Hello Robert,

there is a network version called FMP5 Server that can solve your problems; the most relevant features it provides are:

- scheduled files opening & closing (independently from guests)

- scheduled backups

- easy integration with Ms MMC & SMC consoles under NT

- improvement of performance (in most cases it is dramatic)

- cacheing of MRU files

- remote administration, from NT consoles (guests)

- last, but not least, easy installation & admin.

- 250 connections supported under NT (125 under MAC env.)

- 125 simultaneously opened files

Note that, in the reality, it shares file access (it is not a real file server), but this is not a problem.

Then, you are noticed about it.

Greetings from Holy Lands.

We have several Filmaker pro 5 databases tied together. There are 5 of us

sometimes trying to use them at the same time. It is VERY SLOW. Can anyone tell

me a solution to this? Is there a network version we should use? Also when

someone is the first person to open it everybody who opens it after that has to

close it before I can close out of mine (because they are my "Guests") Please help.

Robert

Just mind you, you may already knew this:

Do NOT use shortcuts to open the files on client PC, otherwise it'll be terribly slow. Every client should open FMP, click open, then choose the files you need. In this way the access speed will be much better.

HTH.

To explain a little further. DO NOT open a FM file on another machine by going to your network neighborhood and double clicking either the file you want to open or (HORRORS) launching the copy of FM on another machine then opening the file.

1) Every machine using FM must have a copy installed (sounds obvious, but...).

2) Use the File Menu ---> Open ---> Hosts dialog to open the file on all but the host machine. As convenient alternative, you can create a launcher file (no fields, one script set to run at startup) on the client machines. This file has a script which opens the desired hosted file then closes.

VERY SLOW operation is almost always due to improperly opening hosted FM files.

-bd