Close All Databases command

[Sergeant Ron]

Does anyone have any experience with creating a Windows batch file that could close all databases. Basically, I would like this batch file to execute when there is a power failure and the system goes on battery backup. I can create the batch file, but my real interest is in issuing the command for the databases to shutdown, without having to do it from the FMS Server Admin or in servises. I was interested in finding one that is already in use. Can anyone help me with this?

Thanks, Ron

[Inky Phil]

Could you use the 'quit application' script step to force a close on all files?

Phil

[Steven H. Blackwell]

Could you use the 'quit application' script step to force a close on all files?

You would absolutely not want to do this under any circumstances. What officer Ron is trying to do is to get the files to close elegantly before the UPS battery gives up the ghost...usually a very short time interval.

Steven

[Sergeant Ron]

Thats exactly what I would like. Any suggetions Steven?

[Steven H. Blackwell]

I think this is going to have to be done with VBS, assuming that the UPS controller an send events to a VBS script. Let's see if we can find Wim.

Steven

[Inky Phil]

Hi Steven

can we take it then that a quit application step will not close any open files in 'safe' manner

Phil

[Ted S]

I think we're talking about files hosted on FM server. The "Quit Application" script step closes the user's FM application on their local machine but does nothing to the hosted file(s). They will just keep running until the battery goes dead.

I'm guessing that the UPS has the ability to trigger a xxx.cmd or xxx.bat script (not a Filemaker script) and those scripts can contain the commands necessary to close the databases gracefully and shut down the FMServer services.

[Vaughan]

I have visions of power going down just after a user has started a process that takes hours to run and cannot be interrupted... any sort of quit is likely to leave the file in an invalid state with incomplete records (as opposed to file-level data corruption).

Here is a thought: why not issue a script for FM Server to pause all files then back them up. After they have been backed up, either stop the server process, or leave it run to UPS exhaustion. If the server goes down, the hosted files are toast so load up the backups. If the service is stopped the files will probably be toasted anyway, so load up the backups.

[Steven H. Blackwell]

can we take it then that a quit application step will not close any open files in 'safe' manner

Stopping the service/daemon (FileMaker Server) [color:red]does not guarantee that all files will be closed correctly. Files should always be closed first from the SAT Tool.

Vaughan's point is well taken. Interaction with the UPS is a difficult matter; the objective should be the graceful closing of the files. FileMaker Server no longer (since version 7) pauses files for backups, except at the very end to reconcile skipped busy bits in the original backup process.

I am going to raise this issue again with the SE's. I expect that there will be some additional information forthcoming from FMI very shortly on this entire class of issues.

Steven