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FileMaker Training

FileMaker Server8

& NetworkConfigurations

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FileMaker Server 8 & Network Confgurationspage

2006 FileMaker, Inc. All rights reserved. FileMaker is a registered trademark o FileMaker, Inc.,in the U.S. and other countries. The le older logo is a trademark o FileMaker, Inc. All othertrademarks are the property o their respective owners. The example companies, organization,products, domain names, e-mail addresses, logos, people, places and events depicted arepurely ctitious, and any resemblance to existing persons and companies is purely coincidental.Product speci cations and availability subject to change without notice.

Special credit to Bob Bowers, Steve Lane, and Scott Love o Soliant Consulting ( www.soliantconsulting.com ) or assisting FileMaker, Inc. with the development o this document.

This document may not be reproduced or otherwise redistributed without consent o FileMaker, Inc.

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FileMaker Server 8 & Network Confgurations page

Table o ContentsGetting Started with FileMaker Server .................................................................... .. 4

Objectives ........................................................................... .......................................... 4FileMaker Server 8 as a Hosting Option ................................................................... 4

FileMaker Server 8 vs. FileMaker Server 8 Advanced ............................................. 5

FileMaker Server 8 Features and Bene ts ................................................................ 6

Choosing Your Hardware ............................................................................ ................ 8

Mixing FileMaker 7 and FileMaker 8 .......................................................................11

About the Server Migration Tools ............................................................................ 12

Installing and Con guring FileMaker Server 8.......................................................13

Exercise 1: Con guring FileMaker Server 8 ...........................................................24

Scheduling Backups ..................................................................................................25

Server Administration ..................................................................... ........................... 27

Exercise 2: Creating a Backup Schedule ................................................................26

Maintenance and Troubleshooting .........................................................................29

Administering FileMaker Server 8 with the Command Line ................................31

Review Questions ......................................................................................................39

Review Answers .........................................................................................................41

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FileMaker Server 8 & Network Con igurations

Getting Started with FileMaker Server 8Thus ar youve learned how to work with FileMaker Pro 8 as a user, in order to build databases.In this module, youll begin to learn ways to share the databases youve built with others.

The FileMaker Pro 8 client so tware can share databases with up to ve other users in a peer-to-peer con guration. In cases where you need to support a larger groupup to 250 simultaneousconnectionsyoull need FileMaker Server 8. FileMaker Server 8 is high per ormance serverso tware that allows you to share and manage your database solutions. Its primary unction isto share FileMaker databases with FileMaker clients, whether those clients are FileMaker Pro8 or FileMaker Pro 8 Advanced, on a Macintosh or Windows operating system. In addition,

FileMaker Server 8 provides unctionality that can ne-tune the per ormance o your solutions,and allows or administration locally or remotely. Using FileMaker Server 8 and local or domainauthentication services, you can also leverage existing network security standards to customizeand protect your solutions.

Objectives

This module is an introduction to the unctions and eatures o FileMaker Server 8 as well assharing your FileMaker Pro databases. By the end o this module, youll learn:

The bene ts o using FileMaker Server 8 The advantages o using FileMaker Server 8 instead o peer-to-peer hosting How to determine optimal FileMaker Server 8 con guration settings How to determine optimal FileMaker Server 8 hardware con gurations How to install and con gure FileMaker Server 8 How to host les in FileMaker Server 8 How to schedule and manage backups How to use the command line to administer FileMaker Server 8

FileMaker Server 8 as a Hosting Option

Be ore considering administration and con guration topics, its important to understand howFileMaker Server 8 compares to FileMaker Pro 8 as a hosting option.

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Up to this point, you may have only worked with les as a single user, and have only createdapplications used by one client at a time. While some database solutions may only need to beaccessed by one user at a time, most o your databases will need to be available to many usersat the same time. FileMaker Server 8 is designed to share your FileMaker Pro solutions across alocal workgroup or a wide area network.

Server vs. Single-User and Peer-to-PeerThe FileMaker Pro 8 (and FileMaker Pro 8 Advanced) applications can share up to 10 databases,in a peer-to-peer manner, with up to 5 users at a time by simply enabling network sharing(choose Sharing, FileMaker Network, under the Edit menu on Windows, or the FileMaker Pro8/Pro 8 Advanced menu on Mac OS X). By contrast, FileMaker Server 8 installed on a serverwith enough RAM and a ast processor can allow up to 250 simultaneous connections to amaximum o 125 database les, and an additional 100 Instant Web Publishing connections.

Also in contrast to peer-to-peer sharing, FileMaker Server 8 allows you to disconnect idleusers (users who have not had any interaction with their connected database or a prede nedperiod o time). The ability to automatically disconnect idle users at pre-designated intervalsallows FileMaker Server 8 to support workgroups o more than 250 users by reeing up unusedconnections or new users. It also provides an added measure o security by disconnectingusers who may have le t their workstation.

A third bene t o FileMaker Server 8 is its ability to improve the per ormance o shareddatabases. It allows databases to run aster by using sophisticated caching to take advantageo server architecture: high-per ormance hard disk storage systems; multi-CPU servers; andlarge amounts o RAM.

Finally, FileMaker Server 8 has built in capabilities or creating backups. In a peer-to-peerenvironment, you will need to manually make backups o your database les when theyre notin use.

FileMaker Server 8 vs. FileMaker Server 8 Advanced

FileMaker Server 8 allows you to share your database solution with users who have the FileMakerPro client so tware installed on their local workstation. FileMaker Server 8 Advanced providesyou with two additional connectivity options. The rst is ODBC/JDBC connectivity: databaseshosted by FileMaker Server Advanced can be a data source or ODBC and JDBC transactions.For instance, you could use Microso t Excel to pull data directly rom FileMaker Server. You areallowed a maximum o 50 ODBC/JDBC connections, which count toward the 250 concurrentuser limit. More in ormation on using ODBC/JDBC access can be ound in the Connectivity module.

