Remote server and sync?

[Matthew R White]

Hi all,

I currently have a database hosted with an iMac/FileMaker server and I have about 11 computers that connect via the network daily and then from home using the IP address. Our database is filled with tons of conditional formatting and thousands of pdf’s. FileMaker at home is usable but a lot slower than using it on the network in our office. I am opening up a brand office in Alaska next year and it will be staffed with 5-10 employees and I need them connected to my database. 

My current plan is to have them all connect to the IP and use our single server, but I’m afraid it will be very slow and impact productivity. Should I set up a second server in our branch office and sync them or what is the best options for this setup?

 

 

Thank you

[OlgerDiekstra]

It all depends on the complexity of the current database, the connectivity you'll have at the new office and the internet path between old and new office. Just because you have a 100MBps link to connect to internet doesn't mean you'll be able to fill that 100MBps pipe with traffic to the other office, even if that has a 100MBps pipe too. There's the distance and equipment between the links to take into account, which adds delays. A ping will tell you what sort of latency you can expect.

If it's really bad, you could consider terminal services (RDP) or TeamViewer or similar for the remote office to use back to the old office. That means you need (in the case of TS) a server that can handle that, or multiple virtual desktops that remote staff can connect to using TV.
Using RDP or TV or similar technology means your database structure remains as it is and doesn't need to get more complex.

Syncing DBs will increase complexity as you then have to determine which data set rules in case of mismatches.

You could extract all the PDFs out of the database (if they're stored in containers), and sync them separately to the other office using something like SyncThing. That will reduce the size of the DB and make syncing quicker.
Optimizing the database could also be an option, making good use of themes and reducing the complexity of layouts if a second server isn't workable.

There are many ways to do this, but it will depend on the budget you have available, time, skills and infrastructure.