Configuring FileMaker 8 Server

[nick_wales]

Hi

I have a windows machine running Windows Small Business Server 2003.

I intend to purcahse FileMaker Server 8 and I need to set this up to host my databases so that they can be accessed remotely by other users with the File > Open Remote... function in their local copies FileMaker Pro 8.

The server would have its own ADSL connection and would not be connected to any other machines on the local network.

I'm reliatively new to this - would anyone be able to tell me what else i would need to do to get this running?

For example, should i order a fixed IP address for the ADSL connection from my ISP? Or would it by enough to tell the server to get its own IP address via the router?

Also, how would i get a host name for for my server so that it could be typed into the Add Host part of the remote connection? I'm guessing this would be the IP address of the machine but not sure...

Are there any set up guides that deal with this specifically or could anyone run me through the basic things i need to do please?

Any help or advice you could offer would be greatly appreciated!

thanks

nick_wales

[Wim Decorte]

You should get a fixed IP address for the ADSL but configure a hardware router/firewall with that. Set up the router so that it forwards FMS traffic to your FMS server. This way, your FMS box is behind the firewall and safe. If you assign the static IP address to your FMS machine you're putting it in front of the firwall, open for anyone to hack it.

If you need a host name, get a domain name and ask your ISP to register it to your static IP address.

[nick_wales]

many thanks!

would you recommend FM 8 Server or Server advanced for this? I think advanced seems to have a lot more features for sharing on the web.

[Wim Decorte]

Server Advanced will give you web publishing (IWP, Custom Web publishing) and ODBC/JDBC access. If you 'll only have FM clients connecting over the internet (not browsers, or other apps) then you need just FMS, not FMSA. OTOH if you need access from browsers or other apps then you need FMSA.

[Steven H. Blackwell]

And I would [color:red]strongly recommend that you read the White paper on Server configuration found on the FMI website and authored by Wim.

http://www.filemaker.com/support/upgrade/techbriefs.html

Steven

[clz]

My original plan was to run FM 8 Server on SBS 2003. I downloaded the trial version and was never able to get it to run. I had two people at FileMaker tell me it would run on SBS and another person told me "no, it would not and the other two people who told me it would were wrong." We ended up buying a different computer to run it on.

[Wim Decorte]

FMS can run on SBS2003 (I do it on my demo laptop even). SBS is just a copy of standard copy of Server 2003 albeit with some restrictions, none of which are important to FMS. What might be a killer though is if you use all the other bundled services (SQL/Exchange/...) on the same box.

Keep in mind that while SBS is cheap, it can't be easily installed in a domain with existing AD masters.

[nick_wales]

many thanks for all your respsonses.

i have realised that i probably don't need windows SBS 2003 as the server will only be load with FMS 8 and that's all it will be used for.

instead i'm going to run windows XP pro so that i can remote desktop to the server when needed.

does FMS 8 run OK on XP Pro?

[Steven H. Blackwell]

does FMS 8 run OK on XP Pro?

Not if you value your data.

Steven

[nick_wales]

Steven

Thanks for the info - I assume from your response that you don't rate XP pro!

Could you tell me what the dissadavantages of using this instead of SBS would be please?

Many thanks for all your help so far.

Nick

Edited March 21, 2006 by Guest

[Wim Decorte]

instead i'm going to run windows XP pro so that i can remote desktop to the server when needed.

You can do remote desktop to Server 2003 too (in Admin mode, you don't need TS CALs). So if that's the only reason to use XP Pro, don't.

[Wim Decorte]

XP Pro is not a server OS, and usually it would be installed on non-server hardware (in other words: less reliable). And if you to the trouble of installing XP on real server hardware you might as well install Server 2003, the hardware being a lot more expensive.

[Steven H. Blackwell]

let me just re-emphasize what Wim said. Use a Server OS.

Steven

[nick_wales]

thanks, i have done this now and all is working well.

i have now been given a further task of setting up a box with FileMaker Server 5.5 to V6 databases.

i have the application and the administrator's guide, but i have been unable to find out the information below.

could you help me with this please or point me in the right direction?

the info i need to know is:

What ports does FMS 5.5 use?

How do i connect to FMS 5.5 using FMS Server Admin on the same box? (perhaps you don't need to connect to FMS5.5 in the same way as FMS Admin connects to FMS in Server version 8?)

thanks for your help.

[Wim Decorte]

Only one port: 5003.

FMS 5.5 comes with an admin console but it's totally different than the SAT tool in FMS7/8. The admin console is only for local admin on the FMS box itself. For remote admin you need the admin plugin that is on the FMS 5.5 CD. You need to install that on your remote machine and use FM5/6 to do the admin through the plugin.