Having Archive Status dialog open under Replication > Archive in the administration console will continuously trigger this stored procedure too and result in unnecessary CPU usage. If you confirm the dialog is left open, advise users to close dialog after obtaining the desired replication information.<\/p>\n The third top stored procedure is Msg_CheckMsg which consumes 21% of the SQL CPU usage. This object makes calls to check new messages from logged in clients. Msg_CheckMsg is executed every 30 seconds from each client even when SMTP notification is being used and may cause unnecessary CPU usage. This examples shows Msg_CheckMsg being very active and having high CPU usage.<\/p>\n Need to look at the information in the Messages<\/strong> table in Vault Size<\/strong> > Database Vault<\/strong> Size<\/strong> tab. If there are rows in the table and SMTP is being used, try deleting them to see if it help in reducing the CPU usage. Remember to make a backup of the database prior to the deletion. When SMTP is being used, the Messages<\/strong> table can be filled with rows of old messages or from invalid or blank email addresses. For this example, the Messages table shows 49,235 rows which is not a large amount but could result in higher CPU usage. Starting with PDM 2017, the 30 second interval can be increased to reduce the frequency (see SOLIDWORKS KB Solution S-072959).<\/p>\n Last month<\/a>, Omar discussed the topic of Productivity Tools<\/strong><\/span>. This month, it is Reza\u2019s turn. He talks about Reports<\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lp_wsz_ljhU<\/p>\n Next month, Reza will discuss the topic of Buckling analysis<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nJanuary 5, 2018: deadline for new idea submissions
\nJanuary 6, 2018: voting on all ideas begins
\nJanuary 31, 2018: voting ends<\/p>\nUsing information from Performance tab of SOLIDWORKS\u00ae PDM Status Report to Isolate Performance Issues<\/h1>\n
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<\/p>\n\nSimulation Step-Up Series<\/h1>\n
Noteworthy Solutions from the SOLIDWORKS Knowledge Base<\/h1>\n
![\"icon](\"http:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/Screen-capture3.png\")
When activating SolidNetWork License (SNL) Manager after an upgrade or installation, what causes the error \u2018The current computer identifier (1) does not match the previously used computer identifier (0).\u2019?
\n<\/b>This error can appear when the previous SolidNetWork License (SNL) Manager installation was located a drive other than the default C:\\ drive.
\nTo resolve this issue, uninstall the SNL Manager from any drive that is not the C:\\ drive, and then reinstall the SNL Manager on the C:\\ drive. You should then be able to activate to software successfully.
\nFrom Solution Id: S-073516<\/a>.<\/p>\n When I open a SOLIDWORKS\u00ae drawing on a Windows\u00ae 10 client computer, why does annotation text that contains Chinese characters display within square boxes?
\n<\/b>This behavior typically involves text with Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean characters. It occurs when legacy Windows\u00ae fonts are moved into optional font packages. In such cases, those fonts may not be available on all Windows 10 client computers. A side effect of these changes is that some characters appear as a square or rectangular box, or as a box with a dot, question mark, or \u2018x\u2019 inside.
\nThis problem does not occur when the same file is opened with an earlier Windows version.
\nTo resolve this issue on a Windows 10 operating system, follow the steps in Solution Id: S-073406<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Icon](\"http:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/Screen-capture1.png\")
Using the SOLIDWORKS\u00ae PDM 2018 SP0.1 software, what would could cause users to lose their group membership after editing the group via right-click > \u2018Open\u2019 in the administration tool?
\n<\/b>If you are using SOLIDWORKS\u00ae PDM 2018 SP0.1 to administer multiple groups at the same time, it is possible that users can lose their group membership if you select the \u2018Automatic\u2019 check box column and save the group.
\nTo see an example of how the problem can appear and how to solve it, see Solution Id: S-073658<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/Screen-capture4.png\")
When configuring the \u2018Email Notification Settings\u2019 in SOLIDWORKS\u00ae Simulation, is it possible to use Gmail™ as an SMTP server?
\n<\/b>In SOLIDWORKS\u00ae Simulation, it is not directly possible to use Gmail™ as an SMTP server.
\nThe SOLIDWORKS\u00ae Simulation Email Notification system does not support the use of external SMTP servers such as Gmail SMTP. However, it is possible to configure the Email Notification system to use Gmail by using a forwarding message proxy.
\nFor more information, see Solution Id: S-073498<\/a>.<\/p>\n When generating a mesh for a Topology study, what is the preferred mesher?
\n<\/b>In general, the \u2018Standard\u2019 mesher is recommended for generating meshes for Topology studies.
\nTopology studies in particular require a refined mesh throughout the entire geometry, including internal regions. Because element material densities are altered by the Topology study to determine a new material distribution, having a consistent good quality mesh is important. For these reasons, using the \u2018Standard\u2019 mesher is recommended.
\nFrom Solution Id: S-073710<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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