Say I use SourceGear Vault client on my desktop at work and check out a few files to a network folder. But when I am working from home and login to a terminal server (Windows RDP), Vault thinks that someone else has checked out the files and so I can't access/edit them.
Is there a way to set things up such I can checkout a file to a common network location and keep working on it from multiple machines?
What you are seeing is normal, because the Vault cache is specific to each client.
Here are the options I could see for how to deal with this:
The best way is to shelve your code changes. Then you can pull your shelved changes down when you get home and continue where you left off. If you need to check in from home, then when you initially shelve your changes, you should also undo your check out so that you can check out again from home.
You could use a network location for yourself, but you are likely to run into the same situation when you go to check in. What this would give you is just the ability to have only one location for the code you are editing. Also, some of the statuses you see as you are switching between clients won't look right. You still would get best results by undoing your check out before leaving work, but in this case, you'd choose the option to leave your changes instead of reverting them back.
You can perform an additional check in. That way your code is in Vault. Then you can check it out again and continue from where you left off. Some places don't want partially completed code checked in though, so you will have to decide if this is in line with your workplace requirements.
You could perform a non-exclusive check out. That way you can check out twice. You will get a warning, but it will still allow you to continue. To get your changes from your work computer, you still will be well served by using Shelve.
Technical Support SourceGear LLC