• State Verified Answer
  • Replies 14 replies
  • Answers 1 answer
  • Subscribers 433 subscribers
  • Views 6226 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related

Can I run 2 instances of Studio 2015 at the same time?

Bruce Campbell

While I am waiting for the analysis of a large project to complete (30 minutes so far), I am tempted to open another instance of Studio 2015 so that I can begin translating another project.

Before I do so, I would like someone from SDL to confirm that nothing nasty is going to happen.

I imagine that having two instances of Studio working on the same project would cause sharing problems with the sdlproj file, so I would work on different projects.

Could the two instances share TMs or other files, or would this cause problems?

Thank you!

Bruce Campbell

ASAP Language Services
Rate translation
×
Suggest better translation
×
Moderator UI
×
  • Get AI Suggestion
  • 0

    Hi Bruce,

    I'm not an SDL employee but I thought you might find it useful to know that I have for years worked with two instances of Studio open at the same time, so that I can start on another project while one is verifying for example if things are so busy I can't wait.

    I have never had a problem due to this practice, though if they were big projects on an older computer, they would both 'go slower'.
    Sharing TMs or termbases doesn't present a problem for me either.

    All the best,
    Ali
  • 0

    Hi Bruce,

    You can work on 2 projects in the same instance of Studio, but you cannot use the same TMs. You would need to create a copy of the TMs first in order to do this. This would be the same for multiple instances of Studio as well.

    You can also run multiple batch tasks on the same project in the same instance of Studio but you should do this in the proper order (pre-translate files then analyze files for example).

    Thanks
    Luke
  • 0

    Hi Bruce,

    It appears the two answers above are conflicting a little, but I think they both are "correct" depending on the situation.

    I think the correct answer here is: It will not be a problem unless the TM is stored on a network share or older filesystem.
    TMs are just SQLite databases in disguise, and the SQLite FAQ has a very good explanation about sharing databases between multiple processes.

    In the FAQ, they do discuss issues with certain filesystems (like NFS and FAT), but NTFS is the standard on Windows, so those issues should not be a problem (although many external hard drives use FAT...).
    Also, they do say "People who have a lot of experience with Windows tell me that file locking of network files is very buggy and is not dependable." In other words, when you start using network shares, issues can start to occur.
  • 0 in reply to Jesse Good

    Hi Jesse,

    You're right the messages appear to be conflicting but they aren't, because Luke added a different context scenario than the one I cited.

    I have an external hard drive that uses FAT but it doesn't usually cause any issues though if it did, it is technically possible to convert it to NFTS without loss of data, though I wouldn't try it myself. Network shares are always going to cause issues with all sorts of software and even moreso when they're wireless. But I remember what it was like when Win NT first came out and things are infinitely better than they used to be.

    Just to further complicate matters, another relevant point that I should have thought of when writing my original reply ... I can do what Bruce asks about, i.e. run two instances of Studio with a separate project on each using common TM/s and common database/s, with no problem but I have SDL Studio Pro version. If one is working with Freelance, the scenario could be different...?

    All the best,

    Ali [;)]
  • 0 in reply to Luke Hipsher
    Thank you Alison, Luke and Jesse,

    I am glad to hear that you have not run into problems Alison. That is a very good sign.

    Jesse, luckily I am running Windows 7 with an NTFS file system and no network share, so the problem areas in the SQLite FAQ you mention don't apply to me.

    Your two answers seem to indicate that running two instances sharing TMs would be fine.

    I did a quick Google to see whether termbases are also SQLite databases, but did not find anything in the 5 or 6 hits I checked. Do you know whether they are SQLite?

    Luke, when I click on your name, the description indicates that you work for SDL.

    Your answer seems to contradict those that Alison and Jesse gave.

    I am particularly confused by your statement that "You can work on 2 projects in the **same instance** of Studio, but you cannot use the same TMs".

    If editing two projects that share TMs at the same time is a problem, why did SDL design Studio so that you can do it?

    SDL could easily have restricted Studio so that it could only edit one project at a time.

    Luke, could you provide more detail on your answer? Do you work for SDL, and are Alison and Jesse incorrect in some way?

    I look forward to hearing from you :-)

    Best regards,
    Bruce Campbell
    ASAP Language Services
  • 0
    Bruce

    Just want to point out the licensing aspect of running two instances of Studio: you can do this without any problem if you use a single-user (activation) license. However, if you use a network license (from a license server, usually used in corporate environments), launching a second instance of Studio will take an additional license (seat) from the server's pool (if available).

    This means that depending on the number of available free seats, you may not be able to launch a second instance of Studio.

    Walter
  • 0 in reply to Bruce Campbell
    Hi Bruce,

    Yes, I do work for SDL as a Localization Engineer. Alison and Jesse are certainly correct. My apologies if my answer confused the matter slightly :). I just meant to point out that you can run the analysis at the same time as doing other activities in one instance of Studio (i.e. analyze or pre-translate another project through batch tasks or translate a file in the Editor tab). If you are simply running an analysis, you could just minimize this pop-up window and run the other tasks.

    I just ran various tests using the same TM in one instance of Studio and all worked fine. The point where an issue might arise is if you are updating the same TM at the same time.

    Hope this helps.

    Thanks
    Luke
  • 0 in reply to Luke Hipsher
    Thank you Luke,

    I am glad to hear you agree with Alison and Jesse. But I am not sure why you qualify this agreement in your last sentence, where you say "an issue might arise ... if you are updating the same TM at the same time".

    I doubt that I will actually do any simultaneous updating, but it would be nice to make things crystal clear, if possible (for posterity :-)

    According to the SQLite FAQ that Jesse mentioned, the database would be locked when a write is performed and then unlocked after the write.

    If none of the locking problems mentioned in the SQLite faq apply (e.g. Windows 7 with a local NTFS file system should be fine), then locking should be reliable ...

    Is there something Jesse and Alison missed that would cause an issue if two processes are updating a TM at the same time?

    Does Studio use standard SQLite code ? Or has it for some strange reason made changes to SQLite locking ?

    Thank you!
    Bruce
    ASAP Language Services
  • 0 in reply to Bruce Campbell

    Unknown said:
    I did a quick Google to see whether termbases are also SQLite databases, but did not find anything in the 5 or 6 hits I checked. Do you know whether they are SQLite?

    They are MSAccess... at least filebased Termbases are.

    Paul

    Paul Filkin | RWS Group

    ________________________
    Design your own training!
    You've done the courses and still need to go a little further, or still not clear? 
    Tell us what you need in our Community Solutions Hub

  • 0 in reply to Bruce Campbell
    Hi Bruce,

    Updating a TM creates a .journal temp file that I had thought was created each time you update and the 2nd time you update, it wouldn't be able to overwrite this temp file and would instead error out. I am certain I have received these errors in the past. However, I just did a test and it DID work fine. Point being, working on the same TM twice in one instance of Studio OR in multiple instances of Studio works fine.

    Thank you
    Luke