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## Using Portfolio on a Network

A single Portfolio catalog can contain references to source files on multiple hard disks, network servers, CD-ROM discs, or removable disks, whether these media are mounted or not. When Portfolio needs to retrieve a source file that resides on a network volume, it automatically mounts that volume, prompting for a volume password when required.

If a source file is stored on removable media, such as floppy disks or CD-ROMs, Portfolio prompts for the disk by name. Portfolio also prompts for source files that have been moved or renamed.

Tip: If someone deletes an item from a multiuser catalog and that item is in one or more of your saved Galleries, an “Item Deleted” icon appears in place of the item thumbnail. Choose “Refresh” from the Catalog menu to remove these icons from the Gallery, then resave the Gallery.

### Shared Catalogs

Portfolio provides two ways to share catalogs in a multi-user, networked environment:

Filesharing: Filesharing uses standard system networking to share catalogs on either a dedicated file server somewhere or on a user’s computer (provided that filesharing is turned on). Users connect to these catalogs by choosing Open, navigating to the particular volume, and selecting the catalog itself. Each user’s Portfolio application (client) intelligently sets flags within the catalog file itself to control things such as when other users are allowed to access the catalog, and when other users should be blocked from writing to a particular record. For example, when one user writes to a record, other users accessing the catalog are blocked from writing to that record. Filesharing does not require the addition of Portfolio Server software, but fewer users can access catalogs simultaneously. Catalog operations like searching are much slower than with Portfolio Server software installed.

Tip: In cross-platform environments, be sure that network server and volume names are the same for each platform. This allows Portfolio to locate files between platforms.

Client/Server: In this networking scheme, special Portfolio Server software is used to manage catalogs on an NT server machine. The Portfolio Server application opens the catalogs, and monitors the network for clients. End-users, running standard Portfolio application software (client), access the Server using the “Connect to Server” command. Once connected to the server users can select catalogs to open. The server software then controls all catalog access. Portfolio Server software allows a larger number of simultaneous users, and most catalog operations are performed significantly faster.

Note: The number of users permitted to connect simultaneously is set by the multi-user license agreement. Additional connection requests will be refused by the Portfolio Server when this limit is reached.

SQL Server: Using Portfolio SQL server software you can keep catalogs on your SQL server and access them from the Portfolio client. This provides all of the advantages of using Portfolio to manage your catalogs, but keep the data on your SQL Server. SQL Server software is sold separately.

### Network Security Protection

Your organization is authorized to use as many copies of Portfolio as designated in your site license agreement. When you run Portfolio on a network, the application checks the network to see how many copies of Portfolio with the same serial number are running. If the program finds that more duplicate serial numbers are in use than are in the site license agreement, an alert box appears. Click “OK” to close the alert box. Another user must quit Portfolio before you can launch the copy that you want to use.

If you did not purchase a Portfolio site license, only one copy of Portfolio per serial number may be in use on your network.

### Filesharing Network Concerns

In a typical network scenario, many users would open Portfolio, locate items they want, and leave Portfolio running in the background while they switch to other applications to edit source files, work on other documents, read e-mail, and so forth. Meanwhile, at any given time, only some of those users would be actively using the catalog to search for and preview items they might be interested in, while fewer still might be adding or updating items, keywords, or descriptions.

The greater the number of users who have a catalog open, the slower individual searches will be, depending on what tasks the users are performing in Portfolio. The speed of the network and computer can also affect the performance of Portfolio.

If you want to limit who can write to or read from a catalog, you can set passwords as described in Catalog Access Levels, Level-based and User-based access. Whether or not your catalog is password-protected, it is essential that you also set up the network access conditions described in the table below.

If you are experiencing performance problems in a multi-user network environment, your situation may benefit from installing a Portfolio Server to manage catalog access.