Can Version Cue projects be accessed over Internet?

Excuse me if this is answered somewhere already, but I wonder if I can make an IDCS project using Version Cue on my TiPowerbook available to clients in another country. My clients' organization has an intranet and website, and internal IT service (Windows, while I am on Mac).

I would like to have them purchase the CS suite and InCopy. Then I'd like to make each magazine issue available to them for text revision when I'm not working on it (with a six hour time difference they could revise text while I sleep). Is this possible in any way? Would it require a consultant, or programming time? Or is it not possible at this time?

I'm about to undertake a redesign of the magazine, and convert all the typefaces to OpenType, so that would not pose any problem with this workflow.

Thanks for any help you can give me with this. If it works it could save us both time and money, so it would be a win/win solution.

You could host the Version Cue (VC) workspace on a dedicated server and have it available via the web and or VPN - there are also HTTP plug ins available through Sansui for access content via the web.

Gunar

Why would I need a dedicated server to do this?

I'm not very technically astute in terms of web serving. Would it be best for me to do the serving? Could my client? They do have a dedicated web server. But I guess I'd prefer to keep some kind of control, and be able to offer this service to other clients when appropriate.

What kind of consultant would I need to set up something like this? My local independent Apple store? A web developer?

Hi Marilyn,

You wouldn't necessarily have to set up a dedicated server and you don't need a web server. Here's what you would need to do:

1) You would need an always-on broadband connection and you would have to have the Powerbook on and set never to sleep at the times your client folks needed to access it.
2) You would need to have a static IP address from your ISP and give that IP address to the folks who need to access the Version Cue project from the Internet. Or, you would need a dynamic DNS facility (for example, <http://www.dyndns.org/)> and give them the name set up for dynamic DNS. If possible, the static IP is the easiest option.
3) If your client collaborators' intranet is firewalled (which it almost certainly would be), they would have to allow traffic in and out of the firewall on the port used by Version Cue (port 3703). They could always restrict allowable IPs for using this port to the one assigned to your machine.
4) The client collaborators could then access the Version Cue project on your PowerBook by enabling Version Cue in the File Handling preferences in InDesign and using the "Connect To" option in the Project Tools dropdown in the Open File > Version Cue dialogue. They would simply use the IP address of your machine (or the name used by dynamic DNS if you went that route). Obviously you would also want to set up accounts within Version Cue for these collaborators and set the right restrictions on what they can do in the project.

HTH

John

Hi John,

Thanks for your reply. In fact, I do have a small network in my home office, with my Powerbook (loaded with my programs and projects, etc) and my older Cube (with only OSX and some printer software) which is only used as a print server at the moment (for my big, older Epson 3000 which I have with the Cube in a separate room from my design space). I called my Apple dealer to see if they could help me set the Cube up as a dedicated server, since I take the TiBook off the network (Airport wireless) fairly frequently. That was before I read your response.

I can look into the static IP address, which I may already have (long story not worth repeating).

My client's site is definitely firewalled. They will work with their IT department in any case, so if their IT department agrees to go ahead, that shouldn't be a problem.

So, my next question is, do I have to buy another seat of the CS package, even though I don't do design work on the Cube, in order to install and use Version Cue in this way? Both computers use Mac OSX, so there's no cross-platform problem with installation of Version Cue.

And, if I could set up Version Cue on the Cube, where would I need to maintain my project files? On the Cube? Would that slow me down when working on the TiBook (it's a 1 GB G4 TiBook, while the Cube is 450 MB G4)? I've never worked on a wireless network before (the TiBook only has Airport, while the Airport itself is Airport Extreme), and would normally want to keep the files on the TiBook, though I just upgraded the Cube's hard disk, so it's double the size of the one on my TiBook.

Thanks again for all your help with this.

I forgot to mention that I already have IDSL, 384/384. It's a home business package that works really well (it only went down once in two years, and that for only a couple of hours).

So, my next question is, do I have to buy another seat of the CS package,
even though I don't do design work on the Cube, in order to install and
use Version Cue in this way? Both computers use Mac OSX, so there's no
cross-platform problem with installation of Version Cue.




