Administrator’s Guide (Mac OS)

Table Of Contents

A-2 FileMaker Pro Server Administrator’s Guide

Use FileMaker Pro Server by itself on a computer where no other

applications are normally running and that isn’t a user’s primary

workstation. When FileMaker Pro Server is hosting many guests or a

large number of database files, it uses a high level of processor and

network capacity. Other processor-intensive applications or heavy

network traffic on the same computer causes FileMaker Pro Server to run

more slowly, and the performance of FileMaker Pro on guest computers

to degrade.

1 Use as fast a computer as possible.

The faster the computer, the better the performance of FileMaker Pro

Server. FileMaker Pro Server requires a minimum of a 68030 processor,

but a faster processor improves performance. FileMaker Pro Server is

accelerated for the PowerPC

™

processor in a Power Macintosh or

compatible computer.

1 Use hardware capable of asynchronous I/O.

Because of the way FileMaker Pro stores information in files,

FileMaker Pro Server benefits a great deal from fast disk input/output

(I/O) access. Try to use a hard disk with software (or drivers) that supports

asynchronous disk I/O. This technology—available with the Apple

Macintosh Quadra

and Power Macintosh lines, as well as some third

party hardware cards—lets FileMaker Pro Server perform other

operations after starting a read or write operation on a file, rather than

having to wait for the disk I/O to complete. If FileMaker Pro Server can

take advantage of asynchronous I/O when opening a file, it notes it in the

corresponding log file entry. (See “FileMaker Pro Server log file” on page

A-5 for more information.) To determine whether your hardware supports

asynchronous I/O, see the documentation that came with your hardware.

1 Use a fast network.

If possible, use a network faster than LocalTalk, such as Ethernet.

Software considerations

Consider the following issues when deciding what software to use with

FileMaker Pro Server.

Coexistence with AppleShare software

Running AppleShare

software (including AppleShare and AppleShare Pro)

and the FileMaker Pro Server application on the same computer is not

recommended. If you must use that configuration, keep the following

information in mind.