Uploading large CAD assemblies (over 200MB) to simulation data management is completely hanging. The upload progress bar reaches about 30-40% and then just stops indefinitely, eventually timing out after several minutes. This is blocking our entire simulation workflow since we can’t get analysis models into the system.
We’re running Windchill 11.1 M030 with the Simulation Data Management module. Smaller files (under 50MB) upload without issues, but our typical assemblies with full simulation mesh data are much larger. I’ve checked the upload size limits in the preferences and they appear to be set to 500MB, which should be sufficient.
I’m not sure if this is related to server timeout settings or if there’s specific configuration needed for large assembly handling in the simulation module. The method server logs don’t show any obvious errors, just connection timeouts. Has anyone dealt with this and found a solution?
For assemblies over 500MB, consider implementing a two-stage upload process:
Upload to staging area with minimal validation
Background processing for full validation and content repository storage
Enable this in sim.properties:
`sim.upload.staged.enabled=true
`sim.upload.staged.background=true
This allows users to continue working while the large assembly is fully processed in the background.
Monitoring and Troubleshooting:
Enable detailed logging to diagnose remaining issues:
Add to log4j.properties: `log4j.logger.wt.content=DEBUG
Add: `log4j.logger.ext.sim.upload=DEBUG
Monitor the method server during uploads:
Watch heap usage: `jstat -gcutil 1000
Check for network issues: Monitor content server logs for connection resets
Verify staging area has sufficient disk space: Check `/wtSafeArea/simulation/staging
After implementing these changes, restart all Windchill services (method server, background method server, content server). Test with progressively larger assemblies to verify the configuration handles your typical file sizes without timing out.
This draft is based on general Windchill knowledge. It has not been verified against your specific version and environment. Practitioners: verify the steps and share your experience below.
Large file uploads timing out is usually a web server or method server timeout issue. Check your Apache or IIS timeout settings - the default 120 seconds isn’t enough for 200MB+ files on slower networks. You’ll need to increase both the connection timeout and the request timeout.
Beyond web server timeouts, simulation data management has its own upload handling that’s different from standard document uploads. The simulation module processes uploaded files through a staging area before final storage, and large assemblies can exceed the staging area size limits or processing timeouts. Check your simulation-specific configuration properties.
Tested this on Windchill 12.1 with 2GB CATIA V5 assemblies — setting wt.content.upload.maxsize and LimitRequestBody to 1GB eliminated the upload hang completely.
I increased the Apache timeout to 600 seconds, but uploads are still hanging. Where do I find the simulation-specific staging area configuration? Is this in the simulation data management preferences, or are there properties files I need to modify directly?
The staging area is configured in sim.properties, but you also need to look at the method server heap size and content server settings. Large assembly uploads consume significant memory during processing. If your method server doesn’t have enough heap allocated, it can cause the upload to stall when the file is being processed and stored in the content repository. Check your JVM memory settings.
Don’t overlook the content server configuration either. Large file uploads go through the content server, and if the content server’s temporary storage or network buffer settings are too small, you’ll see exactly this behavior - upload starts fine but hangs partway through. The content server has its own timeout and size limit configurations separate from the method server.