Filemaker Server 15 Getting Started Guide File Maker Fms15 Qsg

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FileMaker® Server 15
Getting Started Guide
© 2007–2016 FileMaker, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
FileMaker, Inc.
5201 Patrick Henry Drive
Santa Clara, California 95054
FileMaker and FileMaker Go are trademarks of FileMaker, Inc. registered in the U.S. and other countries. The file folder logo
and FileMaker WebDirect are trademarks of FileMaker, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
FileMaker documentation is copyrighted. You are not authorized to make additional copies or distribute this documentation
without written permission from FileMaker. You may use this documentation solely with a valid licensed copy of FileMaker
software.
All persons, companies, email addresses, and URLs listed in the examples are purely fictitious and any resemblance to
existing persons, companies, email addresses, or URLs is purely coincidental. Credits are listed in the Acknowledgments
documents provided with this software. Mention of third-party products and URLs is for informational purposes only and
constitutes neither an endorsement nor a recommendation. FileMaker, Inc. assumes no responsibility with regard to the
performance of these products.
For more information, visit our website at http://www.filemaker.com.
Edition: 01
Contents
Chapter 1
Introduction 6
Requirements for Admin Console 6
Supported client applications 6
About the license key 7
Updating the FileMaker Server 15 license key 8
Where to go from here 8
Chapter 2
Installation quick start 9
Before you begin 9
Considering performance 10
Installing FileMaker Server on a single machine 11
Next steps 21
Chapter 3
Deploying FileMaker Server across multiple machines 22
Deployment alternatives 22
One-machine deployment 24
Two-machine deployment 25
Installing on multiple machines 25
Before you begin installing on multiple machines 25
Ports used by FileMaker Server 26
Installing on the worker machine 28
Installing on the master machine 31
Installation notes 43
Next steps 44
Chapter 4
Testing your deployment 45
Using the FileMaker Server Technology Tests page 45
Troubleshooting 47
Deployment assistant reports that the web server test failed 47
Deployment assistant doesn’t start after installation 47
Admin Console doesn’t start after deployment on master machine 48
Cannot start Admin Console from a remote machine 48
Web browsers display a certificate message 48
Clients cannot see databases hosted by FileMaker Server 48
Apache web server used by FileMaker Server stops responding (OS X) 48
4
Chapter 5
Administering FileMaker Server 49
About FileMaker Server Admin Console 49
Using Admin Console to administer FileMaker Server 49
Starting Admin Console 50
Uploading databases 52
Encrypting databases 52
Encrypting databases in FileMaker Pro Advanced 52
Opening encrypted databases 53
Backing up databases 53
Scheduling database backups 53
Using progressive backup 54
Specifying backup locations 54
Creating a backup to a Windows ReFS volume 54
Verifying the integrity of databases 55
Hosting databases connected to ODBC data sources 55
Enabling ODBC data source single sign-on (Windows) 55
Running server-side scripts 56
System-level scripts 56
FileMaker scripts 56
Script sequences 57
Displaying server statistics 57
Sending messages to FileMaker clients 57
Viewing log file entries in Admin Console 58
Emailing notifications 58
Using the command line interface 59
Command line interface files 59
Command line interface commands 59
Chapter 6
Upgrading or moving an existing installation 60
Step 1. Save your schedules and administrator groups 61
Step 2. Note your FileMaker Server settings 61
Where to note settings for FileMaker Server 61
Step 3. Stop FileMaker Server 62
Step 4. Make a copy of databases, scripts, and plug-ins 62
FileMaker Server 13, 14, and 15 files (default installation) 62
FileMaker Server 13, 14, and 15 files (non-default installation in Windows) 62
Step 5. Uninstall FileMaker Server 62
Windows 63
OS X 63
Step 6. Clear the Java cache and web browser cache 64
Step 7. Install FileMaker Server 15 64
Step 8. Move files to the proper location 64
Step 9. Load your schedules and administrator groups 64
Step 10. Configure your deployment 65
Upgrading the operating system on machines running FileMaker Server 65
Applying security updates or minor operating system updates 65
Applying a major system update 66
5
Chapter 7
Setting up the web server 67
Requesting an SSL certificate 67
Enabling the IIS web server in Windows 68
Setting up authentication for FMWebSite in IIS 69
Using the Apache web server in OS X 71
Chapter 8
Optimizing your FileMaker Server deployment 72
Selecting the right hardware 72
Virtual servers 73
Setting up and configuring the operating system 73
Setting up and configuring Windows 73
Setting up and configuring OS X 74
Monitoring FileMaker Server 75
Monitoring performance in Windows 75
Monitoring performance in OS X 76
Chapter 9
Using a standby server 77
Standby server requirements 77
Standby server procedures 78
Setting up a standby server 78
Switching the standby configuration roles 81
Using the standby server when the primary server fails 82
Setting primary and standby server host names 83
Disconnecting a standby server 83
Reconnecting a standby server 84
Updating files and folders on the standby server 85
Getting information about the standby configuration 86
Standby server performance considerations 87
Using a standby server in a two-machine deployment 87
Setting up a standby server for a two-machine deployment 87
Chapter 10
Additional resources 89
Product documentation 89
Using FileMaker Server documentation 89
Where to find documentation 89
Customer support 89
Check for software updates 89
Index 90
Chapter 1
Introduction
Welcome to FileMaker® Server 15. FileMaker Server is fast, reliable server software for safely
sharing FileMaker information among business teams on iOS, desktop, and the web.
FileMaker Server is a dedicated database server that hosts database files created using
FileMaker Pro so that data can be shared and modified by FileMaker Pro, FileMaker Go®, and
FileMaker WebDirect clients, and by other client applications supported by the FileMaker Server
Web Publishing Engine.
Before you install, confirm that your machines meet the minimum requirements. See the
FileMaker Server system requirements.
Requirements for Admin Console
FileMaker Server Admin Console is a web-based application that lets you configure and
administer FileMaker Server. You can use Admin Console on machines that have network access
to FileMaker Server and a supported web browser.
Supported client applications
FileMaker Server supports the following client applications:
1FileMaker Pro 13, 14, and 15
1FileMaker Go 13, 14, and 15
1ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) and JDBC (Java Database Connectivity) client
applications using the FileMaker client drivers. The FileMaker ODBC and JDBC drivers are
available in the xDBC folder in the installation disk image and on the FileMaker downloads page
(http://www.filemaker.com/downloads). See FileMaker ODBC and JDBC Guide and
FileMaker Pro Help.
