Scheduler Broken

[bart.hanson]

After having installed MacOS X Server 10.2.4 and Filemaker Server v 5.5 with the update applied onto the new Xserve... we are still having major issues with Filemaker Server's Scheduler being able to run the automated backups (either locally or across the network).

Filemaker Server does this easily on OS 9.

In my opinion also, it seems reasonable to think that a script could be written as a "work-around" to mount the Xserve, copy the files (to be backed up) across the network, then unmount the Xserve.

The problem is that you cannot copy/backup the databases while Filemaker Server is open or else major corruption is likely.

Secondly Filemaker Server 5.5 is not Apple Scriptable and unless some fancy Unix Shell scripting is done, I don't think it's possible to stop and re-start Filemaker Server automatically.

I have already used a Shell script to startup Filemaker Server at bootup. This was meant to get around some of the "Privileges" issues that were supposedly stopping Filemaker from using it's Scheduler properly. It did not seem to work but we'll see after tonights Schedule has run.

One problem arising from using the Shell script to start-up Filemaker Server at boot time is that the companion Filemaker Config app stops working., so each thing we "fix" seems to lead to another problem.

Shall I Install MacOS 9.2.2 on the Xserve (which is possible) until such time as Filemaker has it's Server ready for OS X?

Bart Hanson

--------------------------------

Certified Apple Engineer C.A.E.

[email protected]

[color:blue]

[LiveOak]

It sounds like a reasonable experiment. The problems you are having with OSX/FMS and FMI's warnings about data corruption don't make it a very attractive option.

-bd

[dkemme]

Instead of copying the databases that are open to another location, why not copy a backup of the databases created by FMServer to that location?

My Filemaker rep gave strong hints that a version of FMServer for OSX is close to release that will be scriptable, hopefully by AppleScript and not UNIX.

[paulage77]

I've been investigating the scheduler being broken for some time now. I have two machines nearly identical set up. One does back up with no problem, while the other one does not back up when scheduled. At first I thought it might be due to descripencies with power saving options. That is hibernate must be off, put disk to sleep must be off, and even screen saver must be off. But the one machine still will not back up. Now I'm wondering if maybe it will not back up if the served files are not modified as the one database files are never touched as they are a test environment. Also, it may have to do with permissions. check out the permissions in Darwin with a "ls -al" and make sure you are -rwx

[bart.hanson]

dkemme wrote on 05/19/03 08:12 AM

"why not copy a backup of the databases created by FMServer to that location?"

A: The problem is getting any Automated backups to work at all without shutting down FMServer.

But... It's fixed!

After implementing the FM help Article 107911, and starting up FMServer automatically at bootup the scheduler still would not work. However I believe that some privileges were fixed by running the script once.

Going back to manually restaring FMServer (after editing the /etc/hostconfig) using the FMServer config.app has enabled FMServer's scheduler (and the automated backups to /volume/sharednetworkfolder-volume) to work!

At the terminal typing: ps -aux | grep fm

should show two fmserverd procceses running.

Hope this helps someone.