User Manual

Working with Bins and Projects in an Avid Shared Storage Environment
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Avid recommends that you do not use a common prefix for machine names. If you must
use a common prefix, make sure all the names are the same length (ABC01, ABC02,
ABC03, etc.).
• Do not use Windows Explorer to examine, copy, or manipulate shared bin files or shared
project folders or their contents when you use those files or folders. If you do, when you
attempt to access those shared bins or projects you might experience delays accompanied by
a progress dialog that says, “Filesystem busy, retrying (MESSAGE).”
If the busy condition persists, a failure message appears. Make sure that you are not using
Windows Explorer for the shared bins you are trying to access, and then try the operation
again.
• When you have an environment where more than five users are sharing bins on Avid shared
storage, Avid recommends using an Avid Interplay server in the workgroup environment.
• When an Avid Interplay server is available in an Avid workgroup environment, Avid does
not recommend sharing bins or projects. Use the Avid Interplay server and the Interplay
Window to share media. All editing systems in a workgroup environment that includes an
Avid Interplay server must have the Avid shared storage client software installed. The Media
Tool might become unreliable if an editor in the Avid shared storage workgroup
environment does not have the Avid shared storage client software installed.
Limitations When Working with Shared Bins and Projects
If an editor other than the creator deletes a media file, other editors cannot see that media file go
offline immediately. If an editor tries to play that file, a “media file not found” message might
appear in a monitor window, and an access violation error might occur.
Each editing application maintains a PMR file in its machine name folder inside the OMFI
MediaFiles folder or the Avid MediaFiles folder. The PMR file lists all the online media files.
Every editing application consults all the PMR files in all the machine name folders to find out
which media files are online. Whenever a media file is created, its name is immediately added to
the creating editor application's PMR file, and whenever a media file is deleted by its creator, its
name is immediately removed from the PMR file.
However, if an editing application other than the creator deletes a media file, the PMR file that
contains the deleted file is NOT updated immediately. Once the creating editor encounters an
event that causes its PMR to be updated, then all editing systems know that the deleted media file
has gone offline.
There are several ways to force an editing application to update its PMR. The simplest is to
switch to the desktop and back.