Allowing access from other offices

[Nicnacs]

I work for an organisation with its main offices in London. There are about 15 staff here and I'm thinking of introducing a FMPro database. However, there's an office in Northern Ireland with one member of staff and an office in Glasgow with three members of staff who would also need access to the data. I've never had to think about this before. I've used the server version and that's what I would use here except I wouldn't know the best way to get the other two offices linked up. Is the web a solution? I've not see the web version so I've no idea how different or similar it is. Any advice would be great. I've checked other threads and come across references to Timbuktu and Terminal Services, but I'm sure I quite understand what all that's about.

Thanks

[Anatoli]

Most important -- on what platform you are?

With Windows the Terminal services is the best way. You need volume licensing FM clients.

For simplest tasks, you can try Instant web publishing or build Custom web publishing for Internet access.

[SoCalMacDude]

If you have broadband access and open a port on the firewall, or set up a machine as a DMZ (which makes it a bit vulnerable), you can access the database directly from Filemaker over the internet. Just enter the IP address of the London office into Filemaker's Open->Hosts->Specify Hosts dialog box from Glasgow. Lock up the database with a password, and it's as if they were in the office with you!

[Jeff Spall]

Hi, If you open up the FMPro ports on your Internet firewall, it's open to the whole world and there's a security risk especially as the databeses will be set to multi-user.

It's possible if the remote offices have registered IP adresses for their Internet gateways and your firewall will support an allow/deny table to let just them in and refuse every other address.

otherwise, IMO, you need either:

vpn connections, which must be supported on your firewall. These are very secure and effectively join the remote computer to your network by opening an encrypted tunnel across the public Internet. Bit of work to set up first time, though and also needs configuring on the remote computers. This is the most professional way to go and you use your existing Internet connection.

or

establish a direct point-to-point link with an iSDN or dial-up connection. Nice and simple and secure, but you gotta pay the iSDN charges. Again, it joins the two networks together. You can keep the call costs down if you use a router that supports spoofing, like the 3-com ones.

or, like it's already been said, use a web interface. This still has security issues and might mean a major redesign of the databases if you rely on stuff like scripts, containers and repeating fields.

regards, jeff

[Leb i Sol]

....small addition to FM-->FM

Speed is NOT its virtue....VPN and Terminal service ( or Remote Desktop for Mac I belive) the way to go.

All the best!

[Nicnacs]

Thanks for all your suggestions. We're using windows - a variety of 98, nt and 2000 I think. I will take all of your thoughts to our IT person to see what they suggest.

Nicole