pc Winodws Server 2008R2 and FMP Pro Adv - Open Remote Problem

[Hoib]

Hi again all.

 

In an earlier thread about a week ago I was roundly "shredded" for running the FM database in an incorrect fashion (from a shared folder).  OK, so I'll try to do the right thing by invoking "Open Remote" - and it's not working.  Here's the details.

 

Local Food Pantry in a Community Assistance Center.  Downstairs in the basement:  Lenovo box with Win Server 2008R2.  Upstairs I have 6 Win XP and 7 workstations (W/S).  Everything is in a workgroup arrangement.  All systems see all systems.  The server isn't really being used as a server in the classical sense; there is no domain, no AD.  It's just a repository.  But it was donated and I'm using it or perhaps under-using it.

 

On the server, I have a copy of FM 12 Pro Advanced.  On the W/S clients I have FM 12 Pro (no advanced).  I launch the hosted copy of the solution downstairs using FM PA and leave it running using the Admin priveleged account.  FileMaker networking is definitely ON and set to all users.  Bonjour was installed and is a running service.  Telnet service is installed and running.  Windows Firewall - has port 5003 open for business with a custom rule I created for that purpose.  There are no other applications (nothing) else running that would be using port 5003.

 

On the W/S, I launch FM 12 Pro and go to Open Remote.  Local hosts is not populated.  Favorite Hosts won't populate even though I point it at the server by IP add and folder structure.  I went to 2 other W/S to try and the same result occurs.  Bonjour is a running service.

 

I created a simple very short .fmp12 on a peer W/S upstairs and hosted it.  I went to the client in the next room, Open Remote and there it is!  I went the other way with this and it worked fine.

 

On the phone with FM Tech Support.  They went through several troubleshooting steps.  Is it a port?  Is it a firewall issue?  Is it an anti-virus issue?  Port 5003 is open according to what Win2008 is telling me and at one point to test I completely disabled the firewall and turned off the A/V.  The rep then came to the conclusion that FM 12 Pro or Pro Advanced -is not- designed to run on Server 2008R2.  The rep said FM 12 (non-server flavor) was never tested and thus they could not be sure that I wasn't barking up the proverbial wrong tree.

 

My question to this fine group therefore would be:  Is the rep correct in stating that I may be up against a total incompatibility between Server 2008R2 and FM 12?  I see another recent post just below here indicating to my reading that the expert would say that it is OK.  Probably not ideal but OK.  If true, then I'm willing to pursue more of the port/server configuration issue.  If FM12 is not supposed to be or designed to be run on a server, then I'm truly barking up the wrong tree and should stop to seek another route.

 

Yes, I wish we could afford the $600 FM Server package....

 

Thanks all and looking forward to some wisdom....

[Wim Decorte]

 

 

On the server, I have a copy of FM 12 Pro Advanced.   Telnet service is installed and running.  

 

Telnet does not come into play.  FM does not use it.  FM communicates only on port 5003 for its data traffic (and port 16000 if you are streaming container data).

 

 

 

Windows Firewall - has port 5003 open for business with a custom rule I created for that purpose.  

 

Disable the firewall on the server altogether unless you have a really unsafe network.  Assuming that all your workstations and the server are inside the network perimeter  defended by a router/firewall and the internet, and no machine in a DMZ, then having individual firewalls is not needed.

 

 

 

 

On the W/S, I launch FM 12 Pro and go to Open Remote.  Local hosts is not populated.  Favorite Hosts won't populate even though I point it at the server by IP add and folder structure.  I went to 2 other W/S to try and the same result occurs.  Bonjour is a running service.

 

 

Folder structure is not relevant.  When you specify a favorite host all you need to do is use the IP address or DNS name of the host.  FM already knows it should check on port 5003 and there is no folders to specify since this is not a folder share.

 

 

Since you can not see the server in Local Hosts even after you disabled the firewall on the server (assuming that this was done correctly) seems to indicate that the server machine is not on the same subnet as the workstations.  What is the IP address of the server and what is the IP address of a workstation?  Also check the subnet number on server and a workstation.  Bonjour will only look on the subnet.

 

 

 

 

On the phone with FM Tech Support.  They went through several troubleshooting steps.  Is it a port?  Is it a firewall issue?  Is it an anti-virus issue?  Port 5003 is open according to what Win2008 is telling me and at one point to test I completely disabled the firewall and turned off the A/V.  The rep then came to the conclusion that FM 12 Pro or Pro Advanced -is not- designed to run on Server 2008R2.  

 

Smells like baloney.  Having said that, I never use peer-to-peer networking since it is a poor solution mainly for the lack of good backup facilities.

[Hoib]

Thank you Wim for stopping in and trying to help,.

 

1)  Telnet:  I turned this on because I was instructed to so by FM Tech Support on the phone.  Should I turn it off?  Probably OK to leave it but it was something I was told to do to make FMNet work.

 

2)  I am here at the site.  I have disabled the firewall at the server (through the UI) and disabled it at the clients.  I'm still waiting for the files to appear under Open Remote.

