FMP Server Admin can't access server

[Xaqtly]

This one is probably getting old, but I have an ongoing problem with not being able to use Server Admin to contact the server, because it can't use ports 16000 and 16001. The port situation is out of my hands, I work for a very large corporation and I'm not in IT. For whatever reason, this web-based/Java/whatever it is implementation of FMP Server Admin will not work on our network.

So far my solution has been to disconnect the server from the network, and then start server admin. This usually works, but it's immensely inconvenient because I have to go to a different floor of our building, get access to the server room, unlock the server, get onto it locally, turn off the network, reboot the server and then start the admin console. It's not like I can just reach over and fix it.

Not being able to do this remotely (because I have to turn the network off on the server) is pretty ridiculous. Today we were down for 15 minutes (which is a lot for us) because I couldn't get access to the server room right away when FMP Server stopped serving our databases for some reason. It does that every once in a while which is also pretty obnoxious, hence the need to fix this problem as often as I do.

In any case I need a solution. "Turn off the network" isn't really acceptable., especially since I have to do this fairly often. I'm open to suggestions, but I'm starting to think I might have to go back to FMP Server 8, which never had any problems.

Thanks for any help.

[Steven H. Blackwell]

Put TimBukTu on the machine. You'll have to open a port for that however.

Steven

[Xaqtly]

Put TimBukTu on the machine. You'll have to open a port for that however.

I'm already using Apple Remote Desktop to get to it remotely. The problem is that in order to run FMP Server Admin, I have to turn off the network port on the server so it doesn't try to use ports 16000 and 16001. Obviously with the network port turned off I can't get to it remotely via Remote Desktop or Timbuktu, so I have to physically be in front of the server to do it.

[Steven H. Blackwell]

I'd recommend raising this issue with your managment. FileMaker Server requires 16000 and 16001 for its operation. This is a well-documented requirement. They just need to open those ports.

Steven

[Xaqtly]

I'd recommend raising this issue with your managment. FileMaker Server requires 16000 and 16001 for its operation. This is a well-documented requirement. They just need to open those ports.

I wish I could, but as I said in my first post, it's out of my hands. They're not going to open any ports, unfortunately. In my department we've brought this and other similar issues up with them, and they won't do anything because it will compromise security, in their words.

So there is no other way around this? I gotta say, I'm not too happy about the FMP server admin depending on something the client may or may not have any control over in order to work.

[mr_vodka]

Xaqtly, I understand your pain but asking a corporate IS security team to open up required ports for a specific application is NOT out of the ordinary... How would they handle any other software they introduce that require certain ports?

Seems to me they are just being a PITA because they are working with unfamiliar software to them.

[Xaqtly]

Xaqtly, I understand your pain but asking a corporate IS security team to open up required ports for a specific application is NOT out of the ordinary... How would they handle any other software they introduce that require certain ports?

Believe me, there is a good amount of software we can't use here because of that. I work in the corporate headquarters of a large company that deals with sensitive customer data, so our data security is off the scale. They will not open ports, period.

It just seems like the Filemaker folks released FMS 10 while shrugging their shoulders and saying "Well, let's hope everybody can open those ports, eh?" I understand that most people won't have a problem with this, but for the few of us that do, it's inconvenient to the point of making me want to downgrade to FMS 8. I had no problem using the admin for FMS 8 because it didn't require special ports to be open.