I'd really appreciate the experts' opinions on how to improve the performance and workflow speed when working with CorelDRAW X6.
At our office, we have a Windows file server where all the CDR files are stored and available for network access. Windows workstations open, edit and save the files on those network shares. The LAN is a switched Gigabit Ethernet network.
Most files are < 100 MBytes, but there are a few that are over 280 MBytes in size.
The problem is that working with those bigger files (> 280 MBytes) is terribly slow and error-prone.
For example, on a dual-core / 4 GByte of RAM workstation CorelDraw X6 takes several minutes to fetch and open 280 MByte files from the network share. Editing, making changes and saving them is painfully slow.
When I started troubleshooting these performance botlenecks, I began with the network, that is, cabling, switches and the rest of the hardware involved but it seems everything is OK. In fact, when I perform a plain-vanilla copy and paste of those big files (> 280 MB) from the file server to the client workstations and from the workstations back to the file server, transfers are surprisingly fast (in the order of a few seconds - no caching). The poor performance happens when I open the big files with CorelDraw X6. In some way this is expected as Corel Draw no only does transfer the files from the file server to the workstations but also parses and prepares all embedded objects for editing. This second part is the least performant.
Continuing with the tests, I then copied the files to the local hard disks (C: drives on the workstations) and opened and edited them with CorelDraw. No network traffic involved. Surprisingly, working locally didn't make any perceivable difference. Actually it was as slow as when I worked with the files from the network shares.
Having said that, I will appreciate the points of view of CorelDRAW experts with regard to the following questions:
- Are large Corel Draw files (> 280 MBytes) commonplace today? Or are they the exception rather than the rule?
- What would be the recommended hardware setup for Windows workstations for a performant and seamless workflow with CorelDRAW X6 and files of that size? How many cores? How much memory? What Operating System? Windows 7 or Windows 8? Does CorelDraw X6 take advantage of multicore hardware architectures?
- Does it make sense to work under a Client-Server model? That is, keep all CorelDraw X6 files on a central file server and edit them on the networked workstations? Or does the heavylifting involved in such scenario not lend itself to a networked workflow?
Thank you in advance,
Fernando