Adobe Creative Suite 2 CLASSROOM IN A BOOK [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Underlying technology and implementation

This section takes a more detailed look at the technological underpinnings of Version Cue and the nuts and bolts of implementing Version Cue in a production workflow.

Understanding Version Cue terminology

Workspaces

When using Version Cue to manage, organize, and share files and file information, designers or workgroups must access a Workspace. This Workspace, whose location is defined during the installation process, stores all file versions and the XMP metadata for all files.

(Note: The location of the Workspace can be changed at any time, if required.) It also preserves and updates the relationships (links) between files. The Workspace can reside on an individual's hard drive or on a centralized computer or dedicated server.

Designers access the Workspace directly in Bridge, where they can create and connect to their own and others' Workspaces and projects, view project files, and access workgroup commands. In this way, access to project files is integrated into the workflow directly in a common, familiar user interface. Alternatively, users can access Workspaces directly from Open, Save, Save As, and Place dialog boxes in the CS2 versions of Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. GoLive CS2, meanwhile, gives designers access to the Workspace through its Site Manager; indeed, Site Manager acts as a Version Cue project manager because it is the native file-management solution in GoLive for managing links between files. The Site window in GoLive is optimized for handling the many types of assets required to construct a website. By working through the Site Manager, Version Cue enhances GoLive workflows.

Projects

A project is a folder in the Version Cue Workspace that contains related files grouped as desired within other folders. Sharing is enabled for entire projects rather than for individual files. Projects can contain any file. Some non-Adobe file types can also be managed and versioned by Version Cue. However, file management and version management in Version Cue will be most robust with the files created by the CS versions of Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and GoLive. Projects can be kept private, even on shared Workspaces, or shared as desired with or without assigning user access privileges. Designers can define one or more projects. For example, a designer could create one project for files that don't need to be shared, another for files that need to be shared by everyone in the group, and a third for files that are to be shared only with colleagues who have appropriate privileges. All shared projects are open and accessible to others with privileges as long the computer hosting the Workspace can be seen on a network. Users who are behind a firewall or connecting via a virtual private network (VPN) will also have access to files in shared projects.

Working copies

When a file from a Version Cue project is opened, a working copy is created and when the designer starts editing the file it is marked as "In Use." As designers edit, they can preserve intermediate changes by choosing File > Save, which updates the working copy. When designers decide that the file has reached a new version milestone, they use the updated working copy to create a new version in the Version Cue Workspace by choosing File > Save A Version, at which time the file is marked as "Synchronized" because the working copy and the project version are now the same. By using working copies to edit files, Version Cue helps protect the master project versions from inadvertent, unwanted changes.

Regardless where the Version Cue Workspace is located, by default, working copies are kept on the designer's own hard drive. Working copies of project files are located in a folder for each project that is in a Version Cue folder, which is automatically created inside the designer's My Documents folder (Documents in Mac OS^® X). The user is able to relocate working files to any location on a non-networked drive if desired.

Historical versions and alternates

Throughout a design project, files go through many iterations or version changes. Historical versions of files are edits or changes that have been made over time. Versions are also important when a designer creates several different design ideas during exploratory design phases. Clients may also ask to see a particular design in a few different ways. Version Cue refers to these kinds of files as alternates, and a designer can easily specify files as being alternates of other files. Through Bridge or from within Illustrator or InDesign layouts, designers can easily replace or swap out alternate versions of their design files.

Alternates can be helpful in a review process as well, offering design choices. Files with completely different content can also be designated as alternates. This may be of use in publications with different editions, or different languages. Alternates can also be used for lo-res/hi-res images when working with web and print usages of a document. To contrast the two concepts, a historical version can be thought of as a snapshot in time and an alternate a parallel path in the design process.

Alternates. Designers can easily manage alternative designs directly within Illustrator and Photoshop layouts, as well as see a listing of alternates in Bridge.

