Map 2017 - DWG export - crash with long symbol names

Map 2017 seems to crash if symbol names are too long and you export too many features of that class (export option: editable). But it might be more complicated as I couldn't reproduce this with all data sets.

After we updated to Map 2017 we got crashes when exporting certain areas using certain Display Models. Further testing unveiled, that the crashes were linked to a specific point layer (part of displaying electrical cross sections). Then we found out, that we could export cross sections - but not all of them at the same time. Lets say we had three cross sections - they could all be exported one by one - but not all together.  The layer involved comprises of more then 20 thematic rules and we used lots of dynamic expressions (for instance symbol size is calculated for each feature based on attribute  <ParameterValue>1.09375*SCALE</ParameterValue>). It took quite some time to figure out that neither the symbol itself nor any of the settings for the symbol caused the crash. At one point a new layer was created from scratch and one of the symbols from the original layer was imported from the drawing into StyleEditor again. No other settings were modified - and Map DWG Export crashed. So the conclusion was it has to be related to the symbol - or to be more precise - to the graphical representation of the symbol. At least that was what I thought. But why should this symbol crash Map? It wasn't a complex one, it was like many other used in the display model which did not cause any crash. It was very confusing - how can you find a workaround if your explanation for the issue doesn't make any sense? I thought I need to test every symbol setting step by step to find exactly the point where it causes Map to crash. So I created a  new layer from scratch - that is the default layer Maps creates when the feature class is added to the DisplayManager. I first added the symbol name, did a test export and - voilà  -  I got the crash.

So, here is a symbol name which will cause Map to crash if I export more then a few features "BWEWR2501_B35". And yes, these long symbol names mainly occur in the layer for cross section symbols.

As a workaround we shortened the symbol names in the layer file (which is easy to do) but we also had to modify the block names in our export template (which is more time consuming). With the workaround in place we still get crashes when exporting if XDATA is included in the export. I think it took  us  more then 4 days of testing and eventually applying the workaround. - and we are not sure it will cover all eventualities.... This issue still occurs with Map SP1 and HF3.


Map 2017, S1, HF3

AutoCAD Map 2017 - features with arcs

Contrary to what I wrote just minutes ago - there is no workaround for the issue regarding modifying a feature with arcs. Even worse - first I thought the issue only occurs if you convert a polyline with arcs into a Map (FDO) feature. But the same issue occurs if a feature is digitized in Map or even for an existing feature with arcs.

Description: if you move a vertex then Map moves the position of a different vertex instead. This happens if the feature has arcs. It does not happen with all vertices - I haven't figured out which ones are affected and which ones are not affected. Here is an example:

Map 2017, SP1, HF3

AutoCAD Map 2017 Update

It was time to update to a new release and end of November - after  testing - we rolled out Map 2017. Updating the Industry Models in our test environment went well. Functional testing of Map and AIMS did not unveil any major issues. But after we updated our production environment we started to see issues coming in:

AIMS / MapGuide

- GeoRest is very slow - generating an image takes 30 secs
   Insufficient testing: we use Georest to embed maps in Crystal Reports. Our reports are already quite slow. I only tested a simple report  whether the report shows up including the map. The report contains only one map. I did not check any other reports containing more maps - otherwise I would have noticed that reports are not generated anymore / map placeholders are empty.   
   
- error messages we haven't seen before - causing instability and sometimes crashes
(1)    Error occurred in Feature Source (Library://FS_INFO/WT_IM_I/Data/TopobaseDefault.FeatureSource): Ausnahmefehler in FDO-Komponente aufgetreten.
ORA-12537: TNS: Verbindung beendet ( connection closed)
(2)  Error: Keine weiteren Verbindungen zum FDO-Provider von Autodesk.Topobase konnten erstellt werden. (couldn't create any further connections to Autodesk.Topobase provider)

bit more difficult to find out during testing. I didnt do any stress tests and the issues we see only occur under load. I changed a few settings for AIMS server and we also changed settings in Oracle - it appears that the error messages occur less frequent now. I will wait a few weeks and then check how often AIMS automatically reboots after a crash and then compare that to numbers for AIMS 2013.

