Accessing FM file on remote location

[Stormin]

Hi,

I'm new to FM Pro having just purchased it. My business partner has a copy of the Mac version 6 and I have the Windows version 6. We want to share a common database with one another that we can both access and update from our separate locations. We both have broadband and we also have a domain that is hosted.

I understand that you can use the remote hosting feature, but what we want is to be able to access the file independently. We won't be using the file at the sametime.

I've placed the fp5 file on our ftp site and made sure the permissions are set properly.

I created a Network Neighborhood location for our FTP site that allows me to use it as a remote drive. When I open the file using Filemaker Pro I get a really quick text message that says the file is read only and that I will not be able to make changes to it. The file then loads and I can access the database and make changes but I am unable to save the file back to the remote location.

It is not a firewall issue as I have tried this approach without the firewall software running and the file is still read only. I called Filemaker Tech Support and they don't have a solution as they say it is designed for remote hosting or web publishing only. There has to be a way to make this work.

Can someone steer me in the right direction and let me know what the best option(s) are for us? Thanks very much.

Cheers,

Carl

[Matthew F]

We have done this sort of thing on our ethernet LAN and have not had any problems with the files being saved in a "read only" state. This approach works fine as long as the two users do not try to access the files at the same time. If they do the user that opened the file first becomes a "host" and the other user becomes a "guest". Simultaneous access to hosted files won't work unless you do one of these things:

a) Install the files locally on one of the two machines (preferably the one that uses it more or has a fast hard drive). The remote user can access them directly by "Connect to Server" or "Map Network Drive?", and navigating to the files. If they are in use Filemaker can "host" them to the other user in "Multiuser" mode.

: Install the files on a remove server. If one user notices that the files are busy he may still be able to open them. However to do so he must use the "Open Remote" command and enter the I.P. address of the other users computer. The files will now be routed through the first users computer to the second user. The second users computer must be able to navigate any fire wall that stands between the two.

c) If you want this to be most efficient you can dedicate a 3rd machine to be a server and both users would access the files using "Open Remote" and enter the I.P. address of the server. The server computer would continuously host the files by running FilemakerPro or Filemaker Server.

[Stormin]

Thanks for the response. We are not doing this over a LAN. The Filemaker file is on a password protected FTP site. We are trying to access the file remotely using the FTP site as the one of My Network Places. I am able to load the file but it only loads as a read only file.

I understand that it is possible to remote host FM, but we just want to have the file in a central location (our FTP site) so that we can access the file individually from different locations.

There has to be a way to make this work.

Carl

[SuperMacGuy]

If you are positive that you won't both use the database at the same time, copy the file from your FTP to your computer's hard drive, open the file, do your stuff. Close it, then FTP/copy the file back up to your FTP server. This may be the only way since you are not working in a LAN or a WAN or VPN kind of situation.

It may be that your FTP server won't allow "continuous" activity to it or can't handle the stream of writing that FMP does as files are used.

[kenneth2k1]

Hi:

This is not the most stable way you have, but as long as you both aren't accessing the file at the same time it should be fine. My thought is that it's probably opening read-only because your access privledges to the file. What server OS are you running? I would try checking the access privledges and see if you are able to make changes.

Or if you download the file from FTP, make sure the attributes are not read-only

Ken

[Anatoli]

RE: There has to be a way to make this work.

Sure, network publishing with FM server or web publishing. There is no other way and the FTP setup is useless for FM.