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The other type o access provided by FileMaker Server 8 Advanced is web access. When youpurchase or upgrade to FileMaker Server 8 Advanced, you get an application called the WebPublishing Engine (WPE) which works in conjunction with a Web server (IIS on Windows, Apacheon Mac OS X) and FileMaker Server to provide browser access to your hosted databases. Youneed the WPE to do both Instant Web Publishing and Custom Web Publishing. FileMaker ServerAdvanced can host a maximum o 100 concurrent web sessions (this is above and beyond the250 client limit). Instant Web Publishing and Custom Web Publishing are covered in detail inother modules.

FileMaker Server Features and Bene its

In addition to its ability to share FileMaker Pro databases with a large number o users, FileMakerServer 8 has a number o other eatures and bene ts.

Indexes and Calculations on the serverFileMaker Server 8 manages the indexing or all hosted database les, and some searchesand calculations are per ormed by the server instead o the client. This results in improvedper ormance and less network tra c.

Remote AdministrationFileMaker Server 8 can be administered locally or remotely using the FileMaker ServerAdmin application, which is included on the FileMaker Server 8 CD. The FileMaker ServerAdmin application can be installed on the FileMaker Server 8 machine itsel , as well as onadditional machines. Using the FileMaker Server Admin application, FileMaker Server 8 canbe administered remotely without the use o the FileMaker Pro client or any plug-in, as wasnecessary with earlier versions o FileMaker Server.

Scheduled TasksFileMaker Server 8 also allows you to per orm live backups while the les are in use. A livebackup is one in which the backup process is per ormed while users are still working with theles. With the use o FileMaker Servers automated tasks, you can protect your database whileit is in use by scheduling backups to run at speci c times. You can also set FileMaker Server 8 torun a batch script at a scheduled time, or you can use FileMaker Server 8 to send a message ata scheduled time to alert users about scheduled maintenance, backup reminders, or anythingelse you may want to noti y connected users about.

Consistency ChecksAs FileMaker Server 8 opens les, it per orms a consistency check on les that were not closedproperly or have not yet been opened using FileMaker Server 8. I a le is ound to be corrupt,FileMaker Server logs an entry into the Event Log and re uses to open the le. The consistency

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check veri es the low level consistency o the le, but does not check things like the indexbeing correct or the data or pictures that are internally corrupted.

I a le does not pass the consistency check, as a rst step, Save a Compressed Copy o thele and try again. I it still doesnt pass, per orm a recovery o the le. A recovered le shouldalways pass the consistency check and be considered sa e to use.

Event LoggingFileMaker Server 8 creates and identi es its own unique set o event log entries. These eventlog entries include events and activities such as users connecting to the server, what eventsoccurred while speci c users were connected, when the server was started, and when the lastknown server error occurred and how severe it was. The event logging in FileMaker Server 8 ismore extensive than earlier versions and includes more speci c error messages.

Automatic Plug-in UpdatesI your solution requires the use o plug-ins, you can use FileMaker Server to automate thedistribution o plug-ins to clients. As a user opens a le, you can have a script check to see i the user has the required plug-in installed, and i not, the script can download it rom the serverand install it transparently.

Security BeneftsYou can con gure FileMaker Server 8 to authenticate users against your networks built-in usersand groups. This reduces the overhead o managing user accounts and passwords by usingexternal authentication through centralized authentication management servers. With such ascheme in place, users can log into FileMaker databases with the same account and password

they use to access their desktop in a networked environment, potentially automatically withoutprompting.

In addition to the advanced security system included in FileMaker Pro 8, FileMaker Server 8provides additional data protection. You may encrypt the network tra c between FileMakerServer 8 and FileMaker Pro 8 desktop clients using SSL encryption. (This may impose someper ormance penalty due to the overhead o encrypting the communication).

Solution PartitioningFileMaker Server 8 can register with directory services such as Open Directory and WindowsActive Directory so that users and administrators can locate it using directory services. Users

display o hosted database names can also be ltered based on the users privileges. I your server hosts les or various departments, you can use this FileMaker Server 8 settingin combination with FileMaker Pro 8 user accounts to allow users to see only the databasesspeci c to their group.

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FileMaker Server 8 & Network Confgurationspage 8

Choosing Your Hardware

Your server hardware, network, and con guration will help determine the success o yourFileMaker Server deployment. Insuring the use o a reliable, certi ed, dedicated machine is thebest path to a success ul server deployment, and will dramatically impact the use ulness o adatabase or an organization. Even the most care ully developed database in the world will stillbe considered a ailure i access is unreliable.

The Server MachineFileMaker Server 8 should be installed on a dedicated computer. Avoid using other applicationson the machine that will compete with FileMaker Server 8 or use o the server resources,especially the hard drive. This will help to prevent conficts, per ormance slowdowns, and otherunexpected behaviors that will be detrimental to a deployment o your FileMaker databases.Installation o the basic operating system is recommended with FileMaker Server 8.

The best way to be sure your hardware works properly is to make sure you only use hardwareand components that are certi ed or your operating system. By using hardware that is certi edor your operating system you are using hardware that has been tested and approved to workas expected.

Get a name brand machine intended to be a server. O ten, it is important to use a systemthat server administrators are com ortable with. This is to your advantage when it comes tocon guring the hardware and the operating system. Since FileMaker Server 8 works on bothWindows and Mac OS X, this should not be a di cult task.

The undamental job or FileMaker Server 8 is to move data between the hard drive, memory,and the network or consumption by the clients. As with any database server, ast hard driveI/O and network is critical to overall per ormance. Processor speed and memory are alsoimportant.

