The first thing I will say in this Vault maintenance post – and this is something I will always stand by when it comes to Autodesk Vault – is ALWAYS BACK UP YOUR VAULT!!! No ifs or buts, you should always back up your engineering data.

Also, before you perform any maintenance task (or any task for that matter) on your Vault Server, including windows updates, Antivirus updates or installing any other software on the server, please make sure you have a valid backup. Just like any applications, things can conflict with each other.
What may seem like installing a harmless app such as iTunes for example could cause issues down the line.

There are a few different ways to back up your vault, if you do not know the best method or how to back up your vault, please speak to us here at Man and Machine.

Health Checks and Maintenance Plans
Here at Man and Machine we offer a service that will health check your Vault Server. The Vault Health check is a once over on your Vault and CAD system to ensure there are no outstanding or pending issues.
Some of the checks include;
• SQL Check
• Project File Check
• Server health Check
• Connectivity and LAN Check
• Upgrade status for future releases
• Checking your SQL Maintenance plan
• Any many more.

Please contact myself or any Man and Machine representative for a health check on your Vault Server.

What is the maintenance plan?
Maintenance plans can be used to schedule tasks required to make sure that the SQL database performs well, such as keeping database and transaction log file sizes small and checking the database for inconsistencies.

Here are a few Q&As regarding maintenance plans and Autodesk Vault.
Q- Why should I have a maintenance Plan?
A – Maintenance plans can be used to schedule tasks required to make sure that the database performs well, such as keeping database and transaction log file sizes small and checking the database for inconsistencies.
Q- How often should I run my maintenance plan?
A – Autodesk® recommends that the plan be run at least once per week, during out of office hours.
Q- Can I run a SQL maintenance plan for SQL Express?
A – Yes, you can run a maintenance plan for all levels of SQL
Q – What is Content Indexing?
A – This enables you to search throughout a vault for a specific text string within a known file type, as well as file properties. The Content Indexing Service must be turned on to perform full content searching in any of the clients. By default, textual content is not indexed.
Q- What is reindexing the Vault Server?
A – Re indexing the server extracts the properties from all the files in the vault. Typically, this indexing process occurs when a file is first added to the vault or when an updated version is checked in. From time to time, re index the entire vault to:
• Add new properties to the vault that were previously unknown to the system.
• Remove unwanted properties from the vault that are no longer needed, in turn saving space in the SQL Server database.

The Autodesk Vault server utilizes a technology created by Microsoft called iFilters. iFilters are small applications that exist on the server containing a set of instructions on how to open and extract property data from files. A few iFilters are installed with Autodesk Vault server by default and others exist with the operating system. There are also many third-party iFilters available for other file formats. An Internet search for iFilter returns some of the filters that other software developers have published.
The iFilters that are included by default index the following file types:
• AutoCAD® .dwg
• Autodesk Inventor®
• Autodesk® 3D Studio Max®
• Microsoft® Office
But you may want to install indexes for file types such as PDFs. This is awesome when you need to find content in a PDF file.

Q- Where can I find more information on a maintenance plan?
A – On the Autodesk website OR contact us here at Man and Machine

My Disclaimer:
Before you perform any sort of tasks on your Vault Server, if you are unsure of any consequences or effects it may cause, I beg of you to speak to either Autodesk or your Autodesk Reseller for technical advice. Your Vault contains all of your engineering data and if tampered with by an inexperienced person it could cause major problems for your organisation.