FileMaker Server Admin not working after OS updates

[MacUSA]

Installed latest Mac OS updates listed below and I now cannot access the FileMaker Server Admin Console (locally or remotely) on 2 different Mac FileMaker Server 9 Advanced Servers. Can't get it whether I click the desktop java link nor through the browser.

• 
  2007-12-18 03:31:44 -0600: Installed "Java For Mac OS X 10.4 Release 6" (1.0)
  2007-12-18 03:31:55 -0600: Installed "QuickTime" (7.3.1)
  2007-12-18 03:32:28 -0600: Installed "QuickTime Broadcaster" (1.5.2)
  2007-12-18 03:49:27 -0600: Installed "Security Update 2007-009 (Universal)" (1.0)
  
  

The Java ICON bounced for a few seconds and stops. Locally, trying to access it via Safari (http://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx/fmi/config) I get a "Couldn't load page...server stopped repsonding". Remotely I get "HTTP Status 404 - /fmi/config. FileMaker Server has encountered an error: The requested resource (/fmi/config) is not available."

Dan McFalls

[Steven H. Blackwell]

Presumably and hopefully you stopped all the FileMAker Srver daemons before you updated the OS and then rebooted the machine immediately thereafter? Maybe try repair permissions as well?

I think you may need to make a Tech Support call on this to alert them.

Steven

[Steven H. Blackwell]

[color:red]It is not necessary to create duplicate posts in the other Server forum on this, or on any other, topic. Duplicate post in the Server Advanced forum was removed.

[MacUSA]

Steven,

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly.

Sorry about the dups. You're facing one desperate guy.

We are a hosting company since 1996. Our primary business is hosting FileMaker databases. Although the theory of shutting down FileMaker services before performing Mac OS updates sounds wise, it sometimes isn't practical. We have dozens of Mac servers and many customers from all over the world. Mac OS updates come out every week or two. Some require more than a few minutes to perform.

Obviously, if this problem is a result of not shutting down the FileMaker services, we'll need to plan for this in the future.

I did perform a permissions fix. Unfortunately, I'm hesitating rebooting the server after the permissions fix. I have no way to safely close the databases. There are close to 100 on one of the servers. 100 damaged databases could take days to repair.

I'll probably just have to wait until FileMaker support gets in.

Thanks again,

Dan McFalls

[Steven H. Blackwell]

Although the theory of shutting down FileMaker services before performing Mac OS updates sounds wise, it sometimes isn't practical.

I would absolutely not perform an OS update with open databases. Especially since most of these updates require a restart. Moreover, I would not run an OS update on a production server until I had installed it on a test server. Any OS update can break some functionality of FileMaker Server or any other service/daemon at any time. It has happened before, and it will happen again.

Steven

[MacUSA]

Spent over an hour on the phone with FileMaker support. The only common ground all the techs had was explaining that FileMaker Server takes a snapshot of the system during install. If certain system components and settings change FileMaker Server is trashed and requires reinstall. One tech said I'll probably be reinstalling it many times over the lifetime of the server. Sounds pretty screwy to me.

In any case, they were unable to resolve the problem even after uninstalling and reinstalling 3 times. My final option I was to erase and reinstall the entire OS. AND NOT APPLYING THE JAVA RELEASE 6 UPDATE.

I pray this doesn't happen to anybody else. Too many hours of wasted time.

Thanks again for your assistance.

Dan McFalls

[Steven H. Blackwell]

The only common ground all the techs had was explaining that FileMaker Server takes a snapshot of the system during install.

Seems odd to me. Possibly they are conflating this with the Pro cleint's behavior in a single license install situation.

If at all possible, I'll make further inquiry of this before they disperse.

Steven