1Web browsers (or other applications) accessing data through the Web Publishing Engine
FileMaker Server can host up to 125 databases at the same time for the following simultaneous
client connections:
Client Supported connections
FileMaker Pro with individual or volume license Unrestricted
Custom Web Publishing Unrestricted
ODBC and JDBC Unrestricted
FileMaker Go, FileMaker WebDirect, and
FileMaker Pro as clients with the
User Connections License
One
You can purchase additional User Connections client
connections.
Note Although FileMaker Server allows an unrestricted number of simultaneous connections for
some client types, most operating systems impose their own limits on the number of network
connections and open files that a process may use. This operating system limit sets the effective
limit on the number of simultaneous client connections.
Chapter 1 Introduction 7
About the license key
FileMaker software comes with a unique, 35-character license key. Do not lose this license key.
We recommend that you keep the license key in a safe place in case the software ever needs to
be reinstalled.
You received an email message with a link to your software download page. Your license key can
be found on that page.
The license key is customized for your organization. When installing software, enter the organization
name exactly as it appears on the software download page. For example, the software download
page may show this information:
Organization Name: XYZ CORP
License: 12345-ABCDE-67890-FGHIJ-12345-KLMNO-67890
The organization name and license keys below are both required to install your software.
We recommend that you print this page, and retain a copy for your records. For installation,
the software requires the entry of information exactly as it appears here:
The license key ensures adherence to the single user license agreement, which generally allows
for use of one (1) copy of the Software on one single-machine deployment or on one multiple-
machine deployment at a time (refer to your Software License). If the license key is invalid or if
another copy of the software installed with that same license key is running on the network, the
FileMaker Server software displays an error message.
You can choose to deploy FileMaker Server components across two machines that work together
to form a single FileMaker Server deployment. You must have a unique license key for each two-
machine deployment, or obtain a volume license for more than one deployment. You must license
one copy of FileMaker Server for each deployment.
Chapter 1 Introduction 8
Updating the FileMaker Server 15 license key
You can enter a new license key for FileMaker Server 15 on the same machine to do the following:
1upgrade from a trial version of FileMaker Server 15
1add support for more FileMaker Go, FileMaker WebDirect, and FileMaker Pro
User Connections clients
To change the FileMaker Server license key of an existing deployment:
1. From the FileMaker Server Admin Console, choose the General Settings > Server
Information tab. See “Starting Admin Console” on page 50 for information on how to start
Admin Console.
2. Click Change License Key.
3. In the Change License Key dialog box, enter the information required, then click Update.
Note To move your FileMaker Server 15 deployment to a new machine or to upgrade from an
earlier version of FileMaker Server, see chapter 6, “Upgrading or moving an existing installation.”
Where to go from here
1To install on a single machine, see chapter 2, “Installation quick start.”
1To install using a two-machine deployment, see chapter 3, “Deploying FileMaker Server across
multiple machines.”
1To move from an existing installation of FileMaker Server, see chapter 6, “Upgrading or moving
an existing installation.”
Chapter 2
Installation quick start
This chapter explains how to install FileMaker Server on a single machine.
Before you begin
Here is a list of things you must do before installing FileMaker Server:
1To install on more than one machine, see chapter 3, “Deploying FileMaker Server across
multiple machines.”
1FileMaker Server requires a web server in all deployments. The web server serves web
publishing clients, hosts the web-based Admin Console application, and handles some data
transfer tasks. FileMaker Server requires that a port for web connections and a port for secure
web connections is available on the web server. The default ports are port 80 and 443, though
you may specify alternative ports during installation. These ports are used by FileMaker Server
even if web publishing is disabled. If the FileMaker Server installer detects existing websites
using these ports, the installer prompts you to either specify alternative ports or let it disable
those websites.
1Windows: The FileMaker Server installer runs the Microsoft Application Request Routing
(ARR) installer (which enables the IIS web server if it isn’t already enabled), creates its own
website in IIS, and configures the website to use the ports specified for web connections.
1OS X: The web server included in OS X does not need to be enabled; if it is enabled, ensure
that no existing website uses port 80 or 443, or be prepared to specify alternative ports
during installation. The installer creates a separate web server instance and enables it for
FileMaker Server to use on these ports.
See chapter 7, “Setting up the web server.”
1If your server computer has a firewall, open the necessary ports in the firewall so that
FileMaker Server can communicate with administrators and clients:
1Web connections port: 80 by default, but you may specify a different port during installation.
This port is used by Admin Console and for web publishing (HTTP).
1Secure web connections port: 443 by default, but you may specify a different port during
installation. This port is used by Admin Console and for web publishing (HTTPS) if SSL
connections are used.
1Port 5003 for FileMaker clients.
1Port 16000 for server administrators using Admin Console.
1Port 2399 for ODBC and JDBC clients.
1Ports 1895, 5013, 5015, 8998, 9889, 9898, 16001, 16004, 16020, 16021, 50003, and 50004
must be available on the machine, but not open in the firewall.
For detailed informations about ports, see “Ports used by FileMaker Server” on page 26.
1To upgrade from an earlier version of FileMaker Server, see chapter 6, “Upgrading or moving
an existing installation.”
Chapter 2 Installation quick start 10
1Locate your license key. See “About the license key” on page 7.
1If you are currently running FileMaker Pro on the same machine, you must quit FileMaker Pro
before installing FileMaker Server.
Also keep in mind the following:
1If the machine has antivirus software installed, you may need to disable or uninstall it before
running the FileMaker Server installer. Don’t enable antivirus software again until after the
Deployment assistant has finished.
Do not allow antivirus software to scan the folders that contain hosted database files or the
folders that contain files for container fields that store data externally.
1You cannot run two different versions of FileMaker Server on the same machine at the same time.
1Because some DHCP servers cycle IP addresses, FileMaker recommends using a static IP
address.
1OS X: Avoid using the OS X Server application to enable any HTTP services while running
FileMaker Server. HTTP services provided by OS X Server can interfere with
FileMaker Server. See “Using the Apache web server in OS X” on page 71.
Considering performance
For best performance, run FileMaker Server on a dedicated machine reserved for use as a
database server. When FileMaker Server is hosting many clients or a large number of database
files, it uses a high level of processor, hard disk, and network capacity. Other processor-intensive
software or heavy network traffic on the same machine will cause FileMaker Server to run more
slowly and degrade the performance for FileMaker clients.
To improve performance:
1Avoid installing FileMaker Server on a machine that is a user’s primary workstation.
1Avoid using the machine running FileMaker Server as an email, print, or network file server.
1Do not use system or third-party backup software to back up databases hosted by
FileMaker Server. Instead use FileMaker Server Admin Console to schedule backups of
databases. See “Backing up databases” on page 53.
1Disable screen savers and sleep (or hibernate and standby) mode on the server. These
features reduce performance or suspend access to hosted databases.
