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Filemaker v9 and v10 - can see server from Filemaker Pro, but files do not show as available on the server
I'm running Filemaker Server 10 on a Windows 2008 Server box. Â From the Filemaker Pro clients, if I choose File -> Open -> Remote - I can see the server - but the databases/files I am hosting do not appear. Â I'm not sure where to go from here:
Details:
For years, we ran Filemaker 9 Server on an SBS 2003 box. Â We had Filemaker Pro 9 on the desktops, and we had no problem using the Filemaker Pro client and going file -> open -> remote and clicking on the server name in the left hand pane and the files in the right hand pane. Â We only used it as a database server - not at all web publishing.
We recently upgraded our server from SBS 2003 to SBS 2008 which is of course Windows 2008 64 bit. Â I have Filemaker 10 Server, and since FIlemaker 9 is not certified on Windows 2008, I installed FM 10 Server. Â I installed Bonjour 64 bit, and the install seemed to go fine and all the files are open (I first tried copying the files to the databases folder) and then I removed them and did an upload a database task. Â In each case, everything looked normal. Â Of note - in case it was an issue with 64 bit, I also have a spare server with Windows 2008 Server 32 bit on it, so I also tested in that case and got the exact same results on the client. Â See below.
On the client (all Windows XP) with Filemaker 9.0.3 Pro, if I click File -> Open remote, I see the server and its IP address in the left hand pane, but where I used to see the databases/files to open - there is nothing. Â Not even the sample file - which I think used to be there. Â I have brought down the files to the local workstation and opened them to check the file sharing - and it is indeed on. Â I have even turned it off - closed - reopened - turned on sharing again and closed again and then re-uploaded/added the databases to the FM server. Â I have also tried using Filemaker Pro 10 as the client - same result. Â I can see the server, but I can't see the databases on the server.
I'm at a total loss. Â This should be pretty easy, but I'm just not seeing the databases in filemaker pro. Â Any help is appreciated.
fm-admin-console.jpg
fm-sharing.jpg
fm-pro-client.jpg
Details:
For years, we ran Filemaker 9 Server on an SBS 2003 box. Â We had Filemaker Pro 9 on the desktops, and we had no problem using the Filemaker Pro client and going file -> open -> remote and clicking on the server name in the left hand pane and the files in the right hand pane. Â We only used it as a database server - not at all web publishing.
We recently upgraded our server from SBS 2003 to SBS 2008 which is of course Windows 2008 64 bit. Â I have Filemaker 10 Server, and since FIlemaker 9 is not certified on Windows 2008, I installed FM 10 Server. Â I installed Bonjour 64 bit, and the install seemed to go fine and all the files are open (I first tried copying the files to the databases folder) and then I removed them and did an upload a database task. Â In each case, everything looked normal. Â Of note - in case it was an issue with 64 bit, I also have a spare server with Windows 2008 Server 32 bit on it, so I also tested in that case and got the exact same results on the client. Â See below.
On the client (all Windows XP) with Filemaker 9.0.3 Pro, if I click File -> Open remote, I see the server and its IP address in the left hand pane, but where I used to see the databases/files to open - there is nothing. Â Not even the sample file - which I think used to be there. Â I have brought down the files to the local workstation and opened them to check the file sharing - and it is indeed on. Â I have even turned it off - closed - reopened - turned on sharing again and closed again and then re-uploaded/added the databases to the FM server. Â I have also tried using Filemaker Pro 10 as the client - same result. Â I can see the server, but I can't see the databases on the server.
I'm at a total loss. Â This should be pretty easy, but I'm just not seeing the databases in filemaker pro. Â Any help is appreciated.
fm-admin-console.jpg
fm-sharing.jpg
fm-pro-client.jpg
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Go to Server admin, Stop the database that is giving you the problem. Open the same database from a filemaker client application, go to File=>Sharing=>Filemaker Network and select it to be visible on the Filemaker network.
Start up the database and check to see if you can now see it remote.
It is not obvious but this is the problem
Start up the database and check to see if you can now see it remote.
It is not obvious but this is the problem
I'm not sure where you're seeing this. Â Would that be in the same place where I enable sharing? Â If you look at my second attached image (see above), I included a screen shot of me enabling sharing when opening the databases locally from a client. Â I see a checkbox there to make the databases **not** visible, but I don't see what you are referencing - unless that is what you're talking about - which is already set correctly (box unchecked).
On the file server do you have the Configuration=>Database Server=>File Display Filter set to all files otherwise it will look at windows groups if you use domain authentication to decide what files to list.
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We had a problem with PC users who were happily using FMP9 until suddenly, they weren't able to access server-hosted files ('Remote' option under 'File' showed no hosted files).
We eventually managed to ascertain that the problem was caused by a damaged certificate file (called 'server.pem'). Â On inspection, we found this file to be 2kb in problem machines and 6kb on machines that were working fine. Â Running FMP's SSL updater from the command line caused the problem for us.
You can locate the server.pem file using TextWrangler - select File / Open Hidden, then navigate to:
Windows:
Program Files >Â FileMaker >Â FileMaker 9
Mac OSX:
Applications >Â FileMaker 9 >Â FileMaker 9.app >Â Contents >Â MacOS
You can generate a new copy of the server.pem file by doing the following:
- Close any open instance of Filemaker Pro 9
- Navigate to and open
C:\Program Files\FileMaker\FileMaker Pro 9\Setup\openssl-new-cert.b
- A dialogue box will open and close, there is no need for input
- A file named server.pem will be generated and will be 6kb in size (the damaged one is 2kb in size).
