Multiple Locations

[FruitFul]

Greetings,

Sorry if this is in the wrong forum; I didn't quite know where to go with this one...

We are looking at rebuilding our solution in FMP 8, and then hope to access/use it from multiple locations (not within the same building). I know basically nothing about doing a multi-location solution, nor anything at all about FMP Server. Some Questions:

-Is this something even possible?

-What exactly is FMP Server 8 capable of?

-Does everyone connect remotely?

-Any speed issues?

-I have read recently about a viewer model where the users deal only with Global fields (supposedly to help with record lock-up) is this something that I would need to consider?

[CyborgSam]

Yes, this is possible. For all the capabilities of FM Server, I'd read FileMaker's specs and whitepaper's, they're quite informative.

Everyone connects to the server using a copy of FileMaker. If you have Server Advanced, uses can connect via a web browser.

Speed can be an issue, it's totally dependent on the networks, the # of users, the speed of the server hardware, et al.

You definitely need to consider how FileMaker locks records when designing a multi-user database. Learning this will let you design a robust solution where user's can't screwup to data through normal activity.

And two issues to consider: When going over the Internet to link remote locations, security is an issue. be sure to read up on FileMaker security (good book at http://www.filemakersecurity.com/). Also, routers and firewalls will have to be configured to allow FileMaker access on port 5003.

HTH

[stanley]

Fruitful:

To see how it all works, you can ask one of the FileMaker hosting companies (such as Buddy Systems at http://filemaker7hosting.com - there are plenty of them out there) for a demo, and you can log onto a FMP database via FMP, and via the web.

-Stanley

[FruitFul]

Great tips guys - thanks!

Will check out that hosting company idea in the morning.