1Use a fast hard disk, multiple-disk RAID system, or reliable Storage Area Network (SAN) for the
hosted databases.
1Turn off operating system indexing services or any third-party file indexing software. These
features reduce performance.
See chapter 8, “Optimizing your FileMaker Server deployment.”
Chapter 2 Installation quick start 11
Installing FileMaker Server on a single machine
1. Follow your electronic download instructions to download and open the installation disk image,
or insert your product DVD.
2. Windows: If you have Bonjour for Windows installed, make sure that it is running before you
run the FileMaker Server installer.
3. Double-click the installation icon.
FileMaker Server 15 (OS X) Setup (Windows)
1Windows: If a User Account Control alert appears, click Yes.
1OS X: Enter your OS X user name and password, then skip to step 6.
4. Windows: Select a language, then click OK.
5. Windows: To begin installation, click Next.
6. Read the Before You Begin information. If there is a task you did not do, quit the installer and
do the task. If you are ready to install FileMaker Server, click Next (Windows) or Continue
(OS X).
7. Review and accept the end user license agreement.
OS X: You may need to enter your OS X user name and password again.
8. Windows: Select a destination folder, then click Next.
Note In Windows, you can select a non-default location. See “Installation notes” on page 43.
9. Select Single Machine and click Next.
Chapter 2 Installation quick start 12
10. Choose one of the following options for the FileMaker Server user account (the account under
which you want to run FileMaker Server):
1To use the default account, select Local System (Windows) or fmserver (OS X), then click
Next.
1To use an existing account on this machine, select User Name, enter the account’s user
name and password, then click Next. You may want to choose this option if you already have
an account that has privileges set as you want—for example, to access network-attached
storage.
If the existing user account you specified does not have sufficient privileges for
FileMaker Server to run, the installer displays an error message. See “Installation notes” on
page 43.
Windows OS X
11. Specify the ports that FileMaker Server should use for web connections and secure web
connections, then click Next.
If the installer detects that the ports required for the web server are currently in use, the installer
prompts you to let it disable the website currently using those ports. To continue installation,
you must click Disable Websites. Or you can click Cancel, disable the website manually, then
run the installer again.
12. Enter the user name, organization, and license key information.
13. Windows: Click Next.
Chapter 2 Installation quick start 13
14. Click Install.
1Windows:
If you do not have the Microsoft Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable Package (x64) or a
minimum update of Java Runtime Environment version 8, the FileMaker Server installer
automatically installs them.
If you do not have Bonjour for Windows installed, you are prompted to allow the
FileMaker Server installer to install it. Follow the onscreen instructions.
If you do not have the Microsoft Application Request Routing (ARR) extension for IIS
installed, the FileMaker Server installer downloads and installs it. If your machine cannot
access the Internet, you need to download and install this extension manually before the
installer can continue. If IIS is not enabled, the ARR installer will enable it.
See “Installation notes” on page 43.
1OS X:
If you do not have a minimum update of Java Runtime Environment version 8 installed, you
are prompted to allow the FileMaker Server installer to install it. If Bonjour is not running, you
are prompted to run it.
For information about Java and Bonjour installation, see “Installation notes” on page 43.
FileMaker Server begins to install. This process may take several minutes.
Chapter 2 Installation quick start 14
15. After the software has been successfully installed, start the Deployment assistant.
1Windows: In the last step of the installer, select Start the Deployment assistant, then click
Finish.
1OS X: Click Continue.
If necessary, see “Deployment assistant doesn’t start after installation” on page 47.
Windows OS X
If you want, you can stop now and start the Deployment assistant later. To deploy
FileMaker Server at a later time:
1Windows: For Windows versions with the Start button, click the Start button > All
Programs > FileMaker Server > FMS 15 Admin Console. For Windows versions with the
Windows Start screen, click FMS 15 Admin Console.
1OS X: Double-click the FMS 15 Admin Console shortcut on the desktop.
The Deployment assistant opens in the web browser. It may take a few minutes for Admin
Console to start and the Deployment assistant to appear.
Note If Admin Console and Deployment assistant do not start, see “Deployment assistant
doesn’t start after installation” on page 47.
Chapter 2 Installation quick start 15
16. In the first step of the Deployment assistant, assign the user name and password you want to
use whenever you log in to Admin Console as the server administrator. The server
administrator is responsible for installing and configuring FileMaker Server as well as managing
the FileMaker Pro databases hosted on FileMaker Server.
Note User names are not case-sensitive. Passwords are case-sensitive.
When you enter the password value, the Deployment assistant determines the strength of the
password. FileMaker recommends that you enter a strong password.
Enter a password hint that will help you remember the password. The hint is displayed on the
Admin Console Start Page after three failed attempts to enter the user name and password.
Enter a PIN value that can be used to reset the password using the command line interface
(CLI).
Click Next.
Chapter 2 Installation quick start 16
17. Specify a name, description, and contact information for this deployment of FileMaker Server.
This information will appear on the FileMaker Server Admin Console Start Page. This
information will also be included in the email when the FileMaker Server sends out warning or
error notifications (see “Emailing notifications” on page 58).
Server Name is displayed to FileMaker Pro users in the Launch Center window and to
FileMaker Go users in the Launch Center.
Click Next.
Chapter 2 Installation quick start 17
18. You can enable a hosted FileMaker Pro file to be a data source via ODBC and JDBC. Click
Yes, enable ODBC/JDBC or No, do not enable ODBC/JDBC.
Important This feature allows clients to use FileMaker files as data sources using ODBC and
JDBC. This feature is not needed to host FileMaker Pro databases that access ODBC data
sources. See FileMaker Pro Help.
19. If you want to publish FileMaker data on the Internet or an intranet using FileMaker WebDirect
or Custom Web Publishing, click Yes, enable web publishing. Otherwise, click No, do not
enable web publishing. If you are not enabling web publishing, click Next and continue with
step 21.
Chapter 2 Installation quick start 18
20. Select the web publishing technologies you want to use, and click Next.
1If you enable the XML and PHP web publishing technologies, FileMaker recommends that
you use SSL for database connections with a custom SSL certificate installed.
1You can install the FileMaker Server supported version of the PHP engine (see the
FileMaker Server system requirements), or you can use your own PHP engine. If you already
have a PHP engine installed and choose to use the FileMaker Server supported PHP
engine, your currently installed PHP engine will be disabled.
1If you use your own PHP engine, you must manually install the FileMaker API for PHP to use
PHP publishing. See FileMaker Server Custom Web Publishing Guide.
21. For a single-machine deployment, select Single Machine, then click Next.
22. If web publishing is enabled and the Deployment assistant successfully communicates with
the web server, you see The web server test was successful. Click Next.