[View full size image]

Multi-user access

With working copies of project files, Version Cue enables multiple designers to access and work on a file. For example, if two designers need to access an illustration at the same time (one needs to tweak it, the other needs to design a layout and needs to print the illustration for example), Version Cue automatically lets each one edit a working copy of the most recent version. The second designer to access the illustration is informed that the file is already in use and can decide whether to continue working with it. This process helps ensure that everyone's access to project files is flexible and enables workflows to progress when more than one designer needs to work on the same file. In this scenario, however, each designer's working file won't incorporate changes made by the other. When each designer finishes editing a file, he or she may save a new version with his or her unique changes to the Workspace, and then manually reconcile the differences. Alternatively, the second designer may start a new version thread by saving changes to a new file with the Save As command, or simply wait to make changes until the first designer is finished and the file is no longer in use.

Some workgroups may need to limit the amount of freedom allowed when opening and saving files. The first person who opened the file can be enabled as the only person with rights to save a version. This feature can be activated as needed for any project by turning on the Enable Lock Protection for this Project feature in the Version Cue Administration utility.

In addition to its integration with the components of Adobe Creative Suite, Version Cue can be used with any application that supports WebDAV, including Microsoft Office applications.

Setting up and installing Version Cue

The Version Cue Workspace installs as part of a typical Adobe Creative Suite installation. Alternatively, the Version Cue Workspace can be installed separately, such as on a server. In either case, Version Cue is ready to use immediatelythe Workspace is turned on and running by default following installation.

Installation options: Version Cue installs automatically with Adobe Creative Suite. By default, it places a Version Cue Workspace on the individual's hard drive.

[View full size image]

Turning Version Cue off and on

The Version Cue Workspace is configured via an Administration utility accessible from the Adobe Version Cue CS2 System Preferences. (An icon is also installed and visible in the systray area on Windows^® and in the menu bar on Mac OS X, providing a convenient way to reach the Advanced Administration utility as well as Version Cue System Preferences.) The Workspace is automatically turned on after installation, and the option to Turn Version Cue On When The Computer Starts is selected, so Version Cue does not have to be manually restarted every time the computer is turned on.

If designers want or need to share projects in a user-based Workspace implementation, they choose This Workspace Is Visible To Others from the Workspace Access menu. Selecting This Workspace Is Private, alternatively, keeps the designer's Workspace hidden from others on the network. Even when a Workspace is visible to others, projects in that Workspace may be individually designated as private, keeping them hidden from others.

In a user-based Workspace implementation, each designer on the network has control over the projects in his or her own Workspace as well as over the Workspace itself, giving each member of the workgroup both flexibility and control over file sharing. A designer could, for example, temporarily turn off sharing for a project to ensure that no one else accesses a design idea that hasn't been approved by a client, or when design files have been sent out for review and the designer doesn't want them to be accidentally changed. Setting privileges is another way to control access to shared files. (For more on privileges, see "Advanced administration features".)

To configure Version Cue to run in a server-based implementation, the Workspace should be installed from the CD directly onto the server's hard drive. A Version Cue Workspace broadcasts its presence on a network, eliminating the need for designers to deal with Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and other configuration settings. (Although servers typically remain on, choosing the option to turn on Version Cue when the computer starts, activates the Workspace automatically if the server does need to be restarted.)

Turning on Version Cue in Adobe Creative Suite components

Version Cue is already enabled in each of the Creative Suite 2 components except in Acrobat 7.0 Professional, where the user must explicitly turn on Version Cue functionality by selecting the Enable Version Cue Workgroup File Management check box in the General Preferences dialog box in Acrobat.

By default, Workspace settings in Version Cue are optimized for an individual designer who is working with mixed-media projects and with 128 MB of RAM available to the Workspace. (That means 128 MB of RAM above and beyond the 192 MB of RAM required to run any other single component of Adobe Creative Suite; this is the minimum system requirement to run Version Cue. With modern memory management, this requirement is used dynamically, as when Version Cue is idle, it only uses roughly 30-50 MB of RAM.) A designer or system administrator may increase the amount of memory dedicated to the Version Cue Workspace and optimize it for the anticipated number of people who will be accessing the Workspace. However, in practice, even in large workgroups, more than 256 MB does not need to be specified for Version Cue. These changes are made in the Settings tab of Version Cue System Preferences. Workspaces and projects may be unlimited in size, but there is a 2-GB limit to a single file in a Version Cue project.

