[FX.php List] Folder path?
Bob Patin
bob at patin.com
Mon Apr 23 08:57:28 MDT 2007
While I understand the caution against opening databases into FMSA
from a network volume, a locally-connected external drive is a
different animal entirely... I don't see any more risk in using an
external drive for database storage than there is in using an
internal drive; if the drive fails, it fails; if the USB connection
fails, then there are far more serious problems at hand as well.
Again, to use the ProTools example: if ProTools, which is far more
speed-critical than FMSA, can use external drives, I don't know why
FMSA cannot. ProTools is reading and writing digital audio
constantly, for playing tracks alongside which new tracks are being
recorded, for editing, and so on; although speed is critical with
FMSA, it's nowhere near as critical as audio and video streaming. So
if time-critical apps like ProTools, Cubase, Digital Performer and
others can use external drives, it would *seem* to me that FMSA could
easily use an external drive and benefit from the speed of an
external RAID array or faster drive.
My two bits... :)
Bob
On Apr 23, 2007, at 9:48 AM, Andrew Denman wrote:
> 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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