Here's my shared fm db scenario. I am running an iwp set up with filemaker pro on a windows server, serving up to 5 users concurrently via the browser environment. 

 

I've also got a local copy of fm, which I plan to use to modify the db that is hosted on the company network. Nothing saved locally that is.

 

Will I run into trouble with this set up? Does fm realise it's opening a shared db and if not, how do I notify it?

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This topic has been moved from "Web Viewer" to "Instant Web Publishing [iWP]".

When you say "filemaker pro on a windows server" do you mean FileMaker Server on a Windows server? (For IWP it would be FileMaker Server Advanced.)

 

Or do you mean the file is hosted by FileMaker Pro -- in which case the file should not be sitting on a server, it should be on the computer that's hosting the file.

 

In either case, other FileMaker Pro clients should use the Open Remote command to open the file. You should NEVER make a FileMaker file available via OS-level file sharing. That is a well-established source of file corruption.

 

Highly recommend you use FileMaker Server to host the file. If you can't afford it right now, take advantage of a FileMaker hosting service for $20/month.

When you say "filemaker pro on a windows server" do you mean FileMaker Server on a Windows server? (For IWP it would be FileMaker Server Advanced.)

Yes, it's fm pro on a windows server, since I 'd like to have iwp, and the fms pro price is prohibitive for us. I talked with application and licensing support at fm and they gave the green light for this.

 

 

Or do you mean the file is hosted by FileMaker Pro -- in which case the file should not be sitting on a server, it should be on the computer that's hosting the file.

Well, the server is hosting the file, in a hard drive everyone in the company, well under certain privilege rules, can access.

 

 

 

In either case, other FileMaker Pro clients should use the Open Remote command to open the file. You should NEVER make a FileMaker file available via OS-level file sharing. That is a well-established source of file corruption.

 

Oh, I see, thanks for giving me the heads up for this. Although it's not 100% clear to me what OS level file sharing is. At the moment I have network sharing on, in each client I open the file with, network sharing is on on the server fm 

running too. And so far I think fm can tell it's getting X no. of iwp plus Y no. of clients accessing the file. Not so?

 

Highly recommend you use FileMaker Server to host the file. If you can't afford it right now, take advantage of a FileMaker hosting service for $20/month.

Yeah, I d love to use the server version, but I can't go pricewise to advanced to get iwp.

OS level is them being able to see / access / use the file by using just the Open command and going to the network drive and opening it from there...

 

Like: Z://share/filemaker docs/Database.fp7

 

DO NOT do this...

 

Proper Remote File Opening - use the Open Remote Command, and find the FileMaker machine, and then select the database from the provided list...

 

DO this.

 

Hope that helps.

It helped immensely. I 've been doing some extra reading on it, and I figured out too that this is the way to go. Good to hear it from a dev. too.