Creating projects

Once Version Cue is installed and is active both in the OS and in the components of Adobe Creative Suite, designers may create a new Version Cue project. There are several ways to create a project. First, the designer selects the Workspace where the project will be hosted. For an individual, this will be his or her own hard drive. In a workgroup, a project can be created on any visible Workspace that has been shared by others (in a user-based implementation) or on a server (in a server-based implementation).

In Bridge, a designer can choose Tools > Version Cue > New Project, name the project, and add a description. To make the project available to others in a user-based implementation, the designer must select Share This Project With Others. As noted earlier, projects can be unshared at any time. If a server hosts the Workspace, the project is shared by default.

Additionally, a designer can choose File > Open or File > Place in the CS2 versions of Photoshop, Illustrator, or InDesign, click the Use Adobe Dialog button, and choose New Project from the Project Tools menu. Projects can also be created through the GoLive CS site wizard or in Adobe Version Cue Workspace Administration.

Connecting to Version Cue remotely

Having the flexibility and scalability to be used by individual designers, in user-based implementations, and on networked servers is great, but today's production environments are often quite complex. Many designers work remotelyeither temporarily or permanently. They may be located in a different branch of the company, such as an international sales office, that's on a separate network. They may go to a client's office for a meeting, work at home for a day, or occasionally use their laptops in the lobby of a convention center or on an airplane. In all of those cases, their work on a Version Cue project does not have to stop. Members of a workgroup can connect remotely to a Version Cue Workspace, access files, edit them, and save versions without slowing down team members.

To connect to a Version Cue project hosted by a Version Cue Workspace that's not on the designer's own subnetwork, the designer uses the Version Cue Client URL or, if he or she is using an application that supports WebDAV, the Version Cue WebDAV Client URL. From the CS version of Photoshop, Illustrator, or InDesign, the designer opens a Version Cue project by choosing File > Open and clicking the Use Adobe Dialog button. In the dialog box that appears, the designer chooses Connect To from the Project Tools menu. (In GoLive CS, the designer chooses File > New Site > Version Cue Project > Connect to Version Cue > Custom Server.) Additionally, the user can use the Connect To feature in Bridge. In wide area network (WAN) environments with firewalls, users will need VPN or alternative access.

Using Workspace Administration, designers in trusted environments or who have appropriate privileges in nontrusted environments can also create and share Version Cue projects remotely and perform administrative tasks.

Using advanced administration features

Additional administrative controls are also available to power users and system administrators.

Trusted versus nontrusted environments

By default, Version Cue operates in trusted working environments, which provides the greatest out-of-the-box flexibility to designers because shared files can be accessed without a password. However, there may be designers on a workgroup's network who do not need access to Version Cue projects or who perhaps must be deliberately prevented from accessing files. In magazine publishing, for example, editorial and advertising files may reside on the same network but should be accessible only to their respective departments. For these and other nontrusted environments, system administrators can establish user logins and privileges by using Workspace Administration.

Version Cue Workspace Administration home page: Designers and system administrators can manage IDs and privileges, and perform such maintenance as project backups and exports, by using Workspace Administration.

[View full size image]

Accessing Workspace Administration

Workspace Administration can be accessed in several ways:

From Version Cue System Preferences. When Version Cue is turned on, designers can navigate to the Settings tab, and click Advanced Administration.

From Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign by choosing File > Open, clicking the Use Adobe Dialog button, and selecting a Workspace to administer. Designers then choose Tools > Edit Properties and click Advanced Administration.

From the Site menu in GoLive CS; a site (Version Cue project) must be open for this menu to be available.

From the icon installed and visible in the systray area on Windows and in the menu bar on Mac OS X. This is a convenient way to reach the Advanced Administration utility as well as Version Cue System Preferences.

When a designer installs a Version Cue Workspace, Version Cue automatically creates a permanent system user login ID with administrator privileges, enabling initial access to the Workspace administration.

