Collaborative working in graphics design without a huge server?
xGrape (88 pencils) | Tue, 2008-01-22 07:15Not sure if the title is descriptive enough, but here is the deal: I was currently hired as a graphics designer by a company which previously only had one (we are now two). We need a way for both of us to work on and access the same files. Currently the senior designer has a firewire drive hooked up to his Mac Pro with all pictures and indesign/quark documents. I then mount this as a share on my iMac.
Naturally we can not both work on the same inDesign document at the same time, but that's not really needed. We can however work on the same files at different times, and all links will always work since all work is stored on that one drive.
Only problem is: the network is I believe your standard 100mbit ethernet, and I'm seeing between 500kB-1MB transfer rate. Opening large files with lots of large TIFFs or EPSs linked can take a LONG time. Same with sending the files to the printer.
Any suggestions? We have thought about putting gigabit ethernet between just our two Macs, or getting one external drive each, and mirror them once a day or something, although that seems like it could be a pain as well.
Thankful for any suggestion :)
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1. Buy yourself a fast ethernet switch and network both machines.
2. Get yourself a CHEAP mac OR pc and use it as an ad hoc server that way you can store all the data on ONE machine. . .
3. If you're using CS (23 what ever) you can use the power of Version Cue, BUT you will definitely need a FAST server or some sort of midrange server for that. But that's your BEST option.
"Try not, Do! or do not, there is no try."
-Yoda
Thanks for the advice. I'll have to talk to IT :)