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Below are the minimum recommended hardware speci cations or FileMaker Server 8:

No. o Clients Mac Windows

1 to 50 Mac OS X v10.3.9 or v10.4 or Mac OS X Server v10.3.9 or v10.4 Processor: G4 500 MHz RAM: 256 MB Hard Disk: 1 GB o available

disk space

Windows 2003 Server Standard Edition (withService Pack 1) or

Windows 2000 Server (with Service Pack 4) or Windows XP Pro essional SP 2* Processor: Pentium III 1GHz or Xeon RAM: 256 MB Hard Disk: 1 GB o available

disk space* Subject to Windows XP license terms

More than 50 Mac OS X Server v10.3.9 or v10.4 Processor: G4 1 GHz RAM: 512 MB (1GB or more

recommended) Hard Disk: 1 GB o available

disk space

Windows 2003 Server Standard Edition (withService Pack 1) or

Windows 2000 Server (with Service Pack 4)

Processor: Pentium 4 or Xeon RAM: 512 MB (1GB or more recommended) Hard Disk: 1 GB o available

disk space

On current operating systems, 256M RAM is the minimum, but or systems with more than 50users, 1GB RAM or more is recommended. FileMaker Server improves per ormance o yourapplication by caching data in memory, which can be read and written much aster than disk.The maximum amount o memory that can be addressed by FileMaker Server is 2GB, and themaximum size o the cache is 800MB. Large les and larger numbers o users require moreRAM. You want to make sure that your server has enough memory or FileMaker Server and stillhas plenty le t or other operating system unctions.

Your servers disk drives are another important component to consider when optimizingper ormance. Drive speed and quality are more important than drive size. Youll need a largeenough drive to contain your data and some number o backups, but a larger hard drive wonthave an impact on per ormance. Rather, youll want to get the astest hard drive/controllercombination possible. For a high-per ormance hard drive you can look at a SCSI UltraWidehard drive or, even better, a hardware-based SCSI RAID system. The SCSI architecture is morescalable than ATA and IDE systems. ATA and IDE only allow or two drives to be connected toa channel, and there are commonly only two channels available, making a total o our drives,once o which is generally a CD-ROM drive. In contrast, the asynchronous I/O o SCSI deviceshas intelligence to allow multiple devices to be working simultaneously, returning data to thecontroller in the most e cient manner.

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On the other hand, SCSI drives are typically signi cantly more expensive than ATA and IDEdrives and normally require additional hardware. For the price o a single SCSI drive, you maybe able to purchase two ATA/IDE drives o comparable capacity and pair them in a ast RAIDcon guration. It is not recommended that you use USB or Firewire based drives or FileMakerServer.

I many large les are being used, a cache controller can be added to urther speed theconnection. This piece o hardware will act as a cache to the disks, working much more quicklythan physically accessing the disks.

Con gure the hard drive subsystem to work as e ciently as possible. For example, i you havetwo hard drives and two controllers, install each drive on separate controllers rather than bothon one. I you have a RAID array and a hardware RAID controller, build one container andpartition it rather than having two containers, so that the controller only has to deal with oneset o parity data.

Deciding which processor you need depends upon the operating system used and itsrequirements. Remember to treat this as a server machine and keep in mind that ODBC/JDBCconnections, server-side plug-ins, and encryption will place additional demands on the server.On the Windows plat orm, an Intel Pentium processor is pre erred over the less expensiveCeleron processor. Again, check the documentation or the chosen operating system orrecommendations.

FileMaker Server 8 is a multi-threaded application. This means that the system can per orm manyunctions at once, and can distribute its threads across multiple processors. Since FileMakerServer 8 per orms more o the search and calculation routines than its predecessors, you willwant a system with enough processing power to keep your databases per orming well. Buyinga machine with more than one processor could be an e ective way to increase the speed andresponsiveness o your solution.

While FileMaker Server 8 is multi-threaded, it will not work across multiple clustered CPUs.FileMaker Server 8 cannot share a single le across multiple machines. You can, however,distribute multiple les rom the same solution across multiple machines.

The Network In rastructureAn important actor on the per ormance o your solution is the network in rastructure. It isimportant to have a high-bandwidth connection rom server to network. Its also important toorganize your network to minimize collisions.

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FileMaker Server 8 & Network Confgurations page 11

When two systems send in ormation across a TCP/IP network at exactly the same time, thereis a collision o data. When this occurs, the in ormation must be re-sent rom both systems.Collisions are a normal part o an Ethernet network, but excessive collisions will hinder thenetwork throughput. Because FileMaker makes use o a client/server architecture, networkthroughput is crucial to database per ormance. You will want a network with high bandwidthand ew collisions.

Start rst with a reliable, name-brand network card that is certi ed to work with your operatingsystem in a server environment. Not all cards are created equal. Many o the less expensivecards orce the computers CPU to per orm a majority o its instructions rather than having anon-board processor. Invest in a network card that is designed to work on servers.

A network card is just one component in your overall network design. You dont need a topo the line card or a low-end network. I the network uses standard CAT5 cabling and usesbottom o the line hubs, then it is a waste o hardware to get a network card designed ora Gigabit network. Many network hubs and switches also have an Auto Sensing option tochange between slower 10baseT and 100baseT connections. Auto sensing network cardshave been reported to cause problems with certain brands o switches. Be aware o this andcon gure the network card and the switch appropriately a ter testing in your environment.

You may also want to invest in high per ormance switches instead o generic network hubs.High per ormance switches monitor and direct network tra c to minimize collisions. With ewercollisions, FileMaker Server 8 and its connected clients will need to transmit ewer networkpackets, which will increase overall network throughput.

Another consideration is to have multiple networks set up on the server. FileMaker Server 8will make use o all network cards installed in the computer. This may be valuable in a multi-subnetted network because each subnet could connect directly to the FileMaker Server withoutneeding to cross a router. It is possible also to block FileMaker tra c on an inter ace at theoperating system level in order to devote that inter ace to such things as le sharing or backupo o fine les, etc.

Mixing FileMaker 7 and FileMaker 8

FileMaker 7 represented a completely new le ormat rom previous versions. As such, its notpossible or users with FileMaker Pro 6 to access les hosted under FileMaker Server 7, nor is itpossible or users with FileMaker Pro 7 to access les hosted under FileMaker Server 6.

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In contrast, FileMaker 7 and FileMaker 8 share a common le ormat, di erent only to the extentnecessary to support eatures that are new to FileMaker 8. So its possible or users with theFileMaker Pro 7 client to access les hosted on FileMaker Server 8, and vice versa. There are aew potential issues to be aware o , though.

