Solution:
Vault edition limitations
The following table documents the login limits for each edition of Vault:
| | Vault Basic | Vault Workgroup | Vault Professional |
| Number of Logins | No limit | No limit | No limit |
Autodesk has designed all editions of Vault to have no limit on the number of accounts that can be logged in.
Factors outside the Vault application itself may impact performance, including:
- Operating System.
- SQL database engine.
- Hardware.
Operating system limitations
Some operating systems supported by Vault impose a limit on the number of concurrent connections from other devices. Typically, Server operating systems have no limits on the number of concurrent connections. Desktop Operating Systems such as Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and 10, will limit the number of concurrent connections allowed to 1, 10 or 20 depending on the edition (Home, Professional, Enterprise) used.
SQL Database Engine limitations
Vault Server uses Microsoft SQL Database Engine. The supported editions are:
- SQL Express (free).
- SQL Standard (licensed).
- SQL Enterprise (licensed).
The precise versions of SQL that are supported for each version of Vault are documented in the
Vault System Requirements. Each version of SQL has limitations built into it by Microsoft, with licensed versions having fewer restrictions. Microsoft maintains a page on its website that compares the features of each SQL Edition:
The main limitations imposed by SQL that affect Vault Server are:
- Maximum number of cores.
- Memory: Maximum buffer pool size per instance.
- Maximum database size.
- Licensing. An organization needs to decide to use per core or client access licenses.
For more details, see: What are Autodesk's recommendations regarding licensing for Microsoft Windows and Microsoft SQL with Vault? Client Access Licence or Per Core (CPU)
Note that, If no version of SQL is detected during the installation of Vault Server, SQL Express is installed automatically and used until it is upgraded.
SQL Express will limit:
- Number of Cores to 4.
- Memory to 352 MB.
- Database Size to 10 GB.
SQL Server preinstall and upgrade guidelines
To preinstall SQL Server:
How to Pre Install The AUTODESKVAULT SQL InstanceTo upgrade the SQL Instance:
Upgrade Microsoft SQL Express to Microsoft SQL Standard or Higher
Hardware limitations
Hardware itself cannot limit the number of accounts which can connect to the Vault Server. However, it can impact the server's performance and therefore the performance of the Vault application itself. For example, a Windows 2016 Server with 4 GB of memory and 4 CPU processing cores, may perform well for less than 5 Vault accounts used only occasionally. However, should 50, 100 or more Vault accounts connect to the machine, collectively, performance will degrade. Performance will be improved if the server's hardware bottlenecks are identified and upgraded.
See: How To - Importing Performance Monitor Counters For Vault
Detailed hardware and network impact on Vault performance
Memory: Insufficient memory on the Vault Server can limit Vault's responsiveness. Autodesk recommends that Vault Server is installed on a machine that is dedicated to running it. When it is not possible to install more memory, Autodesk recommends installing SQL on a server that is separate from the Vault Server itself. This is what is termed "Remote SQL" and is only supported in Vault Professional.
For more information, see:
Optimal Memory Configuration For Vault
CPU: Both Internet Information Services and SQL (the two major technology components of Vault Server) are multithreaded, and will take advantage of multiple processors, if available.
Hard disk: A hard disk can limit Vault by its size and speed. Size, in the number of files that can be stored on a partition. A disk's Input and Output (I\O) or transfer rates can limit how fast files are checked in and downloaded from the Vault Server. See also: What is the best RAID configuration to use for Vault Server?
Network: The network infrastructure can have an effect on a Vault's performance. In larger organizations, investment and optimization are important to the usability of any Vault implementation.
