SnapshotCM Server Requirements
SnapshotCM provides both repository and proxy servers. The repository server manages the archive and database files where project files and attributes are stored. You only need one repository server to support all users in your organization. The proxy server provides locally cached access to a remote repository server. We recommend one for each sufficiently* remote location.
- Performance
- The SnapshotCM servers minimize use of network resources, and optimize database access so that users don't have to wait. As more users or files are added, user machines will not require upgrades.
- The servers takes advantage of system resources so large customers can obtain best performance by dedicating a fast machine with significant memory and a high-speed file system to their SnapshotCM server. Smaller customers will obtain good performance from a shared system.
- Administration
- The servers require minimal administration to perform backups. Since the proxy server merely caches data stored by the repository server, it does not need to be backed up.
- Network
- The SnapshotCM uses TCP/IP for client–server communications. No special hardware is required, other than local disk for archive and database files.
- Supported Platforms
- The servers are available for recent Windows and Unix/Linux systems.
- Disk Space
- The repository server manages your version control repository, which consists of versioned file content and dbms files. The versioned file content is compressed, either directly, or using RCS. Its size is primarily dependent on how much you check in.
- The dbms stores all other information about your projects. Its size is also somewhat data dependent. For example, longer history comments take more space than shorter ones. Typically, the dbms size is 10% or less of the size of the data being managed.
- An example server managing 100 snapshots, 5000 files and directories in 30,000 revisions has a 10 MB dbms, plus 140 MB of versioned file content. Another example has 240 MB of data and a 20 MB dbms. As you might expect, the biggest variable is your data.
- *Do you need a Proxy Server?
- SnapshotCM is designed to provide good remote performance without
use of a proxy server. Some criteria for determining if you need a proxy for a
remote location:
- Network bandwidth compared to size of workspace content. If your workspace content is small compared to the available network bandwidth between sites, you probably will not benefit from a proxy. If it is large relative to the bandwidth, you're more likely to benefit from a proxy.
- Number of remote workspaces. If you only have one remote workspace, you don't need a proxy. If you and your team have many workspaces, especially if they normally contain many identical files, the proxy will help.
- WAN latency. If the network round-trip (or ping) time is large, a proxy will significantly improve multiple file checkout performance.