If the Deployment assistant fails to communicate with the web server, see “Deployment assistant
reports that the web server test failed” on page 47.
Chapter 2 Installation quick start 19
23. A deployment summary appears. Click Next or click Back to change any of your choices.
Chapter 2 Installation quick start 20
24. FileMaker Server deployment may take a few minutes. When deployment completes, click
Finish to continue.
25. FileMaker Server Admin Console starts.
If you don’t see FileMaker Server Admin Console, open a web browser and enter:
http://localhost:16001/admin-console
Chapter 2 Installation quick start 21
26. In the FileMaker Server Status pane, note the IP address of the server.
Tip Write down the IP address so that you can start Admin Console from another computer, if
needed.
Next steps
Now that you have deployed FileMaker Server, get started using your new software.
1. Start Admin Console: See “Starting Admin Console” on page 50.
2. Test your installation: See chapter 4, “Testing your deployment.”
3. Register your software: See “Customer support” on page 89.
4. Administer FileMaker Server: See chapter 5, “Administering FileMaker Server.”
Chapter 3
Deploying FileMaker Server across multiple
machines
FileMaker Server allows you to deploy its components on multiple machines to improve overall
performance. In many environments, a single-machine deployment provides sufficient
performance for web publishing. However, if FileMaker Server will be used frequently by internet
clients accessing data with FileMaker WebDirect, XML, or PHP, then you can deploy the
components of FileMaker Server across two machines.
You can first deploy FileMaker Server on one machine. If the web publishing load increases, you
can change your initial deployment to improve FileMaker Server’s performance.
Note If you’re not using web publishing, you don’t gain performance improvements from a
multiple-machine deployment.
Deployment alternatives
The diagram below shows the major components of FileMaker Server. You can deploy them all on
one machine or across two machines. The operating systems of the machines can be all
Windows, all OS X, or a combination of the two.
Admin Console
Web Server
PHP Engine
Web Publishing
Engine Database Server
FileMaker Server components
FileMaker Server uses the following components:
1Web Server: in Windows, FileMaker Server requires Internet Information Services (IIS), which
will be enabled when you install FileMaker Server. In OS X, FileMaker Server uses its own
instance of the Apache web server, so you do not need to enable the Apache instance that is
installed as part of OS X.
1Web Publishing Engine: provides the Custom Web Publishing services and the
FileMaker WebDirect services for databases hosted by FileMaker Server.
1PHP Engine: for Custom Web Publishing with PHP, FileMaker Server requires a PHP engine
to respond to requests from the web server and to process PHP code. FileMaker Server
includes a PHP engine and the FileMaker API for PHP. When PHP code calls the FileMaker
API for PHP, those calls are interpreted and sent to the Web Publishing Engine.
1Database Server: hosts the databases that you share with FileMaker Pro and FileMaker Go
users and publish on the web. In a multiple-machine deployment, the machine running the
Database Server is called the master machine. See the description below.
1Admin Console: runs in a web browser on any client computer from which you want to
configure and administer FileMaker Server.
Chapter 3 Deploying FileMaker Server across multiple machines 23
When you deploy FileMaker Server across two machines, one machine is always the master and
the other is a worker.
1The master machine is always the machine on which the Database Server is deployed.
1The worker machine is the machine that runs the Web Publishing Engine and the web server.
The master communicates with the worker to handle database requests from users, configure the
settings on all machines, and monitor the status and activity of all components.
Important To enhance the security of your database solution, especially on the Internet, consider
using a firewall on the public side of a FileMaker Server deployment. Also consider using SSL for
the web server. For information on setting up security for web published solutions, see
http://www.filemaker.com/support.
The type of deployment you should use depends primarily on the web publishing load, as
summarized in the table below. For a greater web publishing load, you may want to use two
machines in your FileMaker Server deployment. You can first deploy on one machine and, if the
load increases over time, you can change the deployment later to use two machines.
FileMaker Server use Deployment type
FileMaker clients only Single machine with Database Server only. No benefit from a two-machine
deployment.
Solution development and testing Single machine with or without Web Publishing Engine. No benefit from a two-
machine deployment.
FileMaker clients and moderate
web publishing
Single machine with Database Server and Web Publishing Engine. Provides
good web publishing performance in most environments. You can expand to a
two-machine deployment later, if web publishing load increases.
FileMaker clients and heavy web
publishing load
Two machines. Deploy the Database Server on the master machine. Deploy the
Web Publishing Engine and web server on a worker machine.
Chapter 3 Deploying FileMaker Server across multiple machines 24
One-machine deployment
You can deploy FileMaker Server on one machine in two ways: Database Server only or Database
Server and Web Publishing Engine. For information on installing FileMaker Server in a one-
machine configuration, see chapter 2, “Installation quick start.”
Database Server only
You can install FileMaker Server on one machine with web publishing disabled. With this type of
deployment, you can serve FileMaker Pro, FileMaker Go, and ODBC/JDBC clients but not
FileMaker WebDirect or Custom Web Publishing clients.
Benefits: This is the easiest deployment to set up and administer if you don't need web publishing.
Database Server
Ports 80 and 443 must be open (or alternative ports specified during installation).
Ports 5003 and 16000 must be open.
Port 2399 must be open to support ODBC and JDBC clients.
Ports 1895, 5013, 16001, 16004, 50003, and 50004 must be available.
Admin Console
Note Even when web publishing is disabled, FileMaker Server requires a web server to host the
web-based Admin Console application and to handle some data transfer tasks.
Database Server and Web Publishing Engine
You can install Database Server, the Web Publishing Engine, and all of the associated software
components on the same machine as the web server.
Benefits: This is the simplest deployment with web publishing and the one that most
FileMaker Server users will use. This configuration is suitable for small deployments (up to 50
FileMaker Pro and FileMaker Go clients combined) and limited web publishing.
Ports 80 and 443 must be open (or alternative ports specified during installation).
Ports 5003 and 16000 must be open.
Port 2399 must be open to support ODBC and JDBC clients.
Ports 1895, 5013, 8998, 9889, 9898, 16001, 16004, 16020, 16021, 50003, and 50004 must be available.
Admin Console
Web Server
PHP Engine
Web Publishing
Engine Database Server
Web Server Module
Chapter 3 Deploying FileMaker Server across multiple machines 25
Two-machine deployment
You can deploy FileMaker Server across two machines: the Web Publishing Engine, web server,
and Web Server Module on one machine and the Database Server on a second machine.
Benefits: This deployment separates all of the web publishing-related components from the
Database Server. Under most conditions, this configuration is the highest performing
FileMaker Server deployment.