Clearly, eatures o FileMaker Pro 8 will not be available to users who access FileMaker Pro 8les using the FileMaker Pro 7 client. Being used in this way will not damage les, but the resultsmay look strange. Objects placed on the panels o a FileMaker Pro 8 Tab Control, or instance,will all appear on top o one another when the le is opened in FileMaker Pro 7. There are alsosecurity concerns to be aware o . I you are using Custom Menus to restrict access to certainunctionality, a user opening the le with FileMaker Pro 7 will not experience these restrictions.Theyll have their standard menu set instead.

So just bear in mind that FileMaker Server 8 can work with both FileMaker Pro 7 and FileMakerPro 8 clients, as long as you pay appropriate attention to eature di erences between the twoversions.

Another con guration that has limitations is using FileMaker Pro 8 clients with FileMakerServer 7. Most eatures o FileMaker Pro 8 will unction as expected or FileMaker Pro 8 clientsin this con guration. Finds using the new date and time range search syntax and many o the new calculation unctions need to be evaluated on the server in certain situations, andthere ore may not always return the expected result. The calculation unctions, or instance,work properly in situations where they are evaluated by the client, such as during scripts andunstored calculations, but not when they need to be evaluated at the server, such as duringschema modi cations involving stored calculations and nds on unstored elds.

One nal compatibility issue pertains to server administration. The FileMaker Server 8 Adminapplication can only be used to administer FileMaker Server 8. Similarly, you need the FileMakerServer 7 Admin application to administer FileMaker Server 7.

About the Server Migration Tools

FileMaker Server 8 ships with a package known as the Migration Tools. The Migration Tools areintended to assist you in preserving your con guration settings when moving rom FileMakerServer or Server 7 Advanced to FileMaker Server or Server 8 Advanced. They are meant tobe used during the migration process. The ollowing are the steps that you should take whenmigrating rom FileMaker Server 7 to FileMaker Server 8:

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Figure 1

One copy o the FileMaker Server Admin application can administer many instances o FileMaker Server 8. For example, an administrator can install the admin application on herlaptop and administer multiple remote servers. The admin application has slightly di erentunctionality on Windows and Mac OS X plat orms. On Windows, the FileMaker Server Adminapplication can only have a connection to one FileMaker Server open at one time. On Mac OSX, the FileMaker Server Admin application can have connections to multiple FileMaker Serversopen simultaneously, but only i the Allow Multiple Open Servers option is checked in thePre erences dialog.

I you are planning to do remote administration, youll need to open up port 5006 in your rewall.This is the port through which the Server Admin tool talks to FileMaker Server. (FileMaker Proclients communicate with the server over port 5003.)

Confguration optionsThere are a number o con guration options that can be speci ed or FileMaker Server. Whenyou launch the Server Admin application and establish a connection to a FileMaker Server, youwill be presented with various con guration options. The con guration menu or Windows andMac are shown in Figure 2.

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Figure 2

The con guration options available are the same regardless o what plat orm you run theServer Admin application on, but the inter ace and location o options are slightly di erent.Also, on Windows, most options can be con gured either via the 6 wizards shown in Figure2, or via the FileMaker Server Properties dialog. You can get to the properties dialog by rightclicking on the server in the le t hand panel and selecting properties. There are a ew optionson Windows that are only con gurable via this dialog; its also aster and easier to nd theoptions you need than it is to click through the wizards. The discussion o con gurations belowollows the organization o the properties dialog.

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ClientsThe Client tab (Figure 3) allows you to con gure the number o simultaneous connectionsFileMaker Server will accept. Although the maximum it can be set to is 250 FileMaker Proconnections and 100 Web Publishing Engine sessions (remember that you need FileMakerServer 8 Advanced to allow Web access), you should speci y a number thats slightly higherthan the number o concurrent users you expect. This will ree up memory or other purposesand may result in better per ormance.

Another con guration option in the Client Connections area is the idle disconnect time. Thiseature gives you the ability to disconnect idle users those who have not had any interactionwith a database or a prede ned period o time. With this setting enabled, FileMaker Server8 automatically disconnects these users a ter the designated interval, thus reeing up unusedconnections or new users. I some users need the ability to keep a le open inde nitely, youcan con gure their Privilege Set in that le to prevent automatic disconnection. You do this byunchecking the Disconnect users rom FileMaker Server when idle option.

The nal option, allow FileMaker Pro clients to download updates automatically, must beenabled i you intend to use FileMaker Server to distribute plug-ins to client machines.

Figure 3

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DatabasesWithin the Database tab (Figure 4), you may con gure the number o databases that can behosted, and speci y the database cache size and fush time. Also, a eature new to FileMakerServer 8 is the option to have the server per orm a consistency check when les are hosted orthe rst time or i they have been closed improperly. You should leave this eature enabled atall times.

Database Files. FileMaker Server 8 can host a maximum o 125 les, but i you haveewer than this, you should speci y a smaller number to ree up resources.

Database Cache. FileMaker Server uses a RAM-based database cache to speed upthe rate at which it can send and receive data to the network. Increasing the cachesize will allow more o your database in ormation to be served rom RAM, improvingper ormance and reducing the amount o disk activity. The Server Admin application

will provide an initial guess as to what the best cache size is or your setup, based on theRAM it nds available. The maximum cache size allowed in FileMaker Server 8 is 800MB.

In order to establish the optimal cache setting or your con guration, youll need to keep an eyeon the cache hit percentage, reported on the Statistics screen o the Server Admin application.This indicates the number o requests that have been able to be ul lled by data rom the RAMcache. In general, youd like this number to be above 90%. I it alls much below that, considerraising the amount o RAM dedicated to the cache.

Flushing the Database Cache. FileMaker Server 8 has a cache-fushing algorithm thatattempts to fush the entire database cache in the time speci ed on this screen. Forinstance, i the cache interval is set to the de ault o one minute, 1/60th o the cachewill be scanned and fushed every second. Any changed in ormation will be written todisk and then another 1/60th o the cache will be scanned. A longer interval meansbetter server per ormance, but greater risk o data loss i the server crashes with alarge unsaved cache. A shorter interval means lower risk, but increased hard driveand processor user and there ore potentially decreased database per ormance. It isrecommended that you leave this setting as the de ault one minute.