Remember, passwords are not required and user accounts do not have to be explicitly created to share Version Cue Workspaces and projects. Designers simply need to be on the same subnetwork or have the Version Cue Workspace IP or Domain Name System (DNS) address and port number to access a shared Workspace across a WAN. To restrict Version Cue projects, however, a system administrator can edit a project's existing user IDs or create new user IDs and assign them to specific projects.

In addition to establishing user IDs, Workspace Administration can be used to manage projects and to apply more stringent controls over file versioning. Lock protection for files can be enabled, restricting file versioning in a multi-user scenario. Once a designer begins editing an available file in a Version Cue project that is lock-protected, only that designer can save the next version of that file to the Version Cue project. Another designer who chooses to edit that file simultaneously won't be able to save changes to a new version of that file, even after the first designer has saved a version. The second designer will have to save changes to a new file or to a new location on the Workspace, or wait to open the newest version of the original file when it becomes available to edit after the first user saves a version. Lock protection for files that are currently in use can be removed through the Advanced page of Workspace Administration. Locks can be deleted for a project, for a particular user, or for the entire Workspace.

Performing maintenance, archiving, and backup

In addition to managing users, privileges, and projects, Workspace Administration can be used to perform maintenance and archive projects. Additionally, users have the ability to schedule regular backups of the entire Workspace, as well as archive individual projects.

Maintenance

Maintenance tasks include editing Workspace preferences: making projects or an entire Workspace private or shared, renaming Workspaces, defining log options, and setting default FTP and Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) proxy servers. In addition, system administrators can delete old file versions from projects, duplicate or delete entire projects, and export and back up projects.

Exporting projects

Exporting a Version Cue project creates a copy of that project that contains only the current version of each project file. In other words, exported projects do not include the entire history of each file's versions. Therefore, projects should not be exported as a way to preserve the historical versions of all files within a project; projects should be exported only when the current or final versions of files are necessary, such as for an archive. Exported copies can serve as archives of a project outside of the Version Cue Workspace, or can be delivered as proofs or final files to clients. Version Cue projects can be exported to a different computer via FTP or WebDAV, but Version Cue does not offer connectivity to dedicated third-party archiving systems.

Backing up projects

Designers can also create copies of projects that preserve all versions in addition to such information as file comments. By default, backups are stored on the same Version Cue Workspace as the original project, in the Backups folder (although the user can change this location by using the Version Cue CS2 Control Panel). When a designer backs up a project, he or she selects what to include, such as project metadata and file information entered when versions are saved from Adobe Creative Suite components.

It is a good idea to regularly back up Version Cue projects to avoid potential loss of data due to unanticipated system events (backups can be scheduled as well). Designers or administrators can give unique file names to projects, such as projectname_date, so that in the event of data loss or corruption, projects can be restored to their state at a given point in time. Backing up the entire Version Cue Workspace might be more appropriate as it carries basic user login information as well as all project data for all projects. Note that backing up may take significant disk space, because it creates a complete duplicate of all versions of all files.

A designer or system administrator can also back up (and restore) entire Version Cue Workspaces by using the Advanced page of Workspace Administration. Restoring a backup copy of a Version Cue Workspace replaces all current data on the Workspace, including Version Cue projects, files, and versions. Backups of Version Cue Workspaces can be restored only if they were created with the same version of the Version Cue feature that the designer or administrator used.

Handling data corruption

Version Cue handles data corruption in one of three ways, depending on the severity of the problem. First, Version Cue monitors its database and file repository automatically during each Version Cue Workspace start up. If this check detects a problem with file data, Version Cue executes a self-repair routine, automatically and transparently to the designer. As a result, if a problem arises it can be diagnosed and repaired without the designer ever knowing, and without disruption to creative workflows.

If the database becomes corrupted and Version Cue cannot self-repair, then the designer receives an alert that indicates the presence of the problem. The designer is then given the option of running a more robust repair utility that is present in the Workspace environment.

If the self-repair or the repair utility can't resolve the data corruption, the designer or system administrator must manually export all affected Version Cue projectspreserving only current file versionsto a new Workspace. Version Cue does this using a file recovery index. Problems that require the manual export of Version Cue projects have not been reported as of the time this publication was finalized, but Adobe has provided the file recovery index to handle an unforseen problem.