FM 5.5 Web Server Connector Confusion

[lsenft]

I'm trying to setup an ISP Billing package called Optigold, which runs off of Filemaker Pro. Included in this package is a web interface which uses the Web Server Connector. I have tried and tried but cannot seem to get the web interface and the web connector to work properly.

I have FileMaker Pro 5.5 Unlimited and WebServer Connector installed on a Windows 2000 Server running IIS 5.5.

I have another Windows 2000 Server running FileMaker Server 5.5, which hosts the database.

The only time anything ever seems to work is when I have Optigold's database open in FileMaker on the db server. And it's only accessible by using the db server's IP address.

This leads me to believe that the database is being served by FileMaker Unlimited, not FileMaker Server. Could this be the case?

Any attempts to access the database through the webserver causes the browser to process for a very long time. If I look in IIS's log file hundreds of requests are made to the database CGI, and they all have a status 401.

I've also heard that for FM Server to work FileMaker has to have the database open on the machine. Is this true?

[Garry Claridge]

You need only FM Unlimited if all you are doing is serving for the web. However, you need the database files to be open before they can be used.

If you have FM Unlimited and IIS running on the same computer you may not need to use the WebConnector. The WebConnector acts as a gateway to another computer.

If you need FM Server running because you have FM Clients accessing the databases, FM Unlimited will need to open them via "Open Remote".

Good Luck.

Garry