Multi-site collaboration and asset sync
MultiTaction Canvus lets people in different rooms, buildings or countries work on the same canvas at the same time. This page explains what that looks like on a wall or laptop, and what the asset sync indicator on an item means.
How shared canvases work
A shared canvas is stored on Canvus Server. Every Canvus client connected to that server, on a video wall or on a laptop, can open the canvas. When someone moves an item, writes a note or draws, everyone with the canvas open sees the change.
- Each client connects to one or more Canvus Servers, set up by an administrator. See Configure Canvus Connect.
- Several Canvus Servers can be joined so that users reach canvases hosted on a peer server. See Multi-site deployments in the server manual.
- Local canvases stay on the computer where they were made. To share one, copy it to the server. See Exporting and importing canvases.
Assets
Images, videos, PDFs, 3D models and other files on a canvas are assets. The canvas itself is small and reaches every client quickly. Assets can be large, so they travel separately:
- The client that adds a file uploads it to the server.
- The other clients with the canvas open download it from the server.
- Each client keeps downloaded assets in a local cache, by default for 30 days after they were last used, so opening the canvas again is faster. See Cache and asset management.
A large video added at one site can take a while to reach another site. The asset sync indicator shows the progress.
The asset sync indicator
While an item's file is moving, an icon appears in the item's title bar, next to its title. The icon disappears when the file is ready.
| Icon | State | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Download arrow | Downloading | This client is downloading the file from the server. |
| Upload arrow | Uploading | This client is uploading the file to the server. |
| Cloud | Waiting for other client to upload the file | Another client added the file and has not finished uploading it. This client waits for it. |
| Cloud, red | Error | The transfer failed. The tooltip shows the error. |
Tap the icon to see its tooltip. During a transfer the tooltip shows the state, the amount transferred, the total size and the percentage done. Sizes are shown in readable units (KB, MB or GB) from Canvus 26.6.2.
Tip
"Waiting for other client to upload the file" means the computer that added the file has not finished uploading it. Other clients receive the file when that upload completes, so keep that computer connected until its own upload icon disappears.
Interrupted transfers
From Canvus 26.6.2, asset transfers between sites recover when a peer restarts a file transfer from the beginning, instead of stalling.
If the connection to the server drops
A shared canvas needs a live connection to Canvus Server. There is no offline editing.
- When the connection drops, the canvas stays visible behind a dark overlay with the message Connection to server lost temporarily, trying automatic reconnect.... You cannot edit the canvas while the overlay is shown. Canvus tries to reconnect every few seconds. Tap Switch to another canvas at any time to open a local canvas or a canvas on another server.
- If Canvus cannot reconnect within about 30 s, the message changes to Connection to server lost.
- Canvus keeps checking the server. When the server is reachable again, Reopen this canvas appears. Tap it to carry on.
Plan multi-site sessions so that each site has a reliable network path to Canvus Server. Local canvases are not affected by a server outage.
Mixing Canvus versions
From Canvus 26.09.5, any 26.x client works with any 26.x server, in both directions:
- A client connected to a newer server skips content types it does not know, loads the rest of the canvas, and stays connected.
- Features that need a newer server are hidden when the server is older. For example, the widget lock, the video loop button and the anchor grid need Canvus Server 26.10.0 or later.
Keep clients and servers on the same release where you can, so that everyone sees the same features.