#Filemaker server 11 hosting mac os x#
#Filemaker server 11 hosting manual#
#Filemaker server 11 hosting pro#
#Filemaker server 11 hosting windows#

When I tried this out in the Terminal, I found that it only would work for me when I ran them on separate lines, and in a certain sequence. The key command is: fmsadmin start|stop adminserver|wpc|cwp These I gleaned from a website (thanks to Andrew Duncan from Databuzz) that provides a preference pane to control FileMaker Server 11. Once we know this process is active, we then run a sequence of fmsadmin commands. If we first check for the WPE and find that it isn’t running, we next verify that the Database Server is running. Once we’re able to run such a command in the Terminal, the next step is to set this up in a shell script. If the process is running, the command returns a text string with a success message. This command will return nothing if the process is inactive. By scanning a WPE port you then can see if this is active for a given IP address. One such command “nc” lets you scan for listening daemons to check if a process is running on a specific port, without sending data.

#Filemaker server 11 hosting mac os x#

In the Mac OS X environment you can use Unix commands to check running processes. (Here the usual caveat applies: test to make sure this works under your circumstances). However, if you’re running FileMaker Server 11, you need to take advantage of some undocumented processes. released Server 12 on April 4, 2012, new options were added to start and stop processes now you can stop and start the WPE process via fmsadmin. Although FileMaker Server comes with a command line interface – fmsadmin – there is no documented process to manage the WPE in FileMaker Server 11. To fully automate the process I used one set of tools to check the state of the WPE, and another to automatically switch on the WPE if it wasn’t running.

#Filemaker server 11 hosting manual#

However, when setting this up, I ran into issues with PHP sendmail failures, and I wanted a process that minimized manual intervention. If the ping returns an error, the administrator intervenes. If the ping – a PHP request – returns a valid result, then all is well. One oft-used method is to create a PHP page that pings the Database Server. In order to automate the process we need to turn to some system-based tools. However, as it is a GUI-based system, it needs eyes-on management. The Admin Console is a GUI-based tool to manage databases, backup and script schedules, clients, statistics, and the current state of the database and WPE processes. The ability to build an automatic monitoring method becomes critical for anyone managing web pages that communicate with FileMaker Server, to rapidly identify problems and minimize downtime. But what happens when a web page is no longer is responsive? Which process failed? Is it a page error, a Database Server problem, or an issue with the WPE? As you can imagine, manually checking the state of the server becomes tedious. Custom web publishing such as PHP communicates to the Database Server via the WPE. The Database Server is perhaps the most obvious component, as this hosts the databases that are shared with clients.Īny type of web publishing requires the Web Publishing Engine (WPE) to be active and running.

#Filemaker server 11 hosting pro#

Opening files in FileMaker Pro that were removed by the FMS admin consoleįileMaker Server 11 includes several components to publish databases to client machines.Opening backup files in FileMaker Pro - ie, not hosted by a server.Uploading FMP12 backup files with the FileMaker Server admin console.FileMaker Server 12 Configuration Guide (also found at TechNet)Ĭircumstances where external container data will break (container fields will show files as missing):.Using Container Fields in FileMaker 12 (log in to FileMaker TechNet to download).In case you need to get some basic knowledge about FileMaker Server 12 and the new features related to backup and enhanced container fields, here are some great resources to get you started: Understanding these situations will help you properly restore FileMaker 12 files that use external container storage.

#Filemaker server 11 hosting windows#

In the course of my work on a customer project, I discovered that the links to externally stored container fields with a FileMaker Server 12 backup can break if the backup is not restored properly. After trying a number of different scenarios, I have come up with a list of circumstances where container fields will remain intact and when they won’t.Īll examples are using a Windows based FileMaker server and apply equally to both secure and open external container storage.