Can RoboHelp be used without a database on server?

[mlouie]

We have 2 users using RoboHelp 8 with Word on their Windows 7 PCs. The documents are stored in a SQL Server 2005 database on a server running RoboSource Control 3 (not the full RoboHelp Server product). Now I am being asked to set up a virtual PC with RoboHelp 10 but they don't want the server upgraded. Instead, they just want to put their documents into RoboHelp on this PC. Is this possible? Can one use RoboHelp as a standalone product on a single PC and open up help files in it, without having a backend database like we do now?

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

Your question is a bit confusing - are you talking about the RH project files or the help files generated by RH? Running source control doesn't equal RH Server.

[mlouie]

The help files generated by RH. My question is confusing because I'm a bit confused. I don't use RH. I just install it for users. And we had a RH consultant to help us set it up on the server when we moved it from another server and upgraded from v5 to v8. So I have a limited understanding of what RH is and how it works. I do know that there is a database on the server, which I assume is used for source control. Currently the users have to access the Windows server where that is to get files from it. I know we don't have RH Server.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

The installs of RH8 will check out the project files from the source control repository in order to be worked on locally. When they're done, the project files get checked back in. When help is ready to be created, one of them will check out the project and create the help file(s) locally. Where they get placed after that is up to them.

If you install an instance of RH10 and connect it to the source control repository, upon checking out the project, it will be upgraded. After it's upgraded, it will no longer be able to be worked on by the RH8 installs. If this is to test RH10, I suggest having either a copy of the project made and brought into the RH10 instance (to be upgraded & played with) OR you mimic the source control structure in the virtual instance along with the RH10 install.

It all depends on what they're trying to do - see how RH10 will work with the project or see if RH10 will work with the source control structure?

[mlouie]

What they are trying to do is get rid of RoboHelp 8 and just have a single PC running RoboHelp 10 that various people log on to, to work on the RoboHelp files. So, if there is just a single PC running RoboHelp, can we do away with the Source Control database? Can we just bring the files into that single RoboHelp program on the PC and work on them there without any source control?

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

No, that would violate the terms of the RH license - you can't have multiple people working on the same machine using the same copy of RH at the same time. If they wanted to have just 1 author work on the machine at one time, then you could eliminate the source control element (since all SC is designed for is making sure multiple authors don't stomp on each other toes when working on the same project) and keep the project files local.

[mlouie]

There would not be multiple people on the same machine at the same time. There would be one person on the machine at a time using RH. It would be on a virtual PC that they can access, just to make it easy for any of them to get to it.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

If it's installed on a virtual machine on a server, it probably violates the licensing - call Adobe and see.

[mlouie]

I will call Adobe, but I don't understand why that would violate the licensing. We are moving all our desktop users to virtual PCs. Does that mean that we can't put software like this on their virtual PC since it is no longer a physical PC?? Lots of companies are moving people to virtual PCs.

[Peter Grainge]

Hopefully Adobe have clarified things for you.

My understanding is as follows.

1. The licence is per user so if John and Jane are going to access the virtual machine, you need two licences. Using a VM is not a means of having more than one person using Rh, even at different times. That may have changed and only Adobe can confirm that.
2. If only one person is using Rh at any one time, you don't need source control other than for backup purposes and there are other ways of creating your backups.

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