No. Being the collaboration functionality of the Suite, you are allowed to install VC (but only VC) on a separate, dedicated machine and run it at the same time as the other apps are running elsewhere.

And, if I could set up Version Cue on the Cube, where would I need to
maintain my project files? On the Cube?




Yes, the definitive version of the project and its files would be stored on the Version Cue server on the Cube. When you open a project file it will be downloaded to the PowerBook, however. You can then work on and save this file locally. When you feel you want to save a new version to VC, you do that and it is uploaded.

Would that slow me down when working on the TiBook (it's a 1 GB G4 TiBook,
while the Cube is 450 MB G4)?




Don't see why it would.

I've never worked on a wireless network before (the TiBook only has Airport,
while the Airport itself is Airport Extreme), and would normally want
to keep the files on the TiBook, though I just upgraded the Cube's hard
disk, so it's double the size of the one on my TiBook.




That's not the way that VC is designed to work. The definitive project files are stored in the server's database. You work on local, working copies them save a version of those local files to the server when you wish. The data store has to be on the VC machine.

John

Dear John,

Thank you so much for helping me understand how this works. It sounds like a great plan for me, now that I understand it a little more.

Marilyn,

Did this work for you? I have tried repeatedly and get nothing but error messages.

Dirk, I had a technician over to set it up, but we're still in process. I'll let you know when it's finally all set up.

Thanks Marilyn.

I'm trying to do the same thing...work from Japan to Georgia...my current problem is that I am getting an [Offline} message from the server and can't access the project files...any ideas?

has anyone successfully been able to access the version cue workspace over the internet? If so, How?

Is it possible to access a VC server behind NAT?
We have a router connected to a static IP address (193.77.xxx.xxx), with ports 3703 and 427 forwarded to the VC server, which runs on a Mac OS 10 with internal IP address 192.168.1.65.
When trying to connect with VC from outside to 193.77.xxx.xxx:3703, nothing happens. Here is the complete traffic dump from my home router (just two UDP packages):

debian:~# tcpdump -xX -i ppp0 host 193.77.xxx.xxx
tcpdump: listening on ppp0
14:34:43.454623 193.77.yyy.yyy.3167 > 193.77.xxx.xxx.3703: udp 28
0x0000 4500 0038 4481 0000 7f11 56ad c14d 8504 E..8D.....V..M..
0x0010 c14d 98e7 0c5f 0e77 0024 5477 6163 7469 .M..._.w.$Twacti
0x0020 6f6e 3d63 6f6d 2e61 646f 6265 2e62 6175 on=com.adobe.bau
0x0030 6861 7573 2e73 6c70 haus.slp
14:34:43.517806 193.77.xxx.xxx.3703 > 193.77.yyy.yyy.3167: udp 118
0x0000 4500 0092 e5e1 0000 3e11 f5f2 c14d 98e7 E.......>....M..
0x0010 c14d 8504 0e77 0c5f 007e fc14 0202 0000 .M...w._.~......
0x0020 7600 0000 0000 0000 0002 656e 0000 0001 v.........en....
0x0030 00cb 8000 5c61 7777 733a 2f2f 3139 322e ....\awws://192.
0x0040 3136 382e 312e 3635 3a33 3730 333f 6e61 168.1.65:3703?na

(192.168.yyy.yyy is my home IP address)

I have no problems connecting with WebDAV to 192.168.xxx.xxx:3703.

Gregork,

I have been waiting for an answer myself and so far no response. I hope you get a response to your inquiry. At the very least a yea or nay.

In order for VC to be contactable from outside the local network, either the machine running VC has to have its own public IP address (port forwarding/mapping won't work) or you need to use a VPN.

John

I can connect to the VC server through ID, and it will display the workspace name, but none of the projects. It appears to be trying to use the LAN IP, which obviously doesn't work outside the network.

Is there a way I can force VC to use the WAN IP, so that it's accessible both inside and outside the network? Or is there a way to get OS X Server to map the internal address to the external one - in the hosts file, maybe?

I'm so close to making it work. Please help!

ty