Database Server
Web Publishing
Engine
Ports 80 and 443 must be open (or alternative ports specified
during installation).
Ports 5013, 8998, 9889, 9898, 16020, and 16021 must be
available.
Machine 1 (worker) Machine 2 (master)
Ports 80 and 443 must be open (or alternative ports specified
during installation).
Ports 5003 and 16000 must be open.
Port 2399 must be open to support ODBC and JDBC clients.
Ports 1895, 16001,16004, 50003, and 50004 must be available.
Admin Console
Web Server
PHP Engine
Web Server Module
Ports 5003 and
16000 must be
open.
Note In addition to the web server on the worker machine used for web publishing,
FileMaker Server also requires a web server on the master machine to host the web-based Admin
Console application and to handle some data transfer tasks.
Installing on multiple machines
For a multiple-machine deployment, you install FileMaker Server software on each machine. After
the software is installed on all of the machines, you use the Deployment assistant on the master
machine to configure your settings and specify which machine is the worker. You do not use the
Deployment assistant on a worker machine.
Important Install the FileMaker Server software first on the worker machine and then on the
master machine.
Before you begin installing on multiple machines
1Ensure that no existing websites on the master or worker machines use port 80 or 443, or be
prepared to enter alternative ports. These ports are used by FileMaker Server on both
machines. If the FileMaker Server installer detects an existing website using these ports, the
installer prompts you to let it disable that website or to specify alternative ports.
1Windows: The FileMaker Server installer runs the Microsoft Application Request Routing
(ARR) installer (which enables the IIS web server, if it isn’t already enabled), creates its own
website in IIS, and configures the website to use the ports specified for web connections.
1OS X: The web server included in OS X does not need to be enabled; if it is enabled, ensure
that no existing website uses port 80 or 443, or be prepared to specify alternative ports
during installation. The installer creates a separate web server instance and enables it for
FileMaker Server to use on these ports.
For information on the web server, see chapter 7, “Setting up the web server.”
Chapter 3 Deploying FileMaker Server across multiple machines 26
1When you’re running FileMaker Server in an environment that uses a firewall, be sure to
configure the firewall on each machine to allow FileMaker Server to use ports as indicated in
“Ports used by FileMaker Server” below. Restart each machine after configuring the firewall.
1To upgrade from an earlier version of FileMaker Server, see chapter 6, “Upgrading or moving
an existing installation.”
1If you already have a single-machine deployment of FileMaker Server 15, you can add a second
machine to your existing deployment. To add a second machine, install FileMaker Server on the
second machine as a worker (see “Installing on the worker machine” on page 28). Then in Admin
Console on your existing master machine, change the deployment to two machines. For
information on editing an existing deployment, see FileMaker Server Help.
1Locate your license key. See “About the license key” on page 7.
1If you are currently running FileMaker Pro on the same machine, you must quit FileMaker Pro
before installing FileMaker Server.
Also keep in mind the following:
1If the machine has antivirus software installed, you may need to disable or uninstall it before
running the FileMaker Server installer. Don’t enable antivirus software again until after the
Deployment assistant has finished.
Do not allow antivirus software to scan the folders that contain hosted database files or the
folders that contain files for container fields that store data externally.
1You cannot run two different versions of FileMaker Server on the same machine at the same time.
1Because some DHCP servers cycle IP addresses, FileMaker recommends using a static IP
address.
1OS X: Avoid using the OS X Server application to enable any HTTP services while running
FileMaker Server. HTTP services provided by OS X Server may interfere with
FileMaker Server. See “Using the Apache web server in OS X” on page 71.
Ports used by FileMaker Server
Note that not all of the ports listed below need to be open to end users or between all machines
in a FileMaker Server deployment. The ports marked “Open” must be open in firewalls between
the machines or end users indicated in the “Used by” column. Ports marked “Available” are used
locally by FileMaker Server on the machine indicated in the “Used by” column; these ports must
not be used for anything else but do not need to be opened in a firewall.
Port number Used by
Open /
Available Purpose
80, or alternative port
specified during
installation
Web server machine, end
users
Open HTTP
80, or alternative port
specified during
installation
Master machine, end
users, and Admin
Console users
Open Progressive downloading of container
data to all clients, redirects to port 16000
for Admin Console
443, or alternative port
specified during
installation
Web server machine, end
users
Open HTTPS
Chapter 3 Deploying FileMaker Server across multiple machines 27
443, or alternative port
specified during
installation
Master machine, end
users
Open HTTPS: Uploading databases from
FileMaker Pro, inserting data in externally
stored container fields from all clients
1895 Master machine (local
only)
Available FileMaker internal
2399 Master machine, end
users
Open ODBC and JDBC sharing. Port 2399 only
needs to be open to support ODBC and
JDBC clients.
5003 Master machine, end
users
Open Hosting databases for FileMaker Pro and
FileMaker Go clients
5013 Worker machine Available FileMaker internal
5015 Web Publishing Engine
machine
Available FileMaker internal
8998 Web Publishing Engine
machine
Available FileMaker internal
9889 Web Publishing Engine
machine
Available FileMaker internal
9898 Web Publishing Engine
machine
Available FileMaker internal
16000 Master machine, Admin
Console users
Open HTTPS: Admin Console Start Page,
Admin Helpers
16000 Worker machine Open Admin Helpers
16001 Master machine (local
only)
Available FileMaker internal
16001 Worker machine (local
only)
Available FileMaker internal
16004 Master machine (local
only)
Available FileMaker internal
16020 Web Publishing Engine
machine
Available FileMaker internal
16021 Web Publishing Engine
machine
Available FileMaker internal
50003 Master machine (local
only)
Available FileMaker Server service (Windows) or
background process (OS X)
50004 Master machine Available FileMaker Script Engine
Port number Used by
Open /
Available Purpose
Chapter 3 Deploying FileMaker Server across multiple machines 28
The following illustration shows the ports that must be open in a firewall in order for FileMaker
clients and Admin Console to communicate with FileMaker Server.
FileMaker Server Clients
FileMaker Pro
Master
machine FileMaker Go
FileMaker WebDirect
Custom Web Publishing
80*, 443*, 5003
80*, 443*, 5003
ODBC/JDBC
80*, 443*
80*, 443*
2399
Ports that must be open to support client connections
Worker
machine
80*, 443*, 2399,
5003, 16000
80*, 443*
Admin Console
16000
* For ports 80 and 443, alternative ports may be specified during installation
Installing on the worker machine
Install FileMaker Server on the worker machine first, then on the master machine. A worker
machine runs the Web Publishing Engine and the web server that serves web publishing clients.
