Serving options in a OSX 10.5 envrionment
hi folks,
i am trying to serve ebase to four users in one office. all our machines are macs on OSX 10.5. we own copies of filemaker 7 and filemaker allows us to downgrade to 6. i also scored a filemaker 5.5 server donation.
my problem is that fm 5.5 server will not run under 10.5. it starts once and starts to serve the ebase files, and then it says the server stops running. the config utility changes from "running" to "start," but when i click start it says another instance of server is already running. but when i look at the process manager i can see that fmserverd is no longer running! so it's a ghost. only restarting the server fixes that issue.
so, no server 5.5.
i got creative and decided to try to run filemaker 6 on the server and use the sharing feature. i know the manual says not to do this, but it would be better than nothing. i have changed each of the databases to share, and i can use another mac with filemaker to see and log in to the shared ebase! the first time i did this got as far as the login and main screens; but clicking contacts locked up filemaker and hung my laptop. after forcing a reboot and trying to connect to the shared database again, filemaker locks up before getting to the ebase login.
so... any advice for sharing on a OSX 10.5 network? do i need a second server running 10.1? do i need to wait for someone to ever upgrade ebase to filemaker 7/8/9?
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FileMaker Server in 10.5
Rather than try to make this work, find a server version that runs the FileMaker Server 5.5 or 6 that you own and run it on that. The most recent build of ebasePro 2.20 was built to run on existing nonprofits investments in FileMaker 5.5 and 6 and this spec is clearly stated. I have not seen FMS 5.5/6 running under OSX Server 10.5.x.
Best - Tim Leed
FileMaker Server on OS 10.5
I suspect your problem is not Leopard, but an Intel Mac. You don't say, but it's likely that your 10.5 system was delivered on a new Mac which has the Intel chip. Server 5.5 will not run on the Intel system. It doesn't take much of a machine to run FileMaker Server. My recommendation is to find an older used Mac with the PowerPC chip (on CraigsList or some such) for your server.
server 5.5 will not run on OSX 10.5
well, no, the problem is certainly 10.5, not the intel chip, at least in my case.
the box i was trying it on was a G5. i also tried server 5.5 on a G4 with 10.5. same problem. when i tried the same box with 10.4, no problem! FM server 5.5 runs great on 10.4.
which means i either have to downgrade my server to 10.4, or run a second server. that's what i am doing now - running an old powerbook on 10.4 and FM server 5.5. i'd rather not need two servers, what a pain.
the other option would perhaps be virtual PC on a G5 or parallels on an intel chip, and a virtual windows XP running filemaker server 5.5.
Possible Multiple Server Instances???
One other idea... (this is a little bit "intuition/feeling", so... don't take it as gospel truth if it doesn't seem to check out)
Seems to me I've had message like this pop up in situations where I was doing training sessions on a big local area network. Turned out that the community college where the training was being held had ALREADY installed the copy of FileMaker Server on ANOTHER machine. So... when we tried to start up FileMaker Server, the feedback that "another instance is already running" was actually CORRECT!
Make sure to check whether FM Server is perhaps already starting BEFORE you make your effort to start it manually...
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Larry
ebase Consultant
www.quimdas.com