Metrix 2016 & 2017 is SLOW!!

[eyezikkim]

We are a gang run shop and have been using Metrix 2011 for the last 7 years with no issues. It has all the capabilities and functions we need, and more importantly, the program runs smoothly and does not stutter. Recently, our older machines with OS 10.6 have been showing signs of failure so we decided it was time to upgrade Metrix and the workstations along with it.

We recently got Metrix 2017 up and running with windows server and mac clients but found Metrix 2017 to be extremely slow, to the point of being unusable. It seems to stutter with every little process. Whether rotating a product 90 degrees, clicking and dragging a product to another location, or adding a mark set, every process causes a stutter that can last anywhere from 1-4 seconds. The other day the program froze twice during a layout, causing me to have to force close and restart the layout from scratch. This may not seem like much but when you are having to lay out 4-6 signatures with up to 400 products, the program becomes unusable.

I am wondering if there are any companies out there using the newer EFI Metrix without issue and if so, how is it set up at your shop. Any advice or contacts that may have further insight would be appreciated.

 

[prepressdork]

Although I can't specifically answer your question as I am not a Metrix user, but you said you upgraded the workstations. Are these workstations Mac's? If so, are they new? If so, do you do any customization of the Mac's such as remove anything that comes pre-installed on the Mac's like fonts or some other resource? Do these workstations have High Sierra on them? If so, I've also been hearing about issues with Apple's new file system introduced in High Sierra (AFPS) that COULD be contributing to your experience. Elsewhere, have you configured the Hosts file on these workstations? Perhaps the lag is coming from network issues because the Mac's are having difficulty communicating efficiently with the server? Perhaps the Hosts file on the server needs configured? Are the workstations and the server on the same network? Does Metrix use any underlying technology like Flash or Java? Perhaps they need installed/updated? These are all guesses as to things to try look into or try.

As for support, surely EFI provides support for Metrix? Surely, since you just upgraded they would provide complimentary support for a short time?

Best regards,
pd

 

[eyezikkim]

Thanks for the reply.

We were planning on getting some new workstations but have not yet done so. So far, testing has been done on my personal MBP (i7 2.3ghz, 16 gb ddr3) running Sierra 10.12.6. No customization has been done to the fonts or any other resource.

We are aware of all of the issues with AFP but with Metrix, all processing is done on the clients. The Metrix server is only used for the license server and a java based database server. As far as the file server for the content, we did run in to issues with AFP on a Windows file server we were using so we switched over to a Mac file server. We have not seen any slowdown while working on the Mac file server. All workstations are on the same network.

I have been in constant contact with Metrix support but at this point, they are saying our company is an outlier issue. Metrix claims to have other companies running the same setup as us that are not experiencing as much of a slow down as we have seen. To what extent they HAVE experienced, I do not know. But in our case, it is substantial enough to look in to other options. I mentioned there must be something different and that we need to find what that variable is but have yet to find a solution. All I have heard is that it is a "top priority" for their engineering team but at this point, it has been over 7 months with no resolution.

I am hoping there is someone out there using Metrix 2017 at a similar volume (up to 400 products split amongst 4-6 signatures in a single project) that can offer some insight in to how we might achieve a similar result.

**Testing was done with 30 flyers and we experienced the same slow processing. Anybody out there using Metrix 2016 or 2017 on a daily basis??

 

[kansasquaker]

I'm not sure I can add a whole lot to this discussion, but we saw a HUGE performance decrease when going from Metrix 2016.x to 2017.3. We've made some adjustments and it's livable, but nobody here is happy. For a while there, we were considering going backwards. I was left with the impression that wasn't an uncommon occurrence. Have they considered installing the last point release of 2016 instead?

I love Metrix support, but the quality of the software and the availability of support has definitely decreased since EFI bought them (never any trouble getting ahold of sales tho!).

 

[prepressdork]

Hi eyezikkim,

Based on your response, do you have a spare Mac sitting somewhere? If so, wipe it clean, install a fresh OS (El Capitan or Sierra if you have it) and all subsequent OS updates, configure minimum network settings, and install the Metrix client. Still slow? Do you have a solid state drive you could install? That might also improve performance?

pd

 

[eyezikkim]

I tested on a clean Sierra install and am coming up with the same slugginess. I am starting to think this is a widespread issue with Metrix and most companies are sticking with it because they are committed to their workflow. I'm not too hopeful but we will be testing on Windows clients to see if there is any difference in performance. If this doesn't help we will need to look in to other options.

 

[prepressdork]

Do you have a solid state hard drive laying around somewhere?

pd

 

[toddk]

I have been struggling with 2017.3 for just over 45 days. At various point during the day Metrix basically hijacks our macs (the spinning wheel of death). We have to force quit the application daily.
This happens on 4 iMacs (16g Ram) running Sierra and another MacBook Pro running High Sierra. I believe that Metrix has been slowly going downhill since version 2015.
Each time we upgrade EFI takes 1 step up and 4 back. Is Matt the only person in tech support?

 

[eyezikkim]

I have been struggling with 2017.3 for just over 45 days. At various point during the day Metrix basically hijacks our macs (the spinning wheel of death). We have to force quit the application daily.
This happens on 4 iMacs (16g Ram) running Sierra and another MacBook Pro running High Sierra. I believe that Metrix has been slowly going downhill since version 2015.
Each time we upgrade EFI takes 1 step up and 4 back. Is Matt the only person in tech support?

Unfortunately Matt is the one and only support worldwide. I have been told several times from EFI that our situation was an outlier - that other Metrix users were not experiencing the sluggishness and crashes we were - so it's nice to know we aren't the only ones with these issues.

At this point, we have been forced to build a couple custom macs with OS 10.6.8 to hold us over until we decide how to proceed. If Metrix does somehow get better, we will revisit it in the future. Otherwise, Preps may be the next step for us.