Using FMP on LAN

[jimi]

I opened the program on the computer(server) which keeps the file, and then run it on another computer(client) thr' the LAN.

The connection and computers should be good enough to run any program, but now the running speed is extremely low.

Are there any way to make it faster thr' the LAN? Please Help!!

-jimi

[john.daly]

It shouldn't make a noticeable difference if your network is adequate enough. Do you mean that the FM5 program is installed on the server or just the database files? It will run quidcker if the Filemaker program is installed on the client.

[LiveOak]

You have to be careful HOW you open a database on another computer using FileMaker.

1) FileMaker should be installed on both machines, NOT launched by selecting it on a drive shared from the other machine.

2) The file to be shared should be opened on the machine you desire to be the host.

3) On the second machine, launch FileMaker. Pull down the File menu to Open, click Hosts, select the shared file to open. If no file show up, the files need to be set to multi-user on the first machine.

Don't open the file on the second machine by navigating to the disk on the first machine. This or having FM installed on only one machine are almost always the cause of slow operation. Doing this will cause a LOT of problems and eventual loss of data.

-bd

[This message has been edited by LiveOak (edited February 24, 2001).]

[jimi]

if I open the file on the second machine by navigating to the disk on the first machine without setting the file to be multi-user. I can't open the file anyway.

So is it that even I HAVE set the file to be multi-user, I still shouldn't open the file in this way?

Also, If I'm calling another file in a opened file, would the speed be seriously affected? Where it runs VERY quick in local machine but not in LAN.

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[danjacoby]

Even a 100-baseT ethernet LAN runs FMP very slowly.

Part of the reason for this is that FMP is almost continuously saving to disk, which means that the computers are communicating much more than with other applications. You might be able to speed things up (for the most part) by setting the application preferences (on all copies of FMP) to save every 10 minutes.

HTH,

Dan

[jimi]

Ahh this sounds reasonable, thx a lot dude

-jimi

[LiveOak]

If you are performing operations by FM script with a (as yet) unopened file, FM will properly open the file for you. You should never open a FM file except by the method I described. You can create a dummy launcher file to perform the open correctly and then close itself and put a copy on each client machine. Once again the reasons for not doing so are slow operation and poor stability (You've already seen the slow operaton, want to go for two? ). -bd

[jimi]

You said I have to click open and then choose host and blah blah blah.. but all these are supposed to be done by the user right?

How can I use a program/script to do these operations?

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[jimi]

I asked the users to open files thr' FMP and deleted the shortcut from their desktop, really much faster now!

thx dude!

[This message has been edited by jimi (edited March 03, 2001).]

[FrTrask]

LiveOak,

You spoke of creating a "dummy launcher file" to perform the proper opening of a FMP file. Can you give me some idea of what such a script might look like?

Thanks in advance

[LiveOak]

Create a file with no fields, no records, one script set to run at file opening. The script is as follows:

Allow User About (off)

Set Error Capture (on)

Open (file to be opened over the LAN)

Close()

That's all there is to it!

-bd

[jimi]

this may be a stupid question but why do we need Allow User About (off) and Set Error Capture (on)?

-jimi

[LiveOak]

You may not in this instance. The general reason that this is done is good programming practice. Allow user abort (off) prevents the user from stopping the script and ending up somewhere you don't want them to be. The Set Error Capture (on) supresses dialog boxes and allows you to test for and trap errors in the script.

-bd

[jimi]

ok if i've set the capture error off in this dummy file, when I've some error in the scripts of others files, would the message box be hidden?

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What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger

[LiveOak]

It only functions over the scope of the current script. -bd

[George]

LiveOak, is it alright to open the datafile only on the HOST machine via desktop shortcut, or should it also be opened from within Filemaker?

[LiveOak]

This answer applies to FM hosts NOT using FM Server. It's fine to use a shortcut to open the file on the host machine, the FM Open dialog is not necessary.