Re: Questions about serving database

In article
<b89bcc3d-7440-4ad5-98ab-8281115c8627@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Grip <grip@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Jul 9, 2:03 pm, David Averbach <dnaverb...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I've only every really set up FM Server 7 on a closed intranet, and
not from a public IP address. In any case, I'm exploring different
options for a client who has a small home office with a staff that
works remotely out of their homes, and I want to know as much as I can
before making recommendations. All this would be the latest version
FileMaker 9, although I only have Filemaker Advanced 8.5 right now.

1) I know the computer that serves the database can be anything, but a
few years ago, FM recommended a dedicated computer and actually
recommended a PC over a Mac. What would people recommend as minimum
specs for a computer, and if my client environment is almost all mac,
should I really get a PC? Any negative experiences on a mac or pc
because it wasn't a good enough computer?

2) What about services like POINT IN SPACE? $60 seems like a lot to
serve two files. I know they have a free trial, but would access be
all that much faster than say, upgrading cable internet to a static IP
address and a fairly cheap PC?

3) I've set up my database with a data file, and a shell file. I might
want to add a few users that just need access to a tiny bit of the
information. Instead of dealing with complex permission and users and
groups, is there any problem with just creating an additional shell
database that will only access the parts of the database that I tell
it to and not the rest? In other words, is there any problem with
having two different shell databases accessing the same data file? I
don't think so, but I'm just checking

4) Has anyone had experience dealing with photos served remotely (i.e.
not on a local network). I tried this on our intranet and local was
fine, but across country was too slow. But that was a few years ago
with FM7. How about now access a host over an internet connection?

Thanks so much.

David Averbach

1) I think the dedicated server idea is a good one, but haven't heard
that PCs are preferred over Macs. Do you have a reference? I have
several clients set up on Mac Minis. Works great.

A Mac Mini is what I would have also gone with for a small Mac-based
organisation I do work for. Unfortunately they decided to go to another
(incompetent) person for their server needs and got conned into a
PowerMac and a whole pile of extras and an expensive "maintenance"
contract ... and the system still doesn't work properly nearly six
months later. They didn't even really need a "server system" at all
since they had a couple of spare iMacs that could have done the job
just as well.



Helpful Harry
Hopefully helping harassed humans happily handle handiwork hardships ;o)
.

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