Consistency checking. As FileMaker Server 8 opens les that were not closed properlyor have not been opened yet with FileMaker Server 8, it per orms a consistency check oneach le and logs an error in the event log i the le doesnt pass the check. FileMakerServer 7 did not per orm this check. For this reason, you may encounter more corruptionthan anticipated when rst opening previously used les. It is recommended that you letthe Server per orm consistency checks, as its better to know about le consistency errorsas quickly as possible.

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I it does encounter le corruption, FileMaker Server 8 will re use to open the le. Slightlydamaged les may be recoverable by creating a compressed le using the Save A Copy Asunction. Do not use the File Maintenance tool to Compact or Optimize possibly damagedles. I a le still does not pass the consistency check, per orm a recovery o the le. Recoveredles should always pass the consistency check and are considered sa e to use in FileMaker 8.

Figure 4

Runtime SolutionsEnabling this option allows solutions bound with the Database Utilities tool o FileMaker Pro8 Advanced to be shared in the same manner as standard FileMaker Pro databases. Youalso speci y here the extensions associated with your solution, so that FileMaker Server 8 canidenti y which les to share. This is the only option or sharing bound database solutions overa network. Unless used in conjunction with FileMaker Server, bound solutions are single-useronly. The process or creating runtime solutions is discussed in the FileMaker Pro 8 Advanced

module.

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Figure 5

De ault FoldersWhen FileMaker Server is started, it will open all database les stored in the de ault databaseolder and those stored one level deep in olders in that directory. You can change the de aultdirectory and/or speci y an additional database older. Similarly, theres a de ault directory orbackups, which can be modi ed on this screen.

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Figure 6

AdministrationThe Administration tab allows you to confgure settings or administering FileMaker Server.

FileMaker Server Host Name. When a FileMaker Pro client views the list o availableFileMaker Servers in the Open Remote File dialog, they will see the name that it hasbeen given. You can choose via this dialog to speci y whether to use the system nameor the server machine or to your own custom name, which may be more intelligible andmeaning ul to your users.

Administrator Authentication. This screen allows you to speci y how administrators o the server will be authenticated. You have the option to require no password, to speci ya password, or to require that administrators are members o an msadmin group onthe machine where FileMaker Server is running.

Remote Administration. By checking Allow remote users to administer FileMakerServer, you enable connections rom remote installations o the FileMaker Server Adminapplication. You can always do local administration, but remote administration isntavailable until this option has been enabled.

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Figure 7

LoggingUsage statistics and logging provide a means or monitoring server per ormance and usage.The time speci ed in the dialog is the requency at which FileMaker Server takes a snapshoto memory, processor, and network usage. The de ault value o 15 seconds is probably nein most cases. You can view the usage statistics in real time by clicking on the Statistics tool inthe Server Admin application. You can also choose to have the usage statistics written out toa le called Stats.log to be reviewed later. By setting a maximum log size, you limit the lengtho time you can review these statistics. In FileMaker Server 8 on Mac OS X, the log is now tab-delimited and includes two new elds: Event ID and level o security. The Mac OS X log le canbe opened and viewed while events continue to be captured in the log.

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Figure 8

Directory ServiceFileMaker Server can be registered with an LDAP-compliant Directory Service. This is typicallyonly going to be o interest to organizations that have many FileMaker Servers to manage. Onebene t o using a Directory Service is that users dont need to know the address or location o the server. When they use the Open Remote dialog to open les, theyll authenticate to thedirectory service, which will respond with a list o servers that the user has access to. I theaddress or location o the server changes, the system administrator can repoint the directoryservice to the new address; its transparent to the end user. Using a directory service alsoprovides additional security, in that a user wont even be able to see the server or lists o hostedles without authenticating to the directory service.

The Directory Service settings have nothing whatsoever to do with using an external server toauthenticate user accounts.

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Figure 9

SecurityThere are three con guration options available on the Security tab.

Client Authentication. I you want to use an External Server to authenticate access todatabases hosted by the server, you need to choose the FileMaker and External Serveraccounts option. A database le must always have at least one account with the [FullAccess] privilege set that is authenticated by FileMaker. I you choose to allow ExternalServer authentication, your server should be a member o a domain that uses ActiveDirectory. When a user attempts to log into a database, FileMaker Server will send theaccount name and password to the external server; it will receive back a list o groupsto which that user belongs. I one o those groups is allowed access to the le, then theuser will be granted access and given the privilege set speci ed or that group. See theSecurity module or in ormation on setting up Accounts and Privilege Sets.

Filter the Display o Files. This option controls what a user will see when they clickon the host name rom the Open Remote dialog. I it is set to Display all databases,then the user will see all databases that are open on FileMaker Server (that is, theyhave a status o Normal) and which have at least one privilege set with the FileMaker

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3. Set the idle disconnect time to 1 hour.

4. Set the maximum number o client connections to 10.

5. Turn on remote administration.6. Turn on le list ltering.

Scheduling Backups

You can con gure FileMaker Server to per orm three types o scheduled tasks: running batchscripts, creating backups, and sending messages to users. By ar, the most requent task youllneed the server to per orm is scheduled backups. Its important that you ollow the properprocedures, outlined below, or backing up your hosted database les. Failure to do so mayresult in backups that are corrupted and unusable.

Backups are important because they help prevent loss o time, data, and productivity. Byhaving accessible backups you can recover rom a situation where someone changes and thenaccidentally or will ully removes scripts, layouts, or data in a database le. It cannot be stressedenough how important it is to completely establish your backup routines.

Databases that are hosted by FileMaker Server are always in an open state. I you simplymake a copy o the database les or use a backup system to create copies o open les, theresulting copies wont necessarily be complete or stable. There are tasks that take place whena le is closed, including fushing the cache to disk.

