The Project Sharing Server

The Project Sharing Server controls access to project files, for situations where direct access to the files is problematic. It’s recommended to use the server for large teams sharing a project, or for small teams that experience problems with locked or unavailable project files using file-based sharing. If you plan to store project files on a platform other than Windows or Mac, such as Linux or a network-attached storage (NAS) device, run the server as a container app on the Docker® platform.

Installing the server on Windows or Mac

Install the Project Sharing Server software on only one machine, where all project files will be stored. Administrator privileges are required for installation. Run the installer and enter the server options desired. The server is started automatically after the installation is complete.

Parameter	Description
Host	The name of the machine where the server is being installed. It’s recommended to leave the default value of 0.0.0.0, which will run the server using the machine’s correct name automatically.
Port	The port number of the server on this host. Normally, don’t change the default value of 22001.
Add the application to Windows Firewall exception list (Windows only)	Allows other machines on the local network to access the server. Only the Vectorworks application can connect to the server.
Start automatically with Windows (Windows only)	Starts the server as a background process whenever Windows is started
Project Directory	Create a root folder on this machine for all project files to be served, and enter the name here. This folder can contain other files, in addition to project files.
Enable Full Disk Access button (Mac 10.14 or newer only)	Opens the System Preferences; click the + button and add the Project Sharing Server to the list of apps that have full disk access: /usr/local/bin/psserverd You may need to press Cmd+Shift+. to show hidden files and folders.

Uninstalling the server

● On Windows, double-click the following file: C:\ProgramData\psserverd\uninstall.exe

● On Mac, run the following script in Terminal: /Library/Application Support/Vectorworks/psserverd/scripts/uninstall.sh

Installing the server as a Docker image

Vectorworks provides a Docker image of the Project Sharing Server, to run the server as a virtual machine on the Docker platform. This allows you to run the server on a host machine other than Windows or Mac.

Install the Docker package on the host machine, and then install and configure the Project Sharing Server. The details depend on the platform you’re using, but here are the general steps:

1. Upload the image file provided by Vectorworks: psserverd.tar. An image is the definition of the virtual machine that Docker will run.

2.Create a container from the image. A container is a running instance of the virtual machine.

3.Map two volumes for the container—one for the project folder and one for log files. A volume mapping links an actual folder on the host machine to a folder inside the Docker virtual machine. The actual folders can be named as desired, but the virtual machine folders must be named as shown below. The container must have write access to both folders.

4.Configure the container to use the same network as the Docker host. This will make the server use port 22001 on the host machine.