Administrator’s Guide

6-8 FileMaker Server Administrator’s Guide
The process of backing up hosted databases using the command line
is to create a directory in which to temporarily store the backups,
pause hosted databases to limit access to them on your network, copy
the files to the new directory, restore availability of the files to
guests, and remove the temporary backup directory you created.
These steps are described in detail below.
1. Use the DOS mkdir command to create a new directory, for
example, Backups.
2. Use the fmserver pause command, which pauses a specified
file or files hosted by FileMaker Server.
Guest activity on paused database files is restricted, so it’s best to
limit overall pause time as much as possible.
3. Use the DOS xcopy command to copy all files (including files in
subdirectories) from the FileMaker Server 5 directory to the
Backups directory.
4. Use the fmserver resume command to restore guest access to
paused database files.
5. Move the files from the Backups directory to a permanent backup
location and use the rmdir/s/q command to delete the Backups
directory and subdirectories.
Tips
1 A sample command file named Backup.cmd containing this
sequence of commands is in the Examples folder inside the
FileMaker Server 5 folder. You can use this file as a template for
backing up your own hosted databases.
1 To execute this set of commands on an automatic schedule, you
need to use the
at command and Schedule service provided by
Windows. For more information, see your Windows documentation.
If you have a tape drive, you can use the
backup command provided
by Windows to copy files directly to tape.
Using an AppleScript to automate tasks
(Mac OS)
You can use an AppleScript to automate administrative tasks
performed by FileMaker Server. For more information about
AppleScript application programs that are provided with
FileMaker Server and about supported Apple events, see the
AppleScript Examples folder inside the FileMaker Server 5 folder.
Making sure you don’t run out of disk space
It’s important that the destination disk where you plan to store your
hosted files and backups has plenty of free space. If the hard disk
runs out of space while a file is being modified or if a database file
reaches the 2GB size limit, FileMaker Server will automatically
begin compressing the hosted file to reduce the amount of disk space
it uses. During the compression, all guest activity to the server is
paused and guests see the coffee cup icon or the network icon.
Compression may take some time to complete. To avoid automatic
compression, leave plenty of free disk space on the computer running
FileMaker Server.
If the hard disk runs out of space during a backup, the backup stops
and FileMaker Server logs an error in the application event log
(Windows) or Server Event Log (Mac OS). It’s a good idea to
periodically check the Schedules list for error conditions, which are
reported in the Last Run column. To avoid running out of disk space
when backing up files, choose tape or a different hard disk as your
backup destination.
For additional help troubleshooting command line problems, see
appendix C, “Event log messages and troubleshooting.”