About DirectConnect

SkylineGlobe Server DirectConnect Service is a subsystem of the Terrain and Maps Services that enables you to serve terrain databases defined by the TerraBuilder project file (TBP) to TerraExplorer clients and any application that reads the standard OGC WMS/WMTS protocol. The TerraBuilder project (TBP) and all project layers are published to SkylineGlobe Server directly from TerraBuilder.

SkylineGlobe Server DirectConnect eliminates the need for time-consuming re-creation of complete MPT files and allows dynamic updating of the layers and project. This is critical for projects whose source data is constantly being updated or modified. DirectConnect leverages cache technology and support for multi-core and multi-computer processing to provide scalability and accelerate serving of the TBP.

DirectConnect projects are automatically optimized by referencing MPT source files, i.e., pre-processed optimized versions of the respective sources, that can be served to the client without fuser processing. When specific sections of the database are updated, the referenced MPT source files can be easily updated or removed and new layer MPT's referenced to show variations of the original information.

To configure the relevant settings of Terrain Service, see "DirectConnect Settings" in the "SkylineGlobe Server Settings" chapter.

DirectConnect Performance Issues

When working with a server cluster for load balancing and failover, SkylineGlobe Server uses the TerraBuilder fuser on each of the servers to process the layer blocks. In this situation, multiple processes may simultaneously access the same source files on a shared local or network hard drive that is not fast enough, and a bottleneck can occur.

To avoid this potential bottleneck, we recommend using a fast hard drive that is connected to each participant computer through the fastest possible network connection. Solid State (SSD) drives and Storage Area Network (SAN) may provide even better performance.

When facing extreme bandwidth issues, you should also consider creating multiple copies of your source files and placing them on the local drives of each of the computers in the server cluster. This allows each computer sole access to the sources, reducing access time, and lowering the traffic on the network.
For example, if your source files are located on the mapped drive "M:\MySources", map the M drive letter on each of the cluster's servers to a local drive. Leave the Directories settings as is, so that each computer reads the source files from its local drive.

Publishing a TerraBuilder Project to SkylineGlobe Server DirectConnect

The TerraBuilder project (TBP) and all project layers are published to SkylineGlobe Server directly from TerraBuilder.

To publish a TBP project to SkylineGlobe Server:

1.      On TerraBuilder's Home tab, in the Create group, click Publish to SG and select Publish DirectConnect Project.

2.      If you aren't already connected to a SkylineGlobe Server, the Connect to SkylineGlobe Server dialog is first displayed to enable you to connect.

3.      After connecting, the Publish to SkylineGlobe dialog is displayed. Set the View Access for the project, and click Publish.

4.      After the publishing process is complete, click OK.

5.      Click Close.

Updating a TerraBuilder Project on SGS

To update a TerraBuilder project:

1.      On the Layers page, select your TerraBuilder Project, and create an alias for it. See "Adding and Editing a Layer's Alias" in the "Working with Layers" chapter for more information on creating aliases.

2.      In TerraBuilder, open your TerraBuilder project using the project file's alias, and edit as required.

3.      Republish the TBP project. See "Publishing a TerraBuilder Project to SkylineGlobe Server DirectConnect" in this chapter.

4.      On the Layers page, select your original TerraBuilder Project, and delete its assigned alias, and then select your newly published (modified)TerraBuilder Project, and assign that alias to it.