U720 and Remote Logins and Admin

jackrodgers · EVDO Addict Joined: 23 Mar 2006 Posts: 1131

A success store and one reason I use the wireless broadband.

The following is based on my use of a U720, Sprint and a MacBook Pro. Any other combination of computer, vendor or wireless card might work just as well.

This am one of my Filemaker clients could not access one of his files and others had lost connection with other files.

Fortunately Windows admin had provided me with Logmein, a remote pc admin software on the internet.

When I logged into the server remotely I received a message from Windows that it had updated files on the Filemaker Server computer and then did a required shutdown.

Use Filemaker Admin I found that one file was not open.

Everything is on UPS so the culprit here is probably Windows doing an auto-shutdown on its own. Fielmaker Server starts up automatically when the computer is booted.

I theorize that Windows did not wait patiently for the Filemaker server to shut down or maybe even ask it to shut down and thus files were damaged.

I did turn off that auto-update feature and change it to I will do it. I replaced the entire set of files with a backup made just after the store closed, ran a few utilities to verify them and everything is now working fine.

Filemaker 8 Server is set to verify every file when it startups up and this may take 5 or 10 minutes but it does provide better security for the files.

So, there are a list of things to do and I have added that to my list as a novice Windows user:
Only Filemaker running on the Filemaker Server 8 Computer
Turn off automatic updates and shutdown feature
Turn off Sleep, hibernation, disk sleep, etc.
Attach ups battery backups to all computers, hubs, etc.
When doing a Windows update, first quit Filemaker.
If scripting an automatic shutdown of the server, force a backup into a folder just for emergencies, be sure to script turning off Filemaker Server first, then the computer.
Quit Filemaker before shutting your computer down so that if it installs updates automatically and then blinks off there will be no damage.

This was all done from a remote location (Starbucks, home, motel/hotel) I was able to do all the needed work using a MacBook Pro and a Sprint wireless broadband card (Doesn't have to be a Sprint card and doesn't have to be a Mac) using Safari and Logmein, a remote desktop web site.

I opened the Windows XP desktop on my MacBook Pro in Safari, opened Filemaker Addministrator, turned off the Filemaker Server service, made a copy of the 8 PM backup folder (every two hours in unique folders and I am about to add every two hours for each day of the week, unique), verified files. I then trashed the old files and then copied the backup files to that folder and restarted.

I did all of this from 100 miles away and faster than than when I lived 10 minutes from the store. More Power to the Filemaker Developer using MacBooks (and PowerBooks) of all flavors, or to someone using Windows.

OK, one suggestion that should be a requirement. Filemaker Pro on all client computers should be quit immediately when finished. Filemaker Pro should also be closed before the computer is shut down, virus software updated, etc. And before any updates of any kind.

Note that I was 100 miles away, a two hour drive, from the client's store. I used to live about 15 minutes away. There was no delay from stopping to eat breakfast, showering and dressing, driving, etc.