FM Server 5.0: Run External Program On Server

[Anatoli]

NO.

You can do everything on Workstation. Server just serves data.

[menkes]

That's what I thought. I have other ways to skin this cat, but not as user friendly.

Thanks Anatoli...

[menkes]

We run the server on a Windows NT 4 server. The server is accessed by both Mac & Win.

I want the user to initiate an action by clicking a button -> this will perform a find, export, send message, open url.

I set this up on my local machine no problem. Now I want it to work across the network. The find & export steps work fine. Now I need to know how to get the send message step to work. I am calling a program on Server1 at location c:myprogram.exe.

The script step I use is:

Send Message [Event Specification: Program: <unknown>, Event Class: aevt, Event ID: odoc, Event Text: c:myprogram.exe, Bring application to foreground ]

I also tried "Event Text: server1myprogram.exe".

I am hoping this is not one of the things FMP cannot handle...so the question is, can FMP run an application on the server when initiated from a workstation on the network?

scott

[Anatoli]

Any time

I am sorry I cannot help you more.

Everything will run from workstation/client.

[d94dsj]

Menkes,

There is a tool in the Windows NT Server Resource Kit, which makes it possible to start a service across the network.

You can find more info about it by search for "netsvc" on the Internet and on these URLs:

JSI FAQ netsvc

JSI FAQ Using netsvc in batch

I've used netsvc myself to start and stop FM Server remotely from a workstation and that works fine.

Now, if the program you want to run does not run as a service, you can make a program run as a service with other tools on the Resource Kit CD. Instructions are found here:

HOWTO: Create a user-defined service

Good luck!

Daniel

[d94dsj]

Just another thing: Even though it's possible to do it this way, there might be security reasons that you do not want to allow user's accounts and workstations to run a service/program across the network on a server.

It does relax security a bit and could make the server more vulnerable to attack - but this might not be an issue for you?

Daniel