Map 

- DWG export caused crashes and even after installing HF3 we have crashes in certain situations
  Export as DWG is very important to us - so we put some time in testing the  DWG export. But it seems we did not test enough. Although the crashes only occur in certain situations these situations could have been identified with proper testing. Fortunately Autodesk published Hotfix 3 shortly after we had rolled out Map 2017 - two issue we ran into have been solved now. For a third one - a crash - we had to find our own workaround (in short: if the symbol name in the layer file is too long it can crash Map if you export a certain number of features).

- converting polyline with arcs to IM feature causes unexpected behavior when feature is modified (moving vertexes)
  bad luck - you cannot test everything and there is a workaround.
  
 So overall - proper testing costs time but it will pay off.

Map 2017, Sp1, HF3

MapGuide / AIMS - GETDYNAMICMAPOVERLAYIMAGE and GETMAPIMAGE

We want to use a MapGuide map in an OpenLayers based web mapping application. Whilst checking the two options for calling MapGuide I noticed the differences between GETMAPIMAGE and GETDYNAMICMAPOVERLAYIMAGE.

GETDYNAMICMAPOVERLAYIMAGE
- creates a transparent background
- requires a session id

GETMAPIMAGE
- doesn't support transparent background but map background color can be set transparent <BackgroundColor>00ffffff</BackgroundColor>
- allows username/password or session id

We tried WMS as well but MapGuide (AIMS 2013) as WMS server is not great - mainly perfomance is not sufficient. Will do another performance with AIMS 2017 soon.

AIMS 2017 - new error message

After updating from AIMS 2013 to AIMS 2017 no raster images were shown. Any preview in Studio triggered the following error message in the log file:


<2016-09-07T08:33:35> 3752 Ajax Viewer 10.99.66.114 Administrator
Error: Stilisierung von folgendem Layer fehlgeschlagen: Luftbild_1pro
Ausnahmefehler in FDO-Komponente aufgetreten.
Ausnahmefehler in FDO-Komponente aufgetreten.
'FdoATILSession::GetImage': Funktion kann aufgrund eines ungültigen Wertes für Eingabeparameter 'fileDescriptor' nicht ausgeführt werden. (Ursache: , grundlegende Ursache: 'FdoATILSession::GetImage': Funktion kann aufgrund eines ungültigen Wertes für Eingabeparameter 'fileDescriptor' nicht ausgeführt werden. )
StackTrace:
- MgMappingUtil.StylizeLayers() Zeile 899 Datei e:\build\2017\re_ims2017_46_1-6376417\ent\os\server\src\services\mapping\MappingUtil.cpp  


This message was new to me and hadn't occurred with AIMS 2013.

Also, "Testing connection" always returned "OK" for our raster file data source. The raster file data source uses an ALIAS which points to a shared network drive.

Problem was, that AIMS 2017 was running under local user account. In order to access the network drive AIMS service needs to run under different user account. 

AIMS 2017, SP1

Oracle ANSI JOIN syntax improves peformance

Using ANSI JOIN syntax instead of Oracle Join snytax is recommended - see here:

http://www.orafaq.com/node/2618

We found out the hard way:

- a third party application issues simple but nested SQL statements against Map IM views
- for some views we noticed that the query ran for a long time and generated a time out 
- just by changing the JOIN syntax to ANSI join the issue was resolved

Map 2017

AIMS GeoRest - Update 2013 to 2017

I installed AIMS 2017 on our test server. To get Georest extension running again the following steps were required:

(1) change path for virtual folder "rest" to ..Autodesk\Autodesk Infrastructure Web Server Extension 2017\www\GeoREST\bin
(2) re-create Wildcard Module Mapping for GeoRest_ISAPI.dll
(3) copy all GeoRest configuration files from old installation into ..Autodesk Infrastructure Web Server Extension 2017\www\GeoREST\conf
(4) change Port number in conf files (old port number: 2801, new port number: 2811)

Restart IIS, test, done.

AIMS 2017,