Do I really need FMP Server?

[John Chamberlain]

Let me start of with the fact that I am a babe-in-the-woods here. Six years ago I developed two FMP systems for a non-prof that offers free support to cancer victims and their families. One system tracks Participant activities and various statistics (type of cancer, Oncologist's name, etc.). The other tracks donor activity and generates acknowledgement letters. Both were developed in FMP 4.1.

I am now being asked to perform a major upgrade in which I will integrate the two systems, and add an accounting module. I know enough about FMP to know that I can make the programs work. BUT, they have a new 7 station office network (all PCs running Windows XP), and they want all stations to be able to access the files. New records, or modification to existing records, would be allowed at only two stations on the network (I figure I can control this with passwords).

The question is do i need to use FMP Server? If so, will it work on Windows XP machines? Also, how steep is the learning curve, and what hidden traps and pitfalls should I look out for?

I truly would appreciate some good advice here.

TIA

[Anatoli]

I hope FM 6 will work on XP.

But you cannot mix FM 4 and FM 6. You can only mix FM 3 with FM 4 and FM 5 and FM 6.

For smaller number of users like 3-4 use one FM client as server.

For greater number of FM clients use FM server on dedicated machine. My best FM server runs on W2k *client* sp3.

Just assign priority to background tasks -- FM Server is running as service.

There is no learning curve. Just switch all your files to multi-user. You can leave only the "entry" database or Main Menu db with multi-user and all others to multi-user hidden. Multi-user hidden is not in version FM 4.

Then all clients will connect through HOST button. You shouldn't share the folder where FM databases are!