MS-EPM in a distributed architecture - does it work?

[Allan McKenzie]

Does anyone have any experience using MS-EPM in a distributed
architecture? MS-EPM works great on a 100Mbps LAN, but we have a WAN
architecture. We are experiencing terrible performance problems when we
centralize the server in a WAN architecture, but MS-EPM doesn't seem to
support database replication between servers. We have used database
replication between ORACLE servers for many years and have been very
happy with that type of solution. Can database replication be made to
work with MS-EPM? Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Allan

 

[Rob Schneider]

Your issue isn't so much the "distributed" architecture, as it is the
network performance between the distributed components. I don't know and
and can't remember anything about database replication in Microsoft
Project EPM ... My hunch is that it is not available simply due to
nature of the application, but just a hunch. That would add an awful lot
of complexity.

In addition to a lot of other things that I know experts know about
doing when trying to optimise a network application, have you considered
using Terminal Servers for "remote" users. It's a relatively easy thing
to implement. While I've not tried it personally on the Microsoft EPM
product, I can't see why it won't work as well as I've seen it work on
other applications across a slow WAN.

Hope this is useful to you. Let us know.

rms

 

[Gary L. Chefetz [MVP]]

Allan:

This generation of Project Server doesn't support database replication. Your
best bet for answers on EPM is:

microsoft.public.project.server

 

[Gary L. Chefetz [MVP]]

Same generation

 

[Allan McKenzie]

Thanks for the info. Does the 2003 version support it?

Allan

 

[Allan McKenzie]

Hi Rob,

Oddly enough, we had already started looking into the use of Terminal
servers - I feel like I've slipped back 30 years into the past using
terminal emulators! How the largest software company in the world can
expect companies to use Project in a distributed world without correctly
supporting database replication is beyond me.

At any rate, the estimate we have is that each instanciation of a
terminal server will require 50Meg of memory on the server (yes I know -
I was astounded). So, if you have 100 people you need 5 Gig. What
happens if I have a company with 1000 people?

Anyway, I'll try to keep you up-to-date on the results.

Allan

 

[Rob Schneider]

This one would be continue discussion in microsoft.public.project.server
as it's an important topic. I've cross-posted this posting to his other
newsgroup.

I for one will be keen to hear your progress, design decisions, etc.

My two bits:

1. 1000 users of Project is extremly aggressive. Are you sure that most
of them won't be using the web components only (thus a different issue
than SQL replication)?
2. I would really worry about replication for an application like
Project. data contention and integrity would get very complicated. It's
clear to me why it's not here in the current release and I wonder if it
ever will or should be. Just because SQL servers *can* do replication
doesn't mean that they *should* for all applications.
3. I'm not sure I'm bothered by 50 meg per user on the Term Server
(although I'm wonder where this number came from). After all it is the
computer the user is using. You probably are giving them 256 to 512 meg
per user on their desktop now ... what's the big dea? 100 simultaneous
users on a single intel-base terminal server box is, far as I am led to
believe, also very aggressive.
4. You'll want to look carefully at how these machiens will be used
simultanously. While you can put a lot of ID's on a terminal server
(and database server for that matter), not all use will be simultaneous.
5. Terminal server is good technology and will solve the business
problem. It provides a terrific user interface to the desktop and isn't
hungry on network bandwidth. User's don't care where computing is done
(unless they are off the network on laptops or stand-alone computers).
6. Read Gary Chefetz's book (ISBN 1-59059-118-6). While for Project
Server 2002, the design principles still apply.
7. Work with the Project Management organisation to design the computer
and telecommunications to match how it needs to be to match how Project
works and how the Project Management organisation will use the tool.

As someone else recently said (and I wish I could remember who that was):

"Project needs to be implemented, not installed".


Hope this is useful to you. Let us know.

rms

 

[Brian K - Project MVP]

Hello Rob,

1) The number of users is directly dependent on the number of
projects that an organization runs. If on organization only has a
'few' large projects, then ok no problem. But if an organization has
lots of little projects, then it is a problem.

2) I currently support a distributed project which uses database
replication and yes, data contention and integrity are very
complicated - however they are definitely not insurmountable, as we
have demonstrated (this project has been running for years). I would
certainly think that Project would be eligible for consideration as a
data-replicated distributed application, and would be very interested
if MS ever makes the attempt.

3) I believe that the 50Meg per user is a quote from MS tech
support, but don't tell anyone. At any rate, it looks like our 100
users will be satisfied with the 5Gig server. 4) As most of the
project development activity occurs at the beginning of our fiscal
year (the actual heavy use of MS-Project), I would not expect any
serious contention issues.

6) I'll order it - hope I've got time to read it!

7) Doing that.

Best regards,

Allan McKenzie

Replication across sql servers for project server 2002 or 2003 is not
supported. Dont even try it.

I think I have seen that same 50meg number for TS but I can promise you
that if each user opened a nice huge project file that that the amount
of RAM used by each would be WAY higher than 50meg. Also, the capacity
of the NIC would start to come into play if you had a bunch of users
all making calls to the server.

Garys book covers the design concepts very well and it is worth picking
up for sure.

You can also get good info from the "Guides" that MS put out. There are
links to them on www.microsoft.com/project.