Note If you set up a machine as a worker and want to change it to a master, uninstall and then
reinstall FileMaker Server. Choose Master in the installer’s Master/Worker Designation dialog
box. See chapter 6, “Upgrading or moving an existing installation.”
1. Follow your electronic download instructions to download and open the installation disk image,
or insert your product DVD.
2. Windows: If you have Bonjour for Windows installed, make sure that it is running before you
run the FileMaker Server installer.
3. Double-click the installation icon.
FileMaker Server 15 (OS X) Setup (Windows)
1Windows: If a User Account Control alert appears, click Yes.
1OS X: Enter your OS X user name and password, then skip to step 6.
4. Windows: Select a language, then click OK.
5. Windows: To begin installation, click Next.
6. Read the Before You Begin information. If there is a task you did not do, quit the installer and do
the task. If you are ready to install FileMaker Server, click Next (Windows) or Continue (OS X).
Chapter 3 Deploying FileMaker Server across multiple machines 29
7. Review and accept the end user license agreement.
OS X: You may need to enter your OS X user name and password again.
8. Windows: Select a destination folder, then click Next.
Note In Windows, you can select a non-default location. See “Installation notes” on page 43.
9. Select Multiple Machines and click Next.
10. Select Worker.
Windows: Click Next.
11. Specify the ports that FileMaker Server should use for web connections and secure web
connections, then click Next.
If the installer detects that the ports required for the web server are currently in use, the installer
prompts you to let it disable the website currently using those ports. To continue installation,
you must click Disable Websites. Or you can click Cancel, disable the website manually, then
run the installer again.
Note The port numbers you specify for the worker machine must also be specified on the
master machine.
Chapter 3 Deploying FileMaker Server across multiple machines 30
12. Click Install.
1Windows:
If you do not have the Microsoft Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable Package (x64) or a
minimum update of Java Runtime Environment version 8, the FileMaker Server installer
automatically installs them.
If you do not have Bonjour for Windows installed, you are prompted to allow the
FileMaker Server installer to install it. Follow the onscreen instructions.
If you do not have the Microsoft Application Request Routing (ARR) extension for IIS
installed, the FileMaker Server installer downloads and installs it. If your machine cannot
access the Internet, you need to download and install this extension manually before the
installer can continue. If IIS is not enabled, the ARR installer will enable it.
See “Installation notes” on page 43.
1OS X:
If you do not have a minimum update of Java Runtime Environment version 8 installed, you
are prompted to allow the FileMaker Server installer to install it. If Bonjour is not running, you
are prompted to run it.
For information about Java and Bonjour installation, see “Installation notes” on page 43.
FileMaker Server begins to install. This process may take several minutes.
13. After the software has been successfully installed, FileMaker Server displays a setup code
that you will use to allow the master machine to connect to the worker machine. Make a note
of this setup code. You will use it during the installation of the master machine.
Windows OS X
14. Click Finish (Windows) or OK (OS X) to complete the installation of the worker machine.
15. Install FileMaker Server 15 on the master machine as described in the next section.
Chapter 3 Deploying FileMaker Server across multiple machines 31
Installing on the master machine
Install FileMaker Server first on the worker machine (see “Installing on the worker machine” on
page 28), then on the master machine. The master machine always runs the Database Server and
the web server that hosts Admin Console.
1. Follow your electronic download instructions to download and open the installation disk image,
or insert your product DVD.
2. Windows: If you have Bonjour for Windows installed, make sure that it is running before you
run the FileMaker Server installer.
3. Double-click the installation icon.
FileMaker Server 15 (OS X) Setup (Windows)
1Windows: If a User Account Control alert appears, click Yes.
1OS X: Enter your OS X user name and password, then skip to step 6.
4. Windows: Select a language, then click OK.
5. Windows: To begin installation, click Next.
6. Read the Before You Begin information. If there is a task you did not do, quit the installer and do the
task. If you are ready to install FileMaker Server, click Next (Windows) or Continue (OS X).
7. Review and accept the end user license agreement.
OS X: You may need to enter your OS X user name and password again.
8. Windows: Select a destination folder, then click Next.
Note In Windows, you can select a non-default location. See “Installation notes” on page 43.
9. Select Multiple Machines and click Next.
Chapter 3 Deploying FileMaker Server across multiple machines 32
10. Select Master and click Next.
11. Choose one of the following options for the FileMaker Server user account (the account under
which you want to run FileMaker Server):
1To use the default account, select Local System (Windows) or fmserver (OS X), then click
Next.
1To use an existing account on this machine, select User Name, enter the account’s user
name and password, then click Next. You may want to choose this option if you already have
an account that has privileges set as you want—for example, to access network-attached
storage.
If the existing user account you specified does not have sufficient privileges for
FileMaker Server to run, the installer displays an error message. See “Installation notes” on
page 43.
Windows OS X
12. Enter your license key information.
13. Windows: Click Next.
Chapter 3 Deploying FileMaker Server across multiple machines 33
14. Specify the ports that FileMaker Server should use for web connections and secure web
connections, then click Next.
If the installer detects that the ports required for the web server are currently in use, the installer
prompts you to let it disable the website currently using those ports. To continue installation,
you must click Disable Websites. Or you can click Cancel, disable the website manually, then
run the installer again.
Note The port numbers you specify for the master machine must match the port numbers that
you specified for the worker machine.
15. Click Install.
1Windows:
If you do not have the Microsoft Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable Package (x64) or a
minimum update of Java Runtime Environment version 8, the FileMaker Server installer
automatically installs them.
If you do not have Bonjour for Windows installed, you are prompted to allow the
FileMaker Server installer to install it. Follow the onscreen instructions.
If you do not have the Microsoft Application Request Routing (ARR) extension for IIS
installed, the FileMaker Server installer downloads and installs it. If your machine cannot
access the Internet, you need to download and install this extension manually before the
installer can continue. If IIS is not enabled, the ARR installer will enable it.
See “Installation notes” on page 43.
1OS X:
If you do not have a minimum update of Java Runtime Environment version 8 installed, you
are prompted to allow the FileMaker Server installer to install it. If Bonjour is not running, you
are prompted to run it.
For information about Java and Bonjour installation, see “Installation notes” on page 43.
FileMaker Server begins to install. This process may take several minutes.
Chapter 3 Deploying FileMaker Server across multiple machines 34
16. After the software has been successfully installed, start the Deployment assistant.
1Windows: In the last step of the installer, select Start the Deployment assistant, then click
Finish.
1OS X: Click Continue.
If necessary, see “Deployment assistant doesn’t start after installation” on page 47.