When FileMaker Server backs up your les, it per orms whats known as a live backup. Theprocess begins with the creation o a copy o the live le to the directory speci ed by the task.Then, FileMaker Server pauses user activity, fushes the cache, and a synchronization processwrites any additional in ormation to the backup les that is necessary to make them stable,complete copies o the live les. Finally, FileMaker Server resumes communication with clientsagain. During the entire process, users never lose connection with FileMaker Server. At most,they will be paused rom their work or the time it takes to do the synchronization process,which is typically a short time. One indicator o the paused state in FileMaker Pro is a co eecup icon.

It is recommended that when selecting a location to back up your les, you always choose a

local drive. This allows FileMaker Server to per orm its scheduled backups aster and results inless down time or users. Additionally, i backing up to a shared drive, i that drive isnt availablewhen the backup is run, the backup will ail rather than be written to a secondary location.

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Server Administration

Once set, the con guration options described in the preceding sections are not likely to needrequent adjustment. You may o course adjust the settings any time the need arises, buttypically the day-to-day tasks involving FileMaker Server are ocused on le administration.This includes opening and closing les, monitoring users, and watching the server per ormancestatistics.

Opening and Closing FilesAs mentioned previously, i you have a le that you want to host via FileMaker Server, you needto enable the Access via FileMaker Network extended privilege or one or more privilegesets, and then you need to place the le in the database directory (by de ault, this is ../FileMakerServer 8/Data/Datbases). When FileMaker Server starts up, any databases in this directory orone subdirectory deep will be opened and available or immediate use. I FileMaker Serveris already running, you will need to use the Server Admin application to start the database.

A ter connecting to the server, you can see a list o database les hosted by FileMaker serverby clicking on the databases link, as shown in Figure 11.

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Figure 11

Databases will have a status o Normal, which means theyre open and available or use, orClosed. When you put new les into the database directory, you should initially see them hereas having a status o Closed. You can open a le by selecting it and choosing Action>Open, orby right clicking and using the contextual pop-up menu.

I you ever need to close a database, you can use the Server Admin application or this as well.You can leave the FileMaker service itsel running and close just those les you need to. Besure that i you ever want to manually create a backup or take a copy o a le that you close itrst. Similarly, to replace a le with an updated version, close the le using the Server Adminapplication, remove the old le and put the new one into the databases directory, then openthe le using the admin tool again.

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You can also see the number o clients connected to each le, and you can send messages toconnected guests rom this screen as well.

Monitoring ClientsClicking on the Clients link shown in Figure 11 brings up a list o all connected users, includingthose connected via the Server Admin application itsel . You can see how long clients havebeen idle, send messages to selected users, and orce ully disconnect users via this screen.

StatisticsThe Statistics screen shows you real time in ormation about how the server is per orming. Youcan see the number o hosted les, the number o clients, the network and disk tra c, and,importantly, the cache hit percentage. As mentioned earlier, you want the cache hit percentageto be high, ideally something in the 90-95% range during normal usage. Anything less thanthis is a possible indication that you need to increase the amount o RAM allocated as databasecache. The statistics re resh at the rate speci ed on the Logging con guration screen; thede ault is every 15 seconds.

Maintenance and Troubleshooting

Per ormance IssuesThree main areas a ect FileMaker Server 8 per ormance. These areas are disk usage, networkper ormance, and caching.

Disk usage was described in the hardware section o this module. An important actor or theper ormance o FileMaker will be a ast and clean I/O to the disk les. The aster FileMakercan write cached data to the hard drive, or write les as part o a scheduled task, the betteryour per ormance will be. For per ormance reasons, its also important to keep the FileMakerdatabase les local on the Server and not elsewhere on the network.

Reading data and writing updates to a local disk is a cornerstone o your basic FileMaker Serverper ormance. As seen in the section on FileMaker Server 8 hardware requirements, its use o network bandwidth is its second greatest use o resources. Your solution architecture can a ectthis. Be sure that the servers network resources are devoted to sharing only FileMaker. Startby turning o any le sharing and other unused services. What FileMaker Server does is notle sharing: it is data sharing. Any type o le sharing will reduce per ormance o the FileMakerServer.

Except or development purposes, its unwise to allow les to be shared though means otherthan FileMaker. I there were a way or a user to directly access the FileMaker (. p7) les viaa shared le directory, then that user could make separate copies o the les or use o fine,

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compromising the accuracy and security o the shared database. Users should access the dataonly through FileMaker Server, by using the Open Remote dialog. This is an issue to keepin mind i you choose to share your backup directory as well.

Avoiding TroubleYou should always try to reduce a computers extraneous workload, especially a servers.Even i you optimize a system or proper caching, network tra c, etc, i a server runs aprocessor-intensive screen-saver or virus scanner, you will ultimately hurt your serverper ormance. Checking or viruses is important, but dont steal valuable processor cycleswith constant virus scans. Schedule regular scans during o -peak hours. Also avoid usingenergy saving so tware. Since this is a server, requests by users can be made at almost anytime. You never want the hard drive to go to sleep. At most, let the screen power down.

Another important actor is operating system service packs. O ten so tware will have patchesand updates. Many o these can a ect per ormance, security, and basic unctionality. Be sure towatch basic system alerts or security issues and updates. Also, be aware o all security updatespertinent to your setup.

Restarting Your ServerI you need to reboot your server or any reason while users are connected to hosted databases,the recommended best practice or stopping FileMaker Server services is as ollows:

1. Send Message to All at least a ew minutes be ore you start the Close process, tellingthem what time you will close the les and suggesting that they not start any longreports/scripts.

2. Using the Server Admin application, Close All Databases, but give 5 to 10 minutesbe ore guests will be disconnected (instead o the de ault 2 minutes).

3. Hal way through the 5 or 10 minutes you selected or the Close, do another SendMessage to those still connected.

4. A ter the 5 or 10 minutes runs out, veri y in the Server Admin application that the lesare all closed.

5. Use the Stop FileMaker Server command rom the Server Admin application to stop theServer (not the Service Control Manager on Windows).