- Move this file to C:\Program Files\FileMaker\FileMaker Pro 9\ and accept the prompt to overwrite any existing file.
- Open FileMaker Pro and all should be visible again.
I hope this helps!
We eventually managed to ascertain that the problem was caused by a damaged certificate file (called 'server.pem'). Â On inspection, we found this file to be 2kb in problem machines and 6kb on machines that were working fine. Â Running FMP's SSL updater from the command line caused the problem for us.
You can locate the server.pem file using TextWrangler - select File / Open Hidden, then navigate to:
Windows:
Program Files >Â FileMaker >Â FileMaker 9
Mac OSX:
Applications >Â FileMaker 9 >Â FileMaker 9.app >Â Contents >Â MacOS
You can generate a new copy of the server.pem file by doing the following:
- Close any open instance of Filemaker Pro 9
- Navigate to and open
C:\Program Files\FileMaker\FileMaker Pro 9\Setup\openssl-new-cert.b
- A dialogue box will open and close, there is no need for input
- A file named server.pem will be generated and will be 6kb in size (the damaged one is 2kb in size).
- Move this file to C:\Program Files\FileMaker\FileMaker Pro 9\ and accept the prompt to overwrite any existing file.
- Open FileMaker Pro and all should be visible again.
I hope this helps!
no luck so far . . .
on the server, I am set to "list all databases" - it's the default setting, and I'm set that way.
On the clients, I looked at two different computers - one where I still had FMP 9 and one where I had upgraded to FMP 10. Â On each one, the server.pem was 6 KB. Â I still renamed the server.pem file and then ran the BAT file as recommended. Â The file size of server.pem was the same after running the BAT file. Â
After putting server.pem in the right place, the results were the same - I could see the server, but not the files available.
I saw recommendations about server.pem - but figured it didn't apply to me since I don't use SSL in any way on Filemaker. Â Even still, that suggestion didn't help.
My next thing to try will be to make a virtual server running Windows 2003 Server and run Filemaker Server on there. Â I hope I don't have to do that.
on the server, I am set to "list all databases" - it's the default setting, and I'm set that way.
On the clients, I looked at two different computers - one where I still had FMP 9 and one where I had upgraded to FMP 10. Â On each one, the server.pem was 6 KB. Â I still renamed the server.pem file and then ran the BAT file as recommended. Â The file size of server.pem was the same after running the BAT file. Â
After putting server.pem in the right place, the results were the same - I could see the server, but not the files available.
I saw recommendations about server.pem - but figured it didn't apply to me since I don't use SSL in any way on Filemaker. Â Even still, that suggestion didn't help.
My next thing to try will be to make a virtual server running Windows 2003 Server and run Filemaker Server on there. Â I hope I don't have to do that.
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These are obvious, but worth checking:
- has the IP address of your server changed?
- does your server have a proxy name; have you tried entering that into the Favourite Hosts list of File/ Open Remote to see if that comes up with anything?
If you have Filemaker client software installed on your starter, open a non-hosted file and see if you can peer-to-peer connect to it from another machine using the server machine's IP or proxy name. Â
Maybe try doing the same on your client machine to see whether other computers can 'see' the open file. Â That would at least isolate the server machine as the definite problem (if you can peer-to-peer on the client computer but not the server).
- has the IP address of your server changed?
- does your server have a proxy name; have you tried entering that into the Favourite Hosts list of File/ Open Remote to see if that comes up with anything?
If you have Filemaker client software installed on your starter, open a non-hosted file and see if you can peer-to-peer connect to it from another machine using the server machine's IP or proxy name. Â
Maybe try doing the same on your client machine to see whether other computers can 'see' the open file. Â That would at least isolate the server machine as the definite problem (if you can peer-to-peer on the client computer but not the server).
has the IP address of my server changed? Â Yes is the answer to that. Â Originally, when it was Server 9 on Windows 2003, it was at 10.10.10.2. Â Then I installed Windows 2008 with FMS 10 at 10.10.10.3. Â FMP can see the server, but not the databases on 10.10.10.3.
Then I installed FMS 10 on another 2008 server 10.10.10.25. Â Same issue - can see the server but not the databases on the server. Â You can see that in my third screen shot from my original question.
Regarding peer to peer, that DOES work. Â If open the databases on FMP on one of the desktops, and I go to another desktop, I can see the other desktop sharing the files. Â I can see the computer name and the databases. Â I'm not quite sure what that means.
Does my server have a proxy name? Â I'm not sure what that means - but that answer is no, I'm pretty sure. Â These machines are all on a typical Windows network.
The next thing I'm going to try is installing a Windows 2003 virtual server with FMS 9 on it and see if I can host the files there.
Then I installed FMS 10 on another 2008 server 10.10.10.25. Â Same issue - can see the server but not the databases on the server. Â You can see that in my third screen shot from my original question.
Regarding peer to peer, that DOES work. Â If open the databases on FMP on one of the desktops, and I go to another desktop, I can see the other desktop sharing the files. Â I can see the computer name and the databases. Â I'm not quite sure what that means.
Does my server have a proxy name? Â I'm not sure what that means - but that answer is no, I'm pretty sure. Â These machines are all on a typical Windows network.
The next thing I'm going to try is installing a Windows 2003 virtual server with FMS 9 on it and see if I can host the files there.
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Databases
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Databases are organized collections of data, most commonly accessed through management systems including schemas, tables, queries and processes that allow users to enter and manipulate the information or utilize it in other fashions, such as with web applications or for reporting purposes.