Windows OS X
If you want, you can stop now and start the Deployment assistant later. To deploy
FileMaker Server at a later time:
1Windows: For Windows versions with the Start button, click the Start button > All
Programs > FileMaker Server > FMS 15 Admin Console. For Windows versions with the
Windows Start screen, click FMS 15 Admin Console.
1OS X: Double-click the FMS 15 Admin Console shortcut on the desktop.
The Deployment assistant opens in the web browser. It may take a few minutes for Admin
Console to start and the Deployment assistant to appear.
Note If Admin Console and Deployment assistant do not start, see “Deployment assistant
doesn’t start after installation” on page 47.
Chapter 3 Deploying FileMaker Server across multiple machines 35
17. In the first step of the Deployment assistant, assign the user name and password you want to
use whenever you log in to Admin Console as the server administrator. The server
administrator is responsible for installing and configuring FileMaker Server as well as managing
the FileMaker Pro databases hosted on FileMaker Server.
Note User names are not case-sensitive. Passwords are case-sensitive.
When you enter the password value, the Deployment assistant determines the strength of the
password. FileMaker recommends that you enter a strong password.
Enter a password hint that will help you remember the password. The hint is displayed on the
Admin Console Start Page after three failed attempts to enter the user name and password.
Enter a PIN value that can be used to reset the password using the command line interface
(CLI).
Click Next.
Chapter 3 Deploying FileMaker Server across multiple machines 36
18. Specify a name, description, and contact information for this deployment of FileMaker Server.
This information will appear on FileMaker Server Admin Console Start Page. This information
will also be included in the email when the FileMaker Server sends out warning or error
notifications (see “Emailing notifications” on page 58).
Server Name is displayed to FileMaker Pro users in the Launch Center window and to
FileMaker Go users in the Launch Center.
Click Next.
Chapter 3 Deploying FileMaker Server across multiple machines 37
19. You can enable a hosted FileMaker Pro file to be a data source via ODBC and JDBC. Click
Yes, enable ODBC/JDBC or No, do not enable ODBC/JDBC.
Important This feature allows clients to use FileMaker files as data sources using ODBC and
JDBC. This feature is not needed to host FileMaker Pro databases that access ODBC data
sources. See FileMaker Pro Help.
20. To publish FileMaker data on the Internet or an intranet using FileMaker WebDirect or Custom
Web Publishing, click Yes, enable web publishing.
21. Select the web publishing technologies you want to use, and click Next.
1If you enable the XML and PHP web publishing technologies, FileMaker recommends that
you use SSL for database connections with a custom SSL certificate installed.
1You can install the FileMaker Server supported version of the PHP engine (see the
FileMaker Server system requirements), or you can use your own PHP engine. If you already
have a PHP engine installed and choose to use the FileMaker Server supported PHP
engine, your currently installed PHP engine will be disabled.
1If you use your own PHP engine, you must manually install the FileMaker API for PHP to use
PHP publishing. See FileMaker Server Custom Web Publishing Guide.
Chapter 3 Deploying FileMaker Server across multiple machines 38
22. For a two-machine deployment, select Two Machines. Click Next. See “Deployment
alternatives” on page 22.
Chapter 3 Deploying FileMaker Server across multiple machines 39
23. Assign a worker machine to the web server role. Click Next.
1The Deployment assistant detects all unassigned worker machines on the local network and
shows their IP addresses in the Web Server list. If the worker is not listed, click Rescan.
1If the worker's IP address is still not listed, enter the address in IP Address and click
Lookup. The IP address you entered is added to the Web Server list if the machine
responds and is an available worker.
1After you set the IP in the Web Server list, the Setup Code field is displayed. Enter the setup
code that FileMaker Server displayed on the worker machine after the software was
successfully installed.
Note You will not be able to see the worker machine if the required ports of the firewall are not
open. See “Before you begin installing on multiple machines” on page 25.
Chapter 3 Deploying FileMaker Server across multiple machines 40
24. If the Deployment assistant successfully communicates with the web server, you see The web
server test was successful. Click Next.
If the Deployment assistant fails to communicate with the web server, see “Deployment assistant
reports that the web server test failed” on page 47.
25. A deployment summary appears. Click Next or click Back to change any of your choices.
Chapter 3 Deploying FileMaker Server across multiple machines 41
26. FileMaker Server is being deployed. This may take a few minutes. When deployment
completes, click Finish to continue.
Chapter 3 Deploying FileMaker Server across multiple machines 42
27. FileMaker Server Admin Console starts.
If you don’t see FileMaker Server Admin Console, open a web browser and enter:
http://localhost:16001/admin-console
28. In the FileMaker Server Status pane, note the IP address of the server.
Tip Write down the IP address so that you can start Admin Console from another computer, if
needed.
Chapter 3 Deploying FileMaker Server across multiple machines 43
Installation notes
1For information on the versions of supporting software that are required, see the
FileMaker Server system requirements.
1Windows: You can install FileMaker Server in a non-default location including a non-boot
volume, but not on remote network drives or external removable drives. The path you specify
replaces the beginning of the default installation path, \Program Files\FileMaker\
FileMaker Server. For example, if you specify the My_Path installation folder, the Databases,
Scripts, and Extensions folders are installed as follows:
1\My_Path\Data\Databases
1\My_Path\Data\Scripts
1\My_Path\Database Server\Extensions
1OS X: Do not install FileMaker Server on a target volume that is formatted as a Mac OS
Extended (Journaled, Case-Sensitive) volume. This format is not supported. Format the volume
as Mac OS Extended or Mac OS Extended (Journaled) instead.
1During installation, if you specify a FileMaker Server user account other than the default, the
specified account must meet the following requirements:
1Windows: The account must be either a local user account or a Windows domain account.
The account must have the same privileges as the Windows system account for local file
access. If you set up additional database or container data folders on remote volumes, the
account must also have full permissions to access these remote folders.
1OS X: The account must be a local user account in OS X and have the same permissions
as the fmserver account for local file access (including membership in the daemon group).
The account must not be from a directory service (for example, Active Directory or Open
Directory). If you set up additional database or container data folders on remote volumes,
the account must also have full permissions to access these remote folders.
1Bonjour installation:
1Windows: Bonjour is optional.
1OS X: If Bonjour is not installed and enabled, then you cannot install FileMaker Server.
1If Bonjour is not installed, the server cannot be displayed to FileMaker Pro users in the
Launch Center window or to FileMaker Go users in the Launch Center. Also without Bonjour,
the Deployment assistant cannot automatically locate available worker machines, so you
must specify the worker’s IP address manually.
1FileMaker Server requires the 64-bit version of Java Runtime Environment version 8 on master
and worker machines.
