so slow in network

[miszczyk]

Hey, I've written some dbs in FMP - but this is first time when use one in a network. It is not complicated, but works so sloooooooowly (having just 3 comps) - it takes about 6 sec to perform all scripts.

DB exists in a server (NT 4.0) - it is run as a host and opened by 2 users as guests.

All db consists of 5 files (in FMP called databases). Calculation requires to find some data in other files (using perform external script) and then returns to original file. Why it is so slow?

I noticed that being a guest - even when I had opened the other file before (having two files opened) - performing an external file - it reopens the file again from the server (host) and this takes some time, too. Why?

Any tips, appreciate...

Robert

[IdealData]

I'm no so hot on WIN, mostly MAC for me.

If you run FMP as a "server" make sure it runs in foreground.

FM Server is significantly faster.

[Anatoli]

I never experienced this. We used 9 clients hosted by 1 FM Pro on NT server, FM run in background and it was fast. With proper FM server is was really really fast.

I guess it depends on number of things: number of records, complexity of scripts, network load etc.

Because FM client is not multithreaded, like FM server is, I've found in one case it was really slow:

Single computer processed the routine in 7 seconds.

Two computers (when triggered in the same moment) did that in 20-30 seconds.

Three computers in 50-60 seconds.

Isn't there something similar?

[LiveOak]

There may be nothing wrong. One of the first things you notice when moving a FM file from a single machine, single user environment to use over a network is a reduction in speed. It is not unusual for an operation that takes 1 second on a single user machine to take 30-60 seconds in a networked environment.

This is not a FM problem, it is the difference between the speed of accessing data via a local ATA or SCSI disk drive interface and accessing data a the speed of a 10 or 100BasedT network. An ATA interface might operate at 30 MB/sec a 100BasedT network operates at 100 Mb persecond. 100BasedT networks are not really 10 times faster than 10BasedT. Practically speaking the difference is about 3:1. The real speed ratio between a disk interface and network transfer is about 30:1. This is where most of you speed went.

The tip is that you have to program more efficiently and do a lot of testing. Is a replace faster or a loop and a SetField? It depends. Operations that are fast enough in a single computer/single user scenario often have to be redesigned in a network environment.

-bd

[Kurt Knippel]

Are you running Filemaker Server? Not just Filemaker Pro running on a server?

Are you connecting via file sharing? Navigating to the folders with the files and opening them by double clicking?

Or are you opening them via the Hosts button in Filemaker Pro?

Are you really experiencing a problem? Or are you just expecting a networked activity to perform the same as a local activity?

6 seconds does not seem like a long time to me, although I do not know what the process is doing.

Filemaker, Inc has alot of "Best Practices" whitepapers available on thier website. Look into them, you will find lots of good information and you may discover some things that you may not have know before trying this.

[miszczyk]

Ok guys.

I did not explain that clearly. I am using Filemaker Pro 5.5 on server NT (not Filemaker server version). But by now - it is used just by 3 users - so I think I don't need server version yet.

Time is very important here, because users work on a Stock Exchange (traders). I managed that. I improved scripts and now I call just one external database to perform calculations instead of two.

Performance time is below 1 sec - so it's fine. If I have further problems i will install server version of FM Pro (since it's multithreaded for example).

Of course I connect by host - guests way - that I know.

Anyway, thank you for your interest guys - see ya

Robert

[Anatoli]

In that my example was also only 3 machines

[Guest]

I don't mean to hi-jack this thread - hope you will not mind...

My business partner and I have our own copies of FMPro 4 on PC (Win 2000). We have recently connected our PC’s over a T10/100 network (I’m no computer expert BTW!). I host a relational database and he is the guest. We use the IPX/SPX protocol. The performance seems really disappointing - mine is as fast as always but his is really slow. If he opens the files on my HD as the host (I know not recommended) his machine is then fast and mine slow. This indicates to me that the network is fine but the two FMPro applications just talk really slowly to each other. Has anyone got any ideas as to why this might be? Would an upgrade to FMPro 5.5 or 6 be faster?

I will be very grateful for any advice.

Garry

[Kurt Knippel]

Well first of all, use TCP/IP and this may speed you up. Secondly, a network connection is like 1000 times slower than local harddrive, making speed comparisions between the two silly. Thirdly, Filemaker Pro client is single threaded which means that each of you will be forced to wait for the other to complete processes before Filemaker can pass the priority to the other. Fourth, make sure that you are opening the file as a guest via the Hosts button within Filemaker.

[Guest]

You are a star - thank you very much. Despite files being shared over the network opening as a "guest of..." it clearly operates very differently whether that file was opened via the "Hosts" route or via a shortcut/alias. As they opened the same way I never gave it a second thought. Via "Hosts" and the two machines are now almost identical in speed. Thank you again.

Garry