pc 3 Servers 1DB and a laggy connection= ?

[t-royer]

Hi to all.

 

This is my first post and I do not know much about FileMaker .

I will try to be as clear as possible to explain my problem , here's an idea of the network I plan to do:

 

 

 

I haven't done anything yet because I would like to have you opinion before I start this project , any advice is welcome.

 

I want to use FileMaker as BDD for my business which includes:

A main Office with a large storage space and two stores with smaller stock .

My bute is to manage inventory , invoices, customer ID... from each outlets in "real time" or even by daily updated direcly on the main DB in the office.

 

My questions are :

What happens if one of the servers is temporarily deprived of it's internet connection?

 Will it be possible to work on the DB localy  and then apply the changes on the "host" database when the connection is back? 

 

What configuration do you advise in this case ?

 

( In the future the database will be linked to a website from the office).

 

Thank you in advance for your advises and apologize for the lack of clarity.

 

cordially

Thomas Royer .

[liltbrockie]

It looks like you have 3 Filemaker servers? Are you assuming FM Server automatically mirrors data across X amount of servers running Filemaker server? If so I think you are mistaken.There can only be one Filemaker server you cant just add FM servers at each new location and expect them to all mirror themselves automatically it doesnt work like that.

[Wim Decorte]

Different FMS machines can sync between each other with SyncDek from WorldSync.

 

You also say:

 

 

 Will it be possible to work on the DB localy  and then apply the changes on the "host" database when the connection is back? 

 

 

 

With "locally" do you mean each store works on the hosted copy on their own FMS?  And then the FMSes sync to the master FMS?

Or do you really mean "locally" where there is no FMS at the store and each user works on the database on their own machine?  The latter is a bit of a maintenance and versioning nightmare potentially.

 

All in all it might be cheaper to invest in good internet connectivity and just rely on the uptime of that.

You will have to take latency and WAN performance in mind in each design and architecture decision for your solution.

[liltbrockie]

You are going to have a bad time trying to run FM clients over the WAN on a standard internet connection. I would suggest having one location that has the FM Server AND a Remote desktop server on the same network then just use remote desktop app services to run Filemaker.

 

SyncDek looks pretty expensive... $4000 for 3 servers.

[Wim Decorte]

You are going to have a bad time trying to run FM clients over the WAN on a standard internet connection.

 

We're talking about business-class internet connections or other more dedicated lines, obviously.  Just like picking hardware: if your business depends on it, you don't use "standard" stuff.

 

There's only 3 options here and they all cost money:

- invest in heavy-duty end-to-end communication and make sure the solution is adequately designed for WAN access

- or synchronize between local servers

- or invest in remote desktop functionality

[t-royer]

Hi Thx for your answers guys.

 

By locally I meant just a copy of the main Database, where you can still apply modifications, I yet don't want to have 3 different DB, but only one i can access and modify from 3 different locations in the same time. 

 

I need to load the modifications at least one time a day at the end of the day.

 

Actually i can't affort $4000 of Sync desk even if i'd like to .

 

It looks like you have 3 Filemaker servers? Are you assuming FM Server automatically mirrors data across X amount of servers running Filemaker server? If so I think you are mistaken.There can only be one Filemaker server you cant just add FM servers at each new location and expect them to all mirror themselves automatically it doesnt work like that.

 

I may have made a mistake... If i replace the 2 FileMaker server from the shops, by Filemaker Pros 13 versions, the office will be on FileMaker server, and then open Ports 5003 in TCP to the serveur?

Is there is any chance to make it work like this?

 

Thx

Tom

[Wim Decorte]

it sounds like you just want a WAN connection from FMP clients in the various shops to the one central server.  As stated before, that will work, the aspects to consider are:

 

- make sure each shop-to-server connection is fast and as latency-clear as possible

- design your solution with WAN connectivity in mind

 

However, and let me be blunt: if you don't have $4,000 to spend on a business critical solution then you are in trouble.  Server deployments are not costs, they are investments / insurance policies.

 

How much is it worth to the business to loose an hour's worth of business?  A day?