FM Server Preview just arrived!

[Ender]

I'm downloading it now...can't wait do do some speed tests...

FileMaker Version: Server 7

Platform: Mac OS X Panther

[Vaughan]

I'm running the preview on a Mac G4 400 MHz, 256 MB RAM, Mac OS X 10.2.8. (An oldie but a goodie, technically it's below the 500 MHz minimum spec.)

It took me 5 minutes to install it and load a database I'm developing, and configure a scheduled backup. (Three of those minutes were working out where the files now live.)

My findings so far:

Schedules have changed: one schedule can now run itself every X minutes or hours.

The default folder for databases and backups is now inside the Library folder, not the FM Server folder. An alternative or additional folder path can be specified however.

[Ender]

I'm still testing, but one major improvement is the speed of unindexed finds. It took about 10 seconds to perform an unindexed find over 256K DSL in a file with 18,000 records. The field I searched on was Current Age, a calc defined as Round((Get(CurrentDate) - Child::Birth Date)/365;2)

Once the find was cached, it was even faster, 5 seconds! With related data and a Get(CurrentDate)!

The same search with FM Server 5.5 has been running 45 minutes and it still has 15,000 records to go.

[Ender]

Here are the results of my unofficial tests comparing FM Server 5.5 to FM Server 7 (preview).

I was able to find several notable speed improvements with the new FM Server 7. First, finds with unstored data are much faster, including finds over a WAN, which are about as fast as finds on the local network. Second, Server 7 does a much better job caching sorts and unstored finds. Finally, portal performance is much better (including portals with unstored calcs as sort criteria.)

I performed a variety of finds to see what the differences are between Server 5.5 and Server 7 and found that finds with indexed fields only are just as quick (usually completed within a second or two) in both versions. Where Server 7 really shines is finding on unstored fields

test_results.pdf

[Ocean West]

where are you downloading your Server Preview from. I don't find any links on FMI' sites other than a registration which I have done. As an FSA I haven't gotten a CD nor do I see any links in the FSA section?!

[Ender]

They emailed me a link. Maybe I'm special!

[Ocean West]

they must have not liked my email. I registered several times.

tried my other email and got the email/link as you said

[The Shadow]

Thanks for the information Ender, this is very interesting.

FileMaker Version: Dev 7

Platform: Mac OS X Panther

[FMP Vince]

Argh, why are the sorts so slow with wan ! so FMP 7 server is still unusable via wan, where's the server side processing