This application note describes Project Management for a multi-Target installation when it is desired to use the same project for all Targets. Prior to this feature a user would have to manage each project separately; however, now a user can configure one Target to act as the master. Subsequent Targets are configured as Slaves for the purposes of Project Management, which in turn creates a link from all Slave Targets to the Master Target. When one Target is updated all other Targets are updated on the next install or reboot (if the project is set as the default project).
Designate a Target in your facility to act as the Master Target. The hardware or software are not different from any other Target; however, it should always remain on and running if ANY of the slaves need to be on and running.
Note: Selecting "Copy New Project" will simply create an exact copy of the project without any links, and any changes made to the copied project will not be applied to the original project or vice-versa.
In the example below, Project 1 resides on the Master Target and there are 4 Slave Targets pointing to that project.
Note: Always backup the project from the Master Target to avoid backing up the master link that a Slave Target will contain.
The Master Target will always contain the most recent version of the project. In fact if the Master Target is in a failed state or powered off you CANNOT open the project on a Slave Target or install it on a Slave Target via RMS. This is because the Master Target is checked prior to trying to make any project modifications or on an install.
A Slave Target will contain the latest version of the project after installing it. If editing the project on a Slave Target, the changes are then pushed to the Master Target when you save or install the project. Other Slave Targets will get the update on their next install.
To verify that the projects are in-sync you can see the changeset IDs in RMS. To see the details:
In the example below, changes are made to Project 1 Revision A on the Master Target's project. The project is updated to Project 1 Revision B. To update each Slave Target with Revision B open Studio save and install the Project's Layout. As an alternative, if the Project and Layout are selected as the Default for the Slave, rebooting the box will also cause the changeset to update. Note that Revision B simply refers to the fact that the mercurial1 changeset has been updated. You are not saving as a new project.
If at any time you want to disable the link from the slave to the master, break the link in the RMS Project Management page under the "Link to Master Target" column. This will disable the multi-Target Project Management feature.
1 In RMS Project Management > Show Targets, select the Project name to view the mercurial change set.