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Administering FileMaker Server 8 with the Command Line

As youve seen, FileMaker Server 8 can be controlled by the FileMaker Server Admin application.It can also be controlled through the use o a command line inter ace. On Windows, launch theCommand Prompt to access the command line, and on Mac OS X, use the Terminal application.On the command line, the FileMaker Server 8 services are addressed by using the msadmincommand in conjunction with an action command. On Mac OS X, these commands can berun rom any directory, because FileMaker Server is installed in the /usr/bin directory, and thatdirectory is included in PATH. On Windows, FileMaker Servers de ault install location is c:\Program Files\FileMaker\FileMaker Server 8\, and that directory is not added to the systempath during installation. That means i you want to administer FileMaker Server 8 using thecommand line on Windows, you have two options. The rst option is to navigate to the directorywhere the FileMaker Server executable resides be ore executing msadmin commands. Thesecond option is to modi y the path system variable so that the command can be run rom anydirectory.

To modi y the path on Windows 2000/2003 Server, you need to ollow these steps:1. Open Control Panels and click System.

2. In the System Properties dialog, click the Advanced tab.

3. Click Environment variables to bring up the Environment Variables dialog.

4. Select Path in the list o System Variables, and click Edit.

5. In the Variable Value box, add a semicolon to the end o the path statement, then typein the path to the FileMaker Server 8 older: C:\Program Files\FileMaker\FileMaker

Server 86. Click OK to exit all the dialogs, then reboot the computer or the change

to take e ect.

Following is a list o commands that you can use to administer FileMaker Server rom thecommand line. Although the commands are shown in uppercase or emphasis, the commandline is not case-sensitive.

Certain commands will respond with a prompt that asks i youre sure you want to execute thatcommand. A y or n response will indicate i you want to proceed. For those commands, a y/--yes parameter can be added to the command to suppress the prompt.

Other options are available when using the command line. Options exist in a short orm and along orm. When using the short orm, a single hyphen should be used. Multiple options maybe speci ed with one short orm hyphen (i.e., -y m). When using the long orm, two hyphensare required or each option, and a space must be inserted between each option (--yes orcemessage).

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The ollowing options may be used with all commands:

-h, --help Show the help page or this command-I address, --ip address Speci y the IP address o a remote server-p password, --password password Speci y the server password-u username, --username username Speci y server username and/or domain name-v, --version Show version in ormation-w seconds, --wait seconds Speci y time out wait in seconds-y, --yes Automatically answer yes to all prompts

Remember to enclose any multi-word parameters in single or double quotation marks.

BACKUPSyntax:msadmin BACKUP [File] [Path] [Options]

Description:BACKUP is used to back up either speci c les or all o the les in the paths speci ed in thecommand. It can be used in two ways. The de ault behavior is invoked when the BACKUPcommand is used by itsel . In this scenario, it per orms a live backup o the le(s), which causesthe least inter erence with client sessions. The other way to use the BACKUP command is inconjunction with the PAUSE and RESUME commands. The sequence o PAUSE, BACKUP, thenRESUME will execute an o fine backup, which is the type o backup per ormed by earlier

versions o FileMaker Server.

Options:-d path, --dest path Speci y the destination path or the backup le.:-o, --o fine Per orm an o fine backup

Examples:msadmin BACKUP Sales. p7 Backs up Sales. p7 lemsadmin BACKUP o Per orms o fine backup o all hosted lesmsadmin BACKUP /SalesMgt/ -d D:\Backups Backs up contents o SalesMgt older to

the D:\Backups older

CLOSESyntax:msadmin CLOSE [File] [Path] [Options]

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Description:This command closes the named le(s) or the les that reside at the speci ed paths.

Remember to leave a space between any option and its speci ed parameter. I no space ispresent, the de ault command will take over. For example, the command msadmin CLOSEy Inventory. p7 will close only the Inventory database. The command msadmin CLOSE yInventory. p7 will close all hosted databases.

Options:- , -- orce Forces database to close-m message, --message message Sends message to clients-t seconds, --grace-time seconds Speci es the number o seconds be ore databases

orce clients to disconnect. The de ault is 120 seconds.Examples:msadmin CLOSE Closes all hosted databases, with a y/n promptmsadmin CLOSE y Closes all hosted databases, suppresses promptmsadmin CLOSE y Sales. p7 Closes Sales. p7 database, suppresses promptmsadmin CLOSE y Sales Management. p7 Closes Sales Management database, suppresses

prompt)msadmin CLOSE y t 10 Sales Closes Sales Management database, suppresses

Management. p7 y/n prompt, gives users 10-second grace periodmsadmin CLOSE y m Closing or Closes Sales Management database, sends

maintenance Sales Management. p7 message Closing or maintenance to clients

DELETESyntax:msadmin DELETE schedule [Schedule Number] [Options]

Description:This command deletes a speci c schedule by re erencing its schedule number. You can learn theschedule numbers by using the LIST SCHEDULES command. There are no optional parametersspeci c to this command.

Examples:msadmin DELETE schedule 100 Deletes schedule 100, with a y/n promptmsadmin DELETE schedule 100 y Deletes schedule 100, suppresses prompt

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DISABLESyntax:msadmin DISABLE [Type] [Plug-in Number] [Schedule Number]

Description:This command can be used to disable plug-ins and/or schedules.

The LIST PLUGINS or LIST SCHEDULES commands can be used to nd the number o a plug-inor schedule.

Types:PLUGINSCHEDULE

Examples:msadmin DISABLE PLUGIN 98 Disables plugin 98msadmin DISABLE SCHEDULE 5 Disables schedule 5

DISCONNECTSyntax:msadmin DISCONNECT client [Client Number] [Options]

Description:Used to disconnect a speci c client. The client will get a disconnection message as a result o

this command.

The LIST CLIENTS command can be used to nd the number o a speci c client.

Option:-m message, --message message

Examples:msadmin DISCONNECT client 35 y m Sorry, its time to go.

Disconnects client 35, sends message Sorry, its time to go to user 35msadmin DISCONNECT client 27

ENABLESyntax:msadmin ENABLE [Type] [Plug-in Number] [Schedule Number]

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Description:O ten used in conjunction with DISABLE, this command can be used to enable a plug-in orschedule. Note: this command cannot be used to enable the xDBC plug-in, which has a non-standard plug-in behavior and can only be administered using the SAT and Server Properties.

