Setting up a System for File Maker Pro from Scratch

 The File Maker Pro 3.0 Software is installed on the Server FS_21 and is found in the Apps volume. This is on the G-drive. To make a shortcut to the software, we need the shortcut to point to the location G:/Win95Apps/Fmwin95/FileMakerPro. Once the shortcut is done the machine and the Software has to be setup to handle the multi-user more and it is done this way�When one of the user opens up with the FileMaker Pro and the Contacts file, if he doesn't have his machine setup to open the file in multi user access mode, anybody who tries to open this file will get a error saying that the file is not found or the file has been opened in a single user mode. This is the most common error that is encountered. The solution goes this way:
 

  1. Check the Control Panel--Network--IPX-SPX compatible protocol. Double click on it and get to different options. Select the advanced option. Then from the Menu on the left-hand side select the Frame type. By default it will be Auto on the pulldown list. Set it to Ethernet 802.3.
  2. Then Select the Maximum Connections and set it to 60.
  3. On opening the File Maker Pro, hit a cancel on the file open window. Then at the Edit menu (at the top tool bar) choose the Preferences option. We get the preference window and here we give the name for the User as Machine Name or Your name. Then Set the Network Protocol to IPX/SPX , as it loads the protocol and is available as the Multi User mode.
 These are all the possible machine settings. The way to verify is open the Contact manager and go to File Menu, which says whether, the file is Single user or Multi User. If it is in Single User Mode click on it and it toggles to Multi User Mode. To check the other files' mode of opening, we need to go to the Window Menu and select different files one by one and check what the File menu says about this file�Single/Multi.

The way the FileMaker Pro works is that, One machine acts as a host and all others are guests to it. The Host machine is the one, which might be called the FM Pro server. The first one to open up the FM Pro is the host/server. Once this is done and with all the above settings done, any number of guests can open up the same software and datafile. The datafiles are found at H:/users/public/filemakerpro win95/. The host should not close when any one of the guests is logged onto the database.