Running FileMaker Pro 7 as a Service

[Allen Racho]

Hi all - just wanted to give something back to the forum... A few months ago, someone was asking about running FMP7 as a service - I think it never really got resolved. I've been able to do it successfully, and here's how:

1. First, purchase and install FileMaker Pro 7 (probably the most fantastic DB productivity tool I've ever seen)

2. Download this file: http://www.firedaemon.com/downloads/FireDaemon-Lite-1_6-GA.exe (this is the "Lite" - e.g. limited but free - version of FireDaemon, which is an easy way to run programs as services; it lets you run 1 program as a service; the Pro version lets you run an unlimited number)

3. Assuming you are logged in to a multiuser windows (2000, XP, etc.) using an account with administrative privileges, do a Start > Run > secpol.msc

4. In the left pane, go to Local Policies > User Rights Assignment

5. In the right pane, double-click on "Log on as a service"

6. Add either your account here or even better, an account created specifically for running FMP7 as a service (of course, you have to first create the account, etc., etc.)

7. Start FireDaemon and create a new service definition (the first icon on the toolbar)

8. Fill in all the appropriate naming fields (Short Name, Display Name, etc.)

9. In "Working Directory," enter the directory FMP7 was installed (e.g. "C:Program FilesFileMakerFileMaker Pro 7")

10. In "Executable," enter the full path of the FMP7 executable (e.g. "C:Program FilesFileMakerFileMaker Pro 7FileMaker Pro.exe")

11. In "Parameters," enter the names of the databases you would like to start with FMP7, for example those you would like to share using IWP (e.g. "C:Documents and SettingsarachoMy DocumentsMy DBsDatabase Name.fp7")

Essentially steps 10 and 11 are the equivalent of launching FMP7 from the cmd line thusly:

"C:Program FilesFileMakerFileMaker Pro 7FileMaker Pro.exe" "C:Documents and SettingsarachoMy DocumentsMy DBsDatabase Name.fp7"

12. If your machine is a tad slow, you can adjust the default "Start-up Time (msec)" value of 3000 to something higher

13. Move to the "Settings" tab and enter the following:

Show Window: Normal

Logon Account: [the account you entered in steps 4-6 above]

Password/Confirm Password: [the above account's password]

Note that "Interact with Desktop" is greyed out. It's stated in the FireDaemon documentation that it's a limitation of Windows that if you run the service as a logged-in account, you cannot interact with the desktop. However, if you do NOT log in as an account (using instead the default of LocalSystem), checking instead the "Interact with Desktop" button, FMP7 will refuse to start.

Continuing, you can set the remaining options to whatever you like. The remaining tabs will allow you to set more advanced options if you want, but none of them are critical for getting FMP7 to run as a service.

At this point, clicking "Install" will save your settings - and also start FMP7 as a service if you set the "Start-up Mode" to Automatic. Otherwise, click Cancel (after clicking "Install!") and start the new FMP7 service manually.

To test, open up a browser window to localhost:[port] and see if everything works!

Since you cannot interact with the FMP7 interface running as a service, all this would typically be done as a final step, after all your editing and tweaking is done! Also, of course, make sure that IWP in working well before you run FMP7 as a service...

That's all for now! It's really cool to be logged out, but still have a complete FMP7 session running, serving data, Web pages (IWP), etc...

I gotta run now, but I'll read back over this later. In the meantime, I'm sure that if I've made any booboos, our fine razor-sharp community will kindly point them out!

Cheers all!

Allen

[Wim Decorte]

It works but you're walking on a high-wire. This has been possible to do since the early NT4 days. Windows even has the built-in tools to make it work without the need for FireDaemon.

Bottom line is: FMP is a desktop application geared towards giving the user GUI feedback. Running it as a service takes that away so whenever FMP wants to throw up an dialog it has nowhere to go. What will happen is it will max out the processor and you'll have to kill the process to get out of it. And that is very likely to do severe damage to your data and structure.

It's all been done before... know what you're getting into and how much you're willing to lose.

HTH

Wim

[Will]

WiM raises a good point - even if any dialog boxes don't max your processor what is your backup procedure - specifically, will stopping the service gracefully shutdown your databases?

If you do use the above scenario limit the user rights you assign to the account you create to log on as the service.

Really, if the data and web pages you need to serve are truly important then using FileMaker Server 7 or Advanced should be considered.

Will

[Allen Racho]

Hey guys - excellent points Wim and Will. You are absolutely right. I never said this was anything "new" - I mean, srvany has been available easily for a while now.

All I've done is provided simple instructions detailing one way to run FMP7 as a service. There are others, of course, including srvany. The only other post I've found on this was on this forum sometime ago, and the thread ended inconclusively: they weren't able to satisfactorily resolve it if I recall, and most people were agreeing that the only way to really have FMP7 available 24x7 was to leave an account logged on 24x7 as well, which everyone agreed was undesirable.

So, yes, I should add to my original post: take these instructions with a grain of salt, and yes, as Wim said, do understand what you are getting into!

I haven't looked through the FireDaemon docs to confirm 100% but I do believe there is an option to shut the service down gracefully. I'm assuming - and I may be wrong, I haven't tested it in great detail - that this option has essentially the same effect as closing FMP7 "normally," as if you had clicked on the Windows GUI close button, allowing the databases to close properly.

I agree that for something larger and more critical you should be running FMS, but all the same, I feel that for sharing some absolutely simple databases - perhaps something even as simple and "foolproof" as a telephone/office directory - the convenience of running FMP7 as a service on some out of the way server or workstation quite possibly outweighs the risks.

Cheers,

Allen

[enghult]

Hello!

I suppose this is the thread you are referring to:

http://www.fmforums.com/threads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=UBB42&Number=39051&fpart=&PHPSESSID=

I have now been running FMU as a service using srvany for some time and it works fine!

As I see it, it is absolutely necessary to host the db with FMS on another machine! Otherwise you can

[Leader]

Hey Allen (and Wim and Will),

How about writing a simple 3 page "How to Install the 5 User FM Pro 7 IWP in less than 11 manuals, a case of Coke, and a 50 Hour Week"? After the great waste of time I've spent, I'd happily pay for even a stapled, photocopy with coffee stains.