The LIST PLUGINS or LIST SCHEDULES commands can be used to nd the number o a plug-inor schedule.

Examples:msadmin ENABLE PLUGIN 8msadmin ENABLE SCHEDULE 14

HELPSyntax:msadmin [options] HELP [COMMAND]

Description:This command is used to display help in ormation on msadmin commands. Note: msadminby itsel will also display help in ormation or the msadmin command.

Examples:msadmin HELP Displays help in ormation or the msadmin commandmsadmin HELP DISCONNECT Displays help in ormation on the DISCONNECT

commandmsadmin HELP commands Lists available commandsmsadmin HELP options Lists available options

LISTSyntax:msadmin LIST [Type] [Options]

Description:This command can be used to list all objects and their corresponding numbers. Can be usedto discover numbers or schedules, plug-ins, les, and clients.

Types:SCHEDULESPLUGINSFILESCLIENTS

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Option:-s, --stats Shows statistical in ormation about CLIENTS or FILES

Examples:msadmin LIST SCHEDULES Lists all schedulesmsadmin LIST PLUGINS Lists all pluginsmsadmin LIST FILES s Lists les and statistics about lesmsadmin LIST CLIENTS s Lists clients and relevant in ormation

OPENSyntax:msadmin OPEN [File] [Path]

Description:This command is used to open database les in the de ault and additional olders. Can also beused to open speci c les or all les in a speci c path.

Examples:msadmin OPEN Sales Management. p7 Opens le Sales Management. p7msadmin OPEN Opens all les in the de ault oldermsadmin OPEN 3 Opens le ID 3

PAUSESyntax: msadmin PAUSE [File] [Path]

Description:This command pauses database les, meaning that clients can no longer actively work withthem. The RESUME command is used to make them available again.

Examples:msadmin PAUSE Pauses all databasesmsadmin PAUSE 6 Pauses le ID 6msadmin PAUSE Sales. p7 Pauses the Sales. p7 lemsadmin PAUSE Sales Management. p7 Pauses the Sales Management. p7 lemsadmin PAUSE /SalesMgt/ Pauses all databases in SalesMgt older

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RELOADSyntax:msadmin RELOAD

Description:This command reloads con guration properties rom the last saved con guration. I anycon guration changes have been made but not saved, they will be overwritten.

RESUMESyntax:msadmin RESUME [File] [Path]

Description:This command resumes databases that have been paused.

Examples:msadmin RESUME Sales. p7

RUNSyntax: msadmin RUN schedule [Schedule Number]

Description:Runs a schedule speci ed by number. Use LIST SCHEDULES to nd schedule numbers.

Examples:msadmin RUN Schedule 3

SENDSyntax:msadmin SEND [Options] [File] [Path]

Description:Used to send a text message to all clients connected to les in a speci c path, all clientsconnected to a speci c le, or a speci c client.

Options:-m message, --message message Sends message to clients-c, --client Speci es speci c client

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Examples:msadmin SEND m Knock knock. Sends message Knock knock to all clientsmsadmin SEND m Knock knock. Sales. p7 Sends message Knock knock to all clients

connected to the Sales database

STATUSSyntax:msadmin STATUS [Type] [Client Number] [File]

Description:The STATUS command is used to determine the status o a client or le.

Types:CLIENTFILE

Examples:msadmin STATUS CLIENT 47msadmin STATUS FILE Sales. p7msadmin STATUS FILE Sales Management. p7

STOPSyntax:msadmin STOP [Options]

Description:Stops FileMaker Server and grants all connected users 30 seconds to disconnect. This de aultgrace period can be modi ed using the t option.

Options:- , -- orce Forces database to stop-m message, --message message Sends message to clients-t seconds, --grace-time seconds Speci es the number o seconds be ore databases

orce clients to disconnect. Examples:msadmin STOPmsadmin STOP msadmin STOP t 180 m Shutting down in 3 minutes.

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Review Questions

1. How many les can FileMaker Server 8 host?

2. What is the maximum number o FileMaker Pro 8 client connections that can accessdatabases on a FileMaker Server 8?

3. What additional capabilities does FileMaker Server 8 Advanced provide?

4. What is the maximum number o connections FileMaker Server 8 Advanced can openor ODBC/JDBC and web?

5. What are the di erences in hosting capabilities between FileMaker Server 8 andFileMaker Pro 8?

6. What are the critical hardware components to consider or optimizing your FileMakerServer 8 computers per ormance?

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7. What needs to be considered in con guring the network capabilities o a FileMakerserver machine?

8. How can you secure network communication between FileMaker Server 8 andFileMaker Pro 8?

9. What ports must be open in a rewall to allow remote administration o a FileMakerServer and to allow remote client connections?

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Review Answers

1. 125 les per server.

2. 250 client connections.

3. FileMaker Server 8 Advanced allows Web and ODBC/JDBC connections.

4. The maximum is 50 ODBC/JDBC connections, which count against the 250-clientconnection limit, and 100 web connections, which are above and beyond the clientconnection limit.

5. There are many advantages FileMaker Server has over FileMaker Pro when it comes tohosting a le or multiple users, including the ollowing:

FileMaker Pro 8 can only host up to 5 clients at one time, while FileMaker Server 8 canhost 250.

FileMaker Server 8 can encrypt network tra c between itsel and FileMaker Pro 8clients.

FileMaker Server 8 can disconnect idle FileMaker Pro 8 client connections.

FileMaker Server 8 can backup live databases at scheduled times.

6. The hard drive subsystem, the number and speed o processors, memory, and thenetworking card(s).

7. You should disable any services, such as le sharing, that will compete with FileMakerServer or network and hard drive utilization.

8. FileMaker Server 8 can be con gured to encrypt the network tra c between FileMakerServer 8 and FileMaker Pro 8.

9. Port 5006 or the Server Admin application, and port 5003 or FileMaker Pro clientconnections

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