Getting Started with FM Server

[Mark Appleby]

The time has come for me to move to FM Server. Never having used server before I am woundering what I should think about before I start. I am considering a Win2000 professional box to run the system apx 512MB with a 80gig SCSI disk, I will have about 12 users to start with but this figure will rise rapidly in the first 12 months to a max of 25 in the next 12 months. We are using a mixture of 1 Mac client and the rest will be PCs. I will need to be able to get offsite access but this will be towards the summer as yet I am unsure how best to manage this side particularly regarding filemaker.

The server will be hosting 50 files with a Lot of pictures, 13,000 and growing (these are .jpeg and are stored in a second folder).

The clients will be mainly Win2000 machines although I am considering trading some Old Win 98 machines for WinXP.

Is there anything further that I should be considering at this point?

[Kurt Knippel]

From the various platform choices (MacOS, OSX, WinNT, Win2k, Linux) opinions will differ as to what is best. Personally I prefer good old MacOS 9.2.2 for both simplicity and stability.

Make sure that this server is for Filemaker Server ONLY, nothing else should be running, no matter what tech support says will work, or what you feel the machine can handle. 512MB RAM is wwwwwaaaaaayyyyyy to much for Filemaker Server, which is disk based and not RAM based, I would think that both Win2k and Filemaker Server will work just fine with 256MB. The 80GB SCSI drive is a very good choice, just make sure that you choose one that is fast and reliable.

As far as remote access you have many choices: Timbuktu, PC Anywhere, GoToMyPC, M$ has some kind of remote desktop, Filemaker Server can be administered remotely, etc. I prefer Timbuktu, because it is cross-platform and is one of the most stable and fully featured remote access apps that I have ever used (and I have used most of them, even supported a couple).

Make sure that you download and READ the whitepaper on Server Best Practices from Filemaker's website, it is pretty well done.

[Mark Appleby]

I have never worked with remote servers before, which is the easiest to learn and use?

[Kurt Knippel]

I prefer Timbuktu by Netopia Systems, Inc.

[Anatoli]

There is so little to be done with FM server. You just set up the machine, setup the backups and forget it.

VNC is free and sufficient for remote access.

[Guest]

Definitely look into a corporate purchase on server and ten or more clients.

1) you get a volume discount

2) minimal licensing hassles since you get a single corporate license number

3) you get _all versions_ of server, and mac classic, mac osx and windows clients

For what it is worth, i am well into month two on OSX 10.2.1 running 24X7 with mirrored drives with only one hiccup (i have since disabled the screen saver).

[Will]

You can use the built in Terminal Services feature to remotely administer a Windows 2000 server running FM Server. VNC is free but less secure and you will have a license fee for Timbuktu. Note that for FileMaker Pro or Unlimited the Terminal Services feature is probably not a good idea since it essentially is a second logon - in other words you cannot "join" an existing logged-on session as you could with VNC, PCAnywhere and similar products.