Can the SuperContainer servlet run on an external SSD?

[JW_NZ]

Hi,

We have some 25K images stored in the SuperContainer files on our FMServer running on a 256 GB SSD on a Mac Mini. They only occupy about 7 GB of space but I'd like to keep plenty of space free for additional DBs. Backups are moved to an external HD.

As there are now external SSD's that will connect via ThunderBolt 3, with exceptional R/W speeds of up to 2800 Mb/s, I'm wondering if this is an option for offloading those SuperContainer files. And will the SuperContainer server also need to reside on that external SSD? 

Our Products table accesses those images and I wonder if there will be a noticeable delay in rendering those images. Most are jpgs of no more than 480 x 480 pixels with a file size of less than 100 KB with some around 300 KB. That size seems to depend upon the amount of compression that's been possible with the jpg format when they were "Saved for Web" in PhotoShop Elements.

The current path to that folder is: /Volumes/GMG_FMS/Users/Shared/SuperContainer/Files/Grandmothers\ Garden/Products.

I look forward to hearing your advice.

John Wolff

[ryan360Works]

Hi John,

The SuperContainer server does not need to run on the same drive as the files. It looks like your current file location is the default so you will need to point SuperContainer to the new location once you have moved the files over. Instructions to do so can be found here . I would recommend that you do a small scale test before moving to production but I think the Thunderbolt 3 connection will work fine and won't cause a bottleneck. If you have any issues re-pointing SuperContainer to the new file location or have any questions, please let us know!

[JW_NZ]

Hi Ryan,

Many thanks for your prompt reply and the helpful suggestions.

From what you say it seems as though the SuperContainer server stays in its default location but points to the folders and their enclosed .jpgs in the new location as specified in the WebXML file.

Is that correct?

Regards,

John

[JW_NZ]

Hi again Ryan,

When I've gone looking for the web-xml file in our existing FM Server running under Mojave, on a 2012 Mac Mini, I don't see that 360Works folder in the /Library folder, nor do I see it under the /Library/Filemaker Server/Web Publishing/publishing-engine/ folder.

I suspect this stems from our use of SuperContainer  from many earlier versions of FMS, with the installation merely rolling forward from wherever it was located then.

As I'm setting up a new Mac Mini under MacOS Catalina, this will be an opportunity to fix all legacy issues.

Regards,

John

[ryan360Works]

15 hours ago, JW_NZ said:

From what you say it seems as though the SuperContainer server stays in its default location but points to the folders and their enclosed .jpgs in the new location as specified in the WebXML file.

Is that correct?

Yes

14 hours ago, JW_NZ said:

When I've gone looking for the web-xml file in our existing FM Server running under Mojave, on a 2012 Mac Mini, I don't see that 360Works folder in the /Library folder, nor do I see it under the /Library/Filemaker Server/Web Publishing/publishing-engine/ folder.

There are two Library folders in OS X, make sure you are looking in the one inside the root drive. This is called Macintosh HD by default.  If you are looking in this location it may be that you have a pretty old version of SuperContainer as the 360Works folder gets put there by the installer but that did not happen in earlier versions. Regardless, if you are going to Catalina, make sure you download our latest version (here) as Catalina does require software to be notarized by Apple and previous installers of SuperContainer were not.