[FX.php List] Folder path?

Mon Apr 23 08:48:21 MDT 2007

I don’t have an external drive to verify if using one on a Windows server is
not allowed, but the only restrictions I know of are on network shares.
Using network shares for both the database and backup folders are disallowed
by FMSA (on Mac and Windows), and the reasoning from Filemaker is precisely
to prevent speed and database integrity issues.  Their recommendation as far
as backups are concerned is to move them after they are written to the local
drive.

Andrew Denman

  _____  

From: fx.php_list-bounces at mail.iviking.org
[mailto:fx.php_list-bounces at mail.iviking.org] On Behalf Of Edward L. Ford
Sent: Monday, April 23, 2007 1:06 AM
To: FX.php Discussion List
Subject: Re: [FX.php List] Folder path?

I don't have direct access to a FM Server or a reason to investigate this
for my own needs, but I'd thought I'd provide some of the thoughts I had
about this subject:

While not being able to specify where FMSA stores its db files seems odd,
maybe it is FMIs choice to limit where the files are stored for database
integrity reasons, as someone else already stated.  FMI states very clearly
in one of the manuals the problems with opening files from a file server
(i.e. a non-FMSA database), and all of those issues ultimately stem from
reliability problems with a network connection.  I know about these problems
that can occur through this far too well, as I spent three weeks over the
summer recreating a database from scratch because the original database was
opened from a Novell server for years before I came on staff -- the
corruption in sections of the file was so bad that recreating it from
scratch was the only solution I could justify.  (If anyone thinks they have
FileMaker database corruption issues, or would like to prevent them from
happening, I have two short PDFs on my website, linked in my signature, with
some tips and helpful references.)

By the same logic, this may be disallowed because IO channels can get
congested, especially with large files over USB (1.1 or 2.0).  Further,
hardware fails, so what sort of undefined behavior would occur if a database
request comes into FMSA, and all of a sudden, the server can't access the
other drive because it's become unplugged, crashed, or whatever else can
befall a drive.  If the databases are stored on the same drive as the FMSA
software and the OS, at least if there's a problem, FMSA and/or the OS
probably wouldn't be able to start in the first place.

I did notice that everyone replying to this was using FMSA on OS X.  Has
anyone investigated this with a Windows machine?  Checking out that angle
would verify if the problem was from OS X Tiger restrictions, or if it's
deliberately prevented by FMI.

My two cents,
--Ed
-----------------------------------
http://www.edwardford.net 

On Apr 23, 2007, at 1:45 AM, Erik Andreas Cayré wrote:

Den 23/04/2007 kl. 10.21 skrev Tom Sepper:

Sure, the seek time may be faster, but the data transfer speed surely
wouldn't be. I really think you'd see a performance hit rather than an
increase with an external HDD.

I don't believe that to be true in a general sense. The performance you get
is a function of many things (as stated by FMI i their manual for FMS).
I just moved a very complex FM6 solution with 55 files. It is hosted with
FMS 5.5.v4 on a G4DP450. Orginally it ran on an internal PATA HD, I
installed an internal mirrored array of HP 15K U320 SCSI harddisks.

While I did see a performance increase, I was slightly disappointed by the
relatively modest change. I would have probably gotten a greater gain using
FMS8, but the solution isn't ready to to be upgraded/rebuilt yet.

Unfortunately I don't have the lúxury of time and money to do thorough tests
using all kinds of configurations, so it will have to do. I primarily did it
for safety (striped array) anyway...

BTW. I chose to move Mac OS X to the array as well, not having time to dig
for a solution to the problem this thread is about.
I'm confident the solution offered by ggt is both workable and reliable
anyhow.

---
Erik Andreas Cayré
Spangsbjerg Møllevej 169
6705 Esbjerg Ø

Privat Tel: 75150512
Mobil: 40161183

---
»Kun p....sure mennesker kan ændre verden. Innovation skabes ikke af
'markedsanalyse', men af folk, der er afsindigt irriterede over tingenes
tilstand «
--Tom Peters

»Hvis du ikke kan forklare det simpelt, forstår  du det ikke godt nok.«
-- Albert Einstein

»Hvis du ikke har tid til at gøre det rigtigt, hvornår vil du så have tid
til at lave det om?«
-- John Wooden, basketball coach

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