 

3)  Server is at 192.168.1.33.  Two clients are at 192.168.1.18 (WinXP Pro) and at 192.168.1.29 (Win 7 Pro).  Here's my assumption:  As long as FileMaker Networking is on for All Users, the server should be broadcasting the availability of Journal.fmp12 to the network.  Is that how this works?  Should it be immediately available or do I have to wait a certain amount of time for the broadcasting to fire off?

 

4)  I have to use it this way.  I know FM Server is the ultimate.  We simply can't afford the $600.

 

5)  I'm still getting the same error constantly on server launch of FM Pro Adv.  See attached pic.  Again, I'm told by FM Tech Support on the phone to ignore this - you'll get this every time regardless.

 

I did catch one thing that I was hopeful for.  MS Sharepoint services were on in the background.  These services target port 5001 and 5003.  I turned off all Sharepoint services (6 of them) since we're not using them.  No difference unfortunately.

 

So, is there a waiting period for the file availability to propagate?  Or should they immediately be available upon launch of FM Pro Adv at the server?

[Wim Decorte]

You can't ignore that error on the host machine.  It means something else is using port 5003 and it should not.

 

This is turning out to be something that is very hard to troubleshoot here.  I'm sure it is going to be very simple once have someone good on-site.  See if you can get someone that is willing to donate an hour or two to the good cause.

[Hoib]

Want the answer to this?

 

Has nothing to do with FM.  Has everything to do with the server.  Sometimes you have to look further than what's directly in front of you.  In this case, servers are built and configured to run a variety of functions/features both foreground and background.  One of the things servers do is serve webpages.  And in our Lenovo OEM install, Microsoft's IIS (Internet Information Service) is such a back ground service that is defaulted on.  Our IIS wanted port 5003.  We turned that off (we don't serve webpages) and we got results - not the exact results we'd like, but results.

 

Local Hosts still will not propgate or populate.  Ummm - it did so just once the first time through with the client's firewall off.  Turning it on defeated Local Hosts.  But, in Favorite Hosts, you can manually "point" the client to {IP_Address} and the .fmp12 file(s) appear.  But not in Local Hosts.  Tried turning firewall stuff off and on at the client to no Local Host avail.  Set port allowance rules to specifically give 5003 permission but no soap.  And, I went to another XP based system and got the same plus two more Win 7 systems with Symantec Endpoint with the same result.  Note for Symantec people:  It's been widely held that Symantec software is difficult to master.  Here, in our case, we didn't have to touch Symantec - it worked without tinkering.

 

I am tempted to just give up on Local Hosts, though I really would like that to work.  How much more time do I have to devote is the question.  Do we stop here and declare victory?

[Wim Decorte]

Local Hosts is populated by bonjour and that one works on port 5353.  So if you are running firewalls between the workstations and the server, that port needs to be open

[IdealData]

Is Bonjour even installed? It should be installed as standard. It requires version 3 for FM12, it was version 2 for FM11, and must also be the correct 64-bit or 32-bit version.

 

FMPro will run without it, but you won't get the Local Hosts to show files without it. Same effect as being firewalled.

 

Eliminate the server from the equation and try hosting from one of the workstations. When you first try to host a file in FMPro it will ask if you want the firewall opening on the necessary ports.

[Hoib]

OK, I'll free up port 5353 - I'll bet that's it.  You would think that after a couple of calls, FM Tech Support would have mentioned that.  Good thing this forum is here!

 

And, yes BonJour is running at both the server and client endpoints.  I did try to "share" workstation to workstation.  No Local Hosts but can get there via Favorite Hosts. 

 

Again, back to port 5353 - I bet that's it.

 

I'll post back results in a day or so.  I'm not at the site presently.

[Hoib]

Wim - Give yourself a raise!

 

That was IT! 

 

First, I tested to see if in fact it was still broke.  It was.

 

Then...  Remoted in to Server, created new firewall rule for port 5353.  Relaunched the hosted file.  Disconnected and went in to a cllent, fired up FM Pro > Open Remote: Local Hosts now has propagated the fileset.  Did not have to touch the firewall at the client.  I've not tested on every workstation but I know I got one to work!

 

Brilliant!

 

Thanks.

[Wim Decorte]

glad you got it working!

[Hoib]

Just a final follow up ...

 

This only worked for about a week and then Local Hosts then started to fail to propagate again.  However, Favorite Hosts does work concsistently once I "point" the FM clients using the IP address of the server.  FM preserves this information so that it's available the next time it's opened.  The fileset is also available through Open > Recent. 

 

So here's the next question:

 

If I use Open > Remote > Favorite Hosts.  Then quit and come back in anytime later to the client and use Open > Recent, is that opening the fileset "remotely" in the same fashion that Open > Remote  would?  Or, is it using a locally cached copy which indeed defeats the whole purpose.  I don't want to make the same mistakes I made originally with this by opening the database with a so-called local copy and hoping it gets properly saved back to the server.

[Wim Decorte]

There are no locally cached copies created by FileMaker.  So opening from the Open Recent is safe.  You will note that the window of the file has the host name between parentheses.  You can also confirm it by using the data viewer and using get(hostname)

[Hoib]

OK, thank you again.  Topic closed.