FTPing
Another widely used tool for sharing electronic data is File Transfer
Protocol (FTP), which is the direct transfer of files from one computer
to another. Available since the 70s, FTP is still the standard for file
transfers over the Internet. It is simple to use and is platform
independent, meaning you can transfer files to any operating system,
from Windows to Macintosh to Unix.
FTP has several
advantages over disks for sharing design data:
- FTP does not
have the file size limitation of floppies or CDs.
- Data transfer
typically takes seconds or a few minutes, unlike disks which can take
days.
- You can share
your design data with anyone, anywhere in the world so long as they
have access to a modem.
- Since FTP acts
as a repository for files, disparate team members can download shared
files at their convenience.
- A single file
can be shared with multiple team members by simply providing each team
member with access privileges.
- FTP adds a
level of security because access is limited to those having proper
authorizations.
Internet,
Intranets, and Extranets
As the world has become more connected via the Internet, intranets, and
extranets, other forms of sharing data have been introduced and gained
in popularity. Probably the most popular method for sharing electronic
design data these days is through e-mail. Virtually every company and
every CAD user has an e-mail address. Sharing design data this way is as
easy as 1-2-3. Type up a short electronic note about a file you wish to
share, attach the file to your e-mail, and send it off to the recipient.
In a matter of seconds, the file appears in the recipient's mailbox,
ready to download and open. As long as team members have high-speed
Internet connections (something much more common today than just a few
years ago), sharing even large drawing files is easy and fast.
But you still have
to manage those e-mailed drawing files. Tracking who sent which files to
whom can quickly become a management nightmare if proper file transfer
procedures aren't in place and enforced. Given that e-mail is so easy to
use for sharing files, you might be lulled into sending files the moment
someone requests them and fail to properly record the transaction. By
not properly recording the date and time the file is sent and to whom,
or the condition of the file (was it only 50 percent complete?), you may
end up releasing inaccurate, outdated, incomplete files to unsuspecting
team members. Worse yet, if checks and balances are not in place, you
might even up sending files to requestors that should not be given
access to the files in the first place. Good-bye security.
Many firms have in
place, or are preparing, in-house procedures for sharing design files
over e-mail. With proper management—typically in the form of IT
staff—firms are tracking who has their files, as well as the
percent-complete condition of the files. That means the project team can
better coordinate their efforts, and it ensures that only the correct
and appropriate files are shared.
Hosted Project
Websites
Given that providing IT personnel is not always an option, other firms
are using hosted websites to garner the same benefits. Project-hosting
services can minimize the day-to-day IT support operations from the
project team's perspective, allowing team members to focus on the design
project. Collaborating via a hosted website provides a convenient and
secure method for managing, tracking, and sharing electronic design
data.
Summary
Autodesk has developed a variety of solutions that meet the challenges
of managing, tracking, securing, and sharing electronic design data over
the Internet, intranets, extranets, and via e-mail. In the next two
articles, we'll explore some of these solutions in more detail. Most of
you are ready for real-time electronic design collaboration, which these
solutions enable, although most of us still have a fondness for the
paper-based designs we grew up with.
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