[FX.php List] Two DB's or One?

Bob Patin bob at patin.com
Sat Sep 23 15:24:18 MDT 2006 

Hi,

Yes, I actually was referring to using a separate machine to run FM  
Unlimited. When I started hosting FM databases for the web, OS X  
Server didn't exist yet, and at the time WebSTAR was the best choice  
for a web server on OS 9 (at least, in my opinion). Under OS 9, it's  
best that FMU is in the foreground, so I always dedicated machines (I  
still use 14 of them) to FMU. The only other app that I run on an FMU  
machine is an FTP server.

These days, with OS X Server, I still use separate web servers; I  
have 4 machines running OS X Server, 3 of which address FM databases  
(both version 6 with CDML and version 7/8 with PHP). With the advent  
of inexpensive little machines like the Mac Mini, one could put FMU  
on a Mac Mini and it would probably work just fine in that capacity  
(I haven't tried it, but have used much slower machines as FMU  
machines in the past and they actually performed fairly well for low- 
to-medium-traffic sites). I use RAICs for all of my CDML sites, so  
one FMU machine isn't trying to handle all the FMU queries on its  
own. It also gives me redundancy in case a machine crashed, which  
wasn't unheard of with CDML.

The downside of this arrangement is that, with CDML, one has to  
upload HTML and image files to all of the machines--web server plus  
each of the FMU machines in the RAIC. Some of my sites run on a 3- 
machine RAIC, which means that every update has to be made to 4  
machines. I was thrilled when I moved to PHP and only had to upload  
to a single machine! However, I still have 150 or so databases  
running with CDML, most of which will probably never be moved up to  
PHP and FM 8.5 (clients wouldn't know the difference!).

In my company I don't use any machine for more than one function; I  
have separate machines running mail, DNS, mailing list, and  
PageSentry, which monitors all my servers. It requires a lot of  
machines (28 at last count) but has proven to be the best way to  
handle lots of sites and databases.

Best,

Bob Patin
Longterm Solutions
bob at longtermsolutions.com
615-333-6858
http://www.longtermsolutions.com

   CONTACT US VIA INSTANT MESSAGING:
      AIM or iChat: longterm1954
      Yahoo: longterm_solutions
      MSN: tech at longtermsolutions.com
      ICQ: 159333060


On Sep 23, 2006, at 2:42 PM, Dale Bengston wrote:

> Bob, do you mean it's best to run FMU on a different box than your  
> actual web server? Cuz FMU works equally well with OS X or OS X  
> Server. The biggest upside to using OS X Server are the nice GUI  
> tools for managing Apache. The biggest downside to using OS X  
> Server is battling my clients' compulsion to turn on other OS X  
> Server services like AFP and FTP, since they perceive them as being  
> "wasted" if just FMU is running. If you want to dedicate a Mac to  
> FMU - or FMSA for that matter, its purpose is far more likely to  
> remain dedicated to FileMaker if it's just running OS X, and not OS  
> X Server.
>
> Dale
>
> On Sep 23, 2006, at 9:54 AM, Bob Patin wrote:
>
>> Well, that would work, although it would be best not to run FMU  
>> and OS X Server on the same machine.
>>
>> Bob Patin
>> Longterm Solutions
>> bob at longtermsolutions.com
>> 615-333-6858
>> http://www.longtermsolutions.com
>>
>>   CONTACT US VIA INSTANT MESSAGING:
>>      AIM or iChat: longterm1954
>>      Yahoo: longterm_solutions
>>      MSN: tech at longtermsolutions.com
>>      ICQ: 159333060
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>> Thanks for your input.
>>>
>>> Now back to the details of this one particular client..
>>>
>>> If the solution stays in FMP 6 and stays in the client's office:
>>> 	- local FMP users would be served by Server 5.5 on server 1.
>>> 	- web users would be served by 6.0 Unlimited on a server 2.
>>> 	- OS X Server also on server 2 for web serving
>>> 	- Reliable WAN would need to be added.
>>> 	- Remote access (Timbuktu/ARD) would substitute onsite IT staff
>>>
>>> Do I have it right?  My head is into FMP 8.5 right now, and it's  
>>> hard to go back that far without my head hurting. ;-)
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>>
>>>
>>> Jonathan
>>>
>>>
>>> At 10:27 PM -0500 9/22/06, Bob Patin wrote:
>>>> ... a single database... :)
>>>>
>>>> I have quite a few clients who have shopping carts, and they use  
>>>> the same cart database for tracking customers, mailing lists,  
>>>> etc. I also have other clients who use their membership  
>>>> databases in their office, and also on their websites...
>>>>
>>>> Bob Patin
>>>> Longterm Solutions
>>>> bob at longtermsolutions.com
>>>> 615-333-6858
>>>> http://www.longtermsolutions.com
>>>>
>>>>   CONTACT US VIA INSTANT MESSAGING:
>>>>      AIM or iChat: longterm1954
>>>>      Yahoo: longterm_solutions
>>>>      MSN: tech at longtermsolutions.com
>>>>      ICQ: 159333060
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Sep 22, 2006, at 9:43 PM, Jonathan Schwartz wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Err....do which?  Use a single DB or two separate DB's?
>>>>>
>>>>> J
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> At 8:58 PM -0500 9/22/06, Bob Patin wrote:
>>>>>> Jonathan,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I do it all the time with almost every client who has a web  
>>>>>> database...
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Bob Patin
>>>>>> Longterm Solutions
>>>>>> bob at longtermsolutions.com
>>>>>> 615-333-6858
>>>>>> http://www.longtermsolutions.com
>>>>>>
>>>>>>   CONTACT US VIA INSTANT MESSAGING:
>>>>>>      AIM or iChat: longterm1954
>>>>>>      Yahoo: longterm_solutions
>>>>>>      MSN: tech at longtermsolutions.com
>>>>>>      ICQ: 159333060
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On Sep 22, 2006, at 8:55 PM, Jonathan Schwartz wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Up until now, all my fx.php solutions have been built around  
>>>>>>> an isolated FMP database to serve the web.  When there is a  
>>>>>>> primary db back at the client, I use various routines to  
>>>>>>> update and synch the two, as needed. Obviously, none of the  
>>>>>>> solutions required live up-to-the-second data availability on  
>>>>>>> the web.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I'm wondering how many folks are using the same db for both  
>>>>>>> internal and web publishing?  If so, how is it working out?   
>>>>>>> If not, why not?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> A little bit more detail...if the client isn't sophisticated,  
>>>>>>> doesn't have an IT staff or a fast WAN connection, this would  
>>>>>>> suggest to me *not* to keep the web db at the client office.   
>>>>>>> Rather, keep the web db at a reliable web host.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> One more detail.  I promise. ;-)....If the solution is in FMP  
>>>>>>> 6, that would pretty much rule putting the entire solution in  
>>>>>>> a remote hosting location, because FMP is so poor in a WAn  
>>>>>>> environment.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Thoughts?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Jonathan
>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Jonathan Schwartz
>>>>>>> FileMaker 8 Certified  Developer
>>>>>>> Associate Member, FileMaker Solutions Alliance
>>>>>>> Schwartz & Company
>>>>>>> jonathan at eschwartz.com
>>>>>>> http://www.eschwartz.com
>>>>>>> http://www.exit445.com
>>>>>>> 415-381-1852
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>> FX.php_List mailing list
>>>>>>> FX.php_List at mail.iviking.org
>>>>>>> http://www.iviking.org/mailman/listinfo/fx.php_list
>>>>>>
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>>
>>>>> Jonathan Schwartz
>>>>> FileMaker 8 Certified  Developer
>>>>> Associate Member, FileMaker Solutions Alliance
>>>>> Schwartz & Company
>>>>> jonathan at eschwartz.com
>>>>> http://www.eschwartz.com
>>>>> http://www.exit445.com
>>>>> 415-381-1852
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> FX.php_List mailing list
>>>>> FX.php_List at mail.iviking.org
>>>>> http://www.iviking.org/mailman/listinfo/fx.php_list
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>
>>>
>>> -- 
>>>
>>> Jonathan Schwartz
>>> FileMaker 8 Certified  Developer
>>> Associate Member, FileMaker Solutions Alliance
>>> Schwartz & Company
>>> jonathan at eschwartz.com
>>> http://www.eschwartz.com
>>> http://www.exit445.com
>>> 415-381-1852
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> FX.php_List mailing list
>>> FX.php_List at mail.iviking.org
>>> http://www.iviking.org/mailman/listinfo/fx.php_list
>>
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>
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