Databases going bad

[turner_marketing]

We use a database in our office that is housed on our Mac OSX server (XServe). It is accessed accross in single user mode by 8 different users at various times. Some of the users are Windows XP users using FM6, some are Mac OS 9.2 (using FM 5 and 5.5) and some are Mac OS 10.2.4-6 (using FM 6). What is happening is that this database is frequently requiring the use of the recover function to be opened. A couple of weeks ago even this wouldn't work, so I rebuilt the database from scratch and imported the data from the previous day's backup. I thought this would solve my problem, but now I am having to recover the file again. Does anyone have any idea why this may be happening to this database? It isn't happening to the other databases, even the databases this one is related to.

[Anatoli]

RE: It is accessed accross in single user mode by 8 different users at various times.

Server??? In any case -- do not use FM server on MaxX.

Good versions are all others, like MacOS, Linux and Windows.

[turner_marketing]

No, we are not currently running FM Server. I have read in the various posts that it is not very stable with OSX. Since an XServe is what we have and we won't be switching any time soon, I don't know where to go from here. Perhaps I could get a cheap OS9 computer just to act as the FM Server? Do you think running FM Server would solve the issue of the files going bad?

ps

For those that will try to knock down the Mac OSX Server because of this issue: it has been the easiest to administer, most stable server I have ever used. It has literaly never had an unplanned shut down. It easily provides file sharing for all of the computers listed in the original post. This is the first compatibility issue I have encountered with this server.

[Anatoli]

RE: No, we are not currently running FM Server... It easily provides file sharing for all of the computers listed in the original post.

You are doing something wrong and that is corrupting your FM databases.

[BobWeaver]

The problem is not with OSX servers. But there are known problems with FM Server running under OSX corrupting the FM files. FMI knows about this but there is no fix yet.

You say that users are not accessing the files at the same time. How do you know for sure? If they are, then that is the cause of the corruption.

I suggest you get hold of a cheap computer with OS9, Windows or Linux and run FM Server on it. And, turn File Sharing off to make sure that users don't access the files except by the "hosts" option.

[Guest]

No, we are not currently running FM Server. I have read in the various posts that it is not very stable with OSX. Since an XServe is what we have and we won't be switching any time soon, I don't know where to go from here.

Yeah, everyone is bad mouthing FMS here, but we are now into our seventh month using FMS on OSX without a reboot.

[turner_marketing]

That's interesting. Are you running it on OSX or OSX server?

[Anatoli]

Yeah, everyone is bad mouthing FMS here, but we are now into our seventh month using FMS on OSX without a reboot.

The problem is usually when the service is stopped -- FMS corrupts FM databases. It was confirmed by FMI. Maybe it is just waiting for you in near future. Backup twice as much as with other OS.

[Guest]

That's interesting. Are you running it on OSX or OSX server?

We are running a dual G4 with mirrored drives and OSX (not server). I would definitely do all development off line and use FMPS's automatic built in backup capability daily (seven scheduled backups named M,Tu,W,Th,F,Sa,Su) when no one is around. Then encrypt the backups and manually burn them to CDR weekly.

[Guest]

The problem is usually when the service is stopped -- FMS corrupts FM databases. It was confirmed by FMI. Maybe it is just waiting for you in near future. Backup twice as much as with other OS.

I have shut down FMS many times while setting up the server. It may be crashing and burning for some users, but it is working well for us.

[turner_marketing]

So I downloaded the trial version of FMS to see if it would cause me problems. However, I can't even get the thing running. I installed it and it started, but as soon as I accessed a menu item, it stopped running. When I tried to start it again, it said there was an instance of FMS already running. Is this the type of problems people have been having?

[ernst]

I've been having problems like Turner describes on a few occassions with the paid version as well.

Problem seems to be that the actual server and it's user interface loose communication. Sometimes it helps to look at the event log to see what's actually happening (event log sits in the FIlemaker server folder and opens with the console app)

Best thing to do when the server is running is to just let it run, don't shut down the computer and open and close the files via a client with the server plugin installed.

I find it quit frustrating that Filemaker, being an Apple-owned company, do not get their stuff together on this matter.

Regards,

Ernst