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Introduction

What's new in GeoData Manager

FAQ

What is GeoData Manager ?

Tutorials

Getting familiar with GeoData Manager

Entering and editing data

Changing how GeoData Manager looks

Selecting data

Outputting the data

Scenarios for using GeoData Manager

Data types and nodes

Help with data types and nodes

Reference

Managing databases

Graphs

Exporting data

Importing data

Units

The commands

Settings and preferences

Thermodynamic calculator

Glossary

Installing GeoData Manager

For evaluation

Setup with a key

On another PC

Upgrading GeoData Manager

Registration

Single-user dongle

Network dongle

Uninstalling

Setting up GeoData Manager when you have a registration key

This describes how to set up GeoData Manager for regular use, usually after you buy a licence from GSDS and receive a registration name and key from GSDS. These instructions are general; if they don't cover your setup or if you are using Remote Desktop consult your IT department or GSDS.

GeoData Manager configurations

GeoData Manager has modest system requirements, and will run on any Windows computer running Windows 7 or later.

GeoData Manager is designed for large, long-term users, who will install GeoData Manager's database on a network and access it from several networked computers. Though for a small user it all be installed on one computer.

GeoData Manager can be installed in several configurations:

1. All on one computer:

   

2. GeoData Manager on user computers, main databases on network server:

   

3. GeoData Manager and main databases on network server:

   

   There is one copy of GeoData Manager installed and each user computer runs this using the Remote Desktop application. This configuration simplifies upgrading GeoData Manager, because you only have one copy to upgrade, however it can run significantly slower than configuration 2.

4. And you can have a combination of configurations 2 and 3, with GeoData Manager installed on the server (run via Remote Desktop) and on one or more user computers.

Note on configurations

• For configurations 2, 3 and 4: The main and test databases should be on the server. A database on a local computer would normally be for that computer only, for example a user's private demo or test database.

• Preferences

  Preferences determine the 'look and feel' of GeoData Manager.

  • When you run the GeoData Manager installed on a user computer, it stores the preferences on that user computer.

  • When you use Remote Desktop to run the GeoData Manager installed on the server, it stores the preferences on the server.

  Thus a user's preferences are private to that user, though you can share preferences with other users.

Note on configuration 4

You can not work with two copies of a GeoData Manager database and later merge them. If you have users at distant sites, then use configuration 4:

• At the site with the server network run the GeoData Manager on each computer, for speed.

• Away from site with the server network run GeoData Manager via Remote Desktop through the internet or other connection.

Configuration 4 suits a laptop:

• At the server network run the GeoData Manager on the laptop, for speed.

• Away from the server network run GeoData Manager via Remote Desktop through the internet or other connection.

Before you start

• Ensure you have a registration name and key and any dongles required.

• Decide on a configuration, see above.

• Set up any required network connections, with Remote Desktop if needed.

• If you don't have the three install programs, download them:

  • Download the runtime library

  • Download Python

  • Go to the Download page, and download the latest version of GeoData Manager, GSDS_gdman_n_n_n_n.msi.

Setting up GeoData Manager

1. Install your dongle/s: either a single-user dongle or all your network dongles.

2. On each PC to run GeoData Manager, install and register GeoData Manager.

3. Make a couple of backup copies of the sample database supplied with GeoData Manager. The sample database is an Access database.

4. Put aside one of those copies of the sample database to be an Access test database when you upgrade GeoData Manager to a new version. Store it on the server if you have a network.

5. If you have any SQL Server databases, set up user names and permissions for GeoData Manager's users.

6. If you want GeoData Manager to have the same 'look and feel' for every user follow this procedure. Or you can do this any time later. If you don't do this now, run GeoData Manager for each user in turn and at the startup Database Manager window, add the databases to the list that the user will be using. Include the sample database so users can get familiar with GeoData Manager without worrying about damaging the database.

7. Create new, empty database for each geothermal site you have. See here and see here.

8. Institute and follow a procedure to back up your databases regularly. For example, an incremental backup every day and a full backup every week.