FM 5 Hosted files viaTCP/IP-Lose Connection Randomly

[Norm Gan]

In a 10/100BaseT in-house Ethernet network, we have 6 FM 5.0.3 files being hosted on a G4/733 acting as the server, OS 9.1, using TCP/IP as the FM protocol for connectivity with the 2 PC's on the network.

There are usually 8 to 11 connected users at any given time, and for the most part, everything works fine; however about twice a day, the client Macs/PCs lose contact with the server files. The server itself is running fine (not crashed), but if I quit FM on any client machine and relaunch, when I press the Hosts button, no files show up.

The only solution seems to be to quit the files on the server, relaunch, and have the clients launch and connect again, and sometimes we have to reboot all.

Would FM 5 Server be a possible solution to this annoying problem?

Because it is a random problem and not repeatable at will, it is very hard to troubleshoot. The G4 hosting is brand new and it appears stable in all other regards.

Anybody seen this behavior before? Any troubleshooting suggestions? HELP!

[flexistentialism]

I have heard of problems with networking OS 9.1 with regards to FMPro server and client disconnect.

Try installing 9.0.4 or earlier, I think you'll find this will fix the problem

Good luck

[Anatoli]

Long shot: what is the server disconnect value?

[Norm Gan]

This is a new 2001 DV G4/633, and I do not think installing 9.0.4 on it is an option.

Any other ideas??

Thanx in advance.

[Norm Gan]

Anatoli,

Where would I check the disconnect value??

[dspires]

The disconnect value is an option in FMP Server, which is what you should be running in your instance.

[aeleth]

When connecting from the client to the host computer via TCPIP:

Are you entering a numerical (192.168.123.123) or alphanumeric (server.mycompany.com) TCPIP address?

Perhaps if you are using the latter, your DNS server (if you have one) may be contributing to an intermittent address lookup failure. If this is suspected, resolve the address to its numerical form, and use that form to connect via TCPIP in FMP.

Also, on your Mac server: Make sure to disable hard drive sleeping, screensavers, virtual memory, and any other software that might interrupt the FMP host software. Be sure you are running the server "clean" - no unnecessary inits/control panels. Try booting with the space key held down, and select "Mac OS 9.1 Base" at the startup set. Then run the server for a few days to see if this has any affect.

If still no resolution, if it is feasible, try replacing the 100BaseT network cabling in your organization - one cable at a time, starting with the host connections. Make sure that the cable isn't frayed, chafed, or worn. Also make sure it is kept away from appliances, and other sources of high-voltage interference. Make sure that the cabling is of uniform type (Cat 5e, in your case) which should be stamped in small letters on the cabling itself.

There are some very rare problems with onboard networking hardware of Macs. If you have an old mac-compatible PCI network card lying around, install it in the server to bypass the motherboard networking and see if this affects the problem. These can be found for about $50.00 new, if you dont already have one somewhere.

I would normally recommend an upgrade to FMP server as a last resort, however, taking into consideration how many users are connected to the server, I think it would be an excellent investment. FMP server can provide automatic data backups to a spare hard drive (hourly, daily, weekly...) in the event of network problems. It is easy to go back a few hours, days, or weeks to recover lost data in the event of an emergency. I suspect these features would come in handy for your organization.

Hope this helps! Please email me if I can assist further...

[Norm Gan]

We have bought and installed FM Server 5, and the same random "lost contact with host" message happens about twice a day on the average.

The wiring contractor has checked the wiring carefully and it is fine.

I have set the RAM for FM Server to 160MB (hosting 7 files and 11 users) and the server is a dedicated FM server.

Have also checked Energy Saver (never sleep), and have turned off cache flushing interval (idle time flush), and turned off logging.

Running out of ideas...

[BobWeaver]

You are using a fixed IP address on your server right? And, no other computers on the network have conflicting IP addresses?

Also, make sure that no other applications are running on the server, and make sure that file sharing is turned off.

Are you using hubs or switches? Switches are faster but can be more susceptible to inadequate wiring. Wiring errors (such as a reversed pair) that may work fine in a 10baseT environment can bring a 100baseT network to its knees.

An often overlooked problem that used to crash networks regularly was having different revision levels of the Laserwriter driver installed on different machines on the network. I haven't encountered this lately, but an associate of mine says that he still sees problems with this on some of his clients' sites.

Good Luck!

[ May 30, 2001: Message edited by: BobWeaver ]

[limey]

I'm glad to see that someone else is having the same problem. I too am running a new G4/OS9.1, acting as a FM server. It does NOT have FM server software. 10/100BT network with a maximum of 25 users, not reading files from the G4. G4 is not running ANY server software.

No TC/IP, No Server, No problem. Except a couple of times a day the users loose contact with the host. The host has not crashed and appears to be working correctly. However, picking AppleShare in the chooser shows that most, if not all, of the network is down. Connection is via two etherfast 10/100 switches. Network cabling is being checked but nothing has surfaced yet. Maximum users on any one of the 4 hosted files is 5.

Any suggestions would be helpful.

[limey]

slight correction. That second line should read:

10/100BT network with a maximum of 25 users, not all reading files from the G4. G4 is not running ANY server software.

[Arin]

You might want to check out Moon Mullins' reply to lonestar's June 8, 2001 post titled: "FMP5 Server - G4 Server Crashes" concerning the "recent server" option in the "Apple Menu Options" control panel.

[Arin]

oopps.. gotta watch that "back" button... sorry.

[ July 05, 2001: Message edited by: Arin ]