1Windows: FileMaker Server requires the Microsoft Application Request Routing (ARR)
extension for IIS. If the FileMaker Server installer is unable to download and install this
extension (for example, because the machine does not have internet access), then you must
download and run the ARR installer manually before the installer can continue. See the
Microsoft website for information.
Chapter 3 Deploying FileMaker Server across multiple machines 44
1Windows: Do not uninstall the following while FileMaker Server is installed:
1IIS URL Rewrite Module
1Microsoft Application Request Routing
1Microsoft External Cache for IIS
1Microsoft Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable Package (x64)
1Microsoft Web Farm Framework
Next steps
Now that you have deployed FileMaker Server, get started using your new software.
1. Start Admin Console: See “Starting Admin Console” on page 50.
2. Test your installation: See chapter 4, “Testing your deployment.”
3. Register your software: See “Customer support” on page 89.
4. Administer FileMaker Server: See chapter 5, “Administering FileMaker Server.”
Chapter 4
Testing your deployment
Using the FileMaker Server Technology Tests page
The easiest way to test your FileMaker Server deployment is to use the FileMaker Server
Technology Tests page.
There are three ways to view the Test page:
1Start Admin Console. Choose Server menu > Open Test Page.
If you see a message that a pop-up was blocked, disable pop-up blocking for this website in
your web browser.
1Open the Test page by typing the following in a web browser:
https://[host]:16000/test
where [host] is the IP address or host name of the master machine.
1Open the Start page by typing the following in a web browser:
https://[host]:16000
Then click the FileMaker Server 15 Technology Tests link under the Troubleshooting
heading on the Admin Console Start Page.
Note You can use the Technology Tests page without logging in to Admin Console.
FileMaker Server Technology Tests page
Chapter 4 Testing your deployment 46
The tests on the FileMaker Server Technology Tests page access the sample database
(FMServer_Sample.fmp12) using FileMaker Pro or one of the web publishing technologies.
To test Do this
FileMaker Pro Click Test FileMaker Pro.
If FileMaker Pro starts and opens the sample database hosted on FileMaker Server, then
the Database Server is working and responding to requests from FileMaker Pro clients.
You must have FileMaker Pro or FileMaker Pro Advanced installed locally on the machine
where you are conducting the test.
To perform the same test another way, start FileMaker Pro on another machine, choose File
menu > Open Remote. In the Launch Center window that opens, click the Hosts tab and
select the server you want to test, and select FMServer_Sample.
FileMaker WebDirect Click Test FileMaker WebDirect.
If another web browser window or tab opens and displays the sample database, then
FileMaker WebDirect is working. If successful, this test shows that the Database Server,
Web Publishing Engine, and web server are working.
Custom Web
Publishing with PHP
Click Test PHP Custom Web Publishing.
If another web browser window or tab opens and displays a table containing data from the
sample database, then Custom Web Publishing with PHP is working. If successful, this test
shows that the Database Server, Web Publishing Engine, web server, PHP engine, and
FileMaker API for PHP are working.
FileMaker Pro
Custom Web Publishing with PHP
FileMaker WebDirect
Successful test pages
Chapter 4 Testing your deployment 47
Troubleshooting
Deployment assistant reports that the web server test failed
If the Deployment assistant cannot communicate with the web server, you will receive an error message.
To confirm web server settings:
1. In the Test step in the Deployment assistant, confirm the Protocol, Host address, and Port for
the web server and click Retry.
You may encounter this during initial deployment or when you click Server menu > Edit Server
Deployment.
2. Examine the Web Server Test Results. If the test is:
1Successful: the result is Web Server Test Passed. Click Next.
1Unsuccessful: the Deployment assistant could not communicate with the web server. Make
sure that you can access the web server using a web browser from the master machine. If
the web server is on a worker machine, make sure the necessary ports are open on the
worker machine (see “Before you begin installing on multiple machines” on page 25). To try
to communicate with the web server again, click Retry.
1Still unsuccessful: you can disable web publishing for now so that you can complete the
Deployment assistant. To disable web publishing, click Back until you reach the
Technologies step, then click No, do not enable web publishing.
Deployment assistant doesn’t start after installation
If the Deployment assistant doesn’t start immediately after you run the FileMaker Server
installation program, the most common solutions are:
1On the master machine, start the Deployment assistant by double-clicking the FMS 15 Admin
Console shortcut on the desktop or entering http://localhost:16001 in a web browser.
1Windows: On the master machine, ensure that IIS is enabled (see chapter 7, “Enabling the IIS
web server in Windows”). In IIS Manager, check that the site named FMWebSite has started.
1If the Admin Server process does not respond within 60 seconds to the FileMaker Server
installation program, the following message appears:
The FileMaker Server Admin Console Start page is not available.
If you see this message, do the following steps in the order shown:
1. Restart the Admin Server process by entering the following command in a command prompt
(Windows) or the Terminal application (OS X):
fmsadmin restart adminserver
2. In Windows, you can stop and then restart the FileMaker Server service in the
Administrative Tools > Services control panel.
3. If your server computer has a firewall, make sure all required ports are open in the firewall.
(See “Before you begin” on page 9.)
4. If your machine is running slowly, shut down any unnecessary applications.
5. Restart your machine. Open a web browser on the master machine and enter
http://localhost:16001.
Chapter 4 Testing your deployment 48
Admin Console doesn’t start after deployment on master machine
The most common solutions are:
1On the Admin Console Start Page, click Start Admin Console.
1Open a web browser on the master machine and enter http://localhost:16001.
Cannot start Admin Console from a remote machine
If you cannot start Admin Console from a remote machine but you can from the master machine,
the most common solutions are:
1Ensure that you’re using the correct port in the URL:
https://[host]:16000/admin-console
Note that Admin Console always uses an HTTPS connection on port 16000 from remote
machines. You can also use http://[host]/admin-console, which works because it is
automatically redirected to HTTPS on port 16000. See “Starting Admin Console” on page 50.
1If the master machine has a firewall enabled, then you must open the ports required by
FileMaker Server to communicate with users and administrators. For open ports required by a
single-machine deployment, see “Before you begin” on page 9. Otherwise, see “Before you
begin installing on multiple machines” on page 25.
Web browsers display a certificate message
Most web browsers display a certificate error or warning message when you use an HTTPS
connection to go to any web page hosted by the FileMaker Server web server. This includes
Admin Console, the Start Page, and any FileMaker WebDirect or Custom Web Publishing solution
that uses an HTTPS connection. Displaying this message is expected behavior if your
FileMaker Server deployment uses the SSL certificate provided with FileMaker Server.
The most common solutions are:
1To proceed to the desired page, users can click the option in the web browser to continue.
1To prevent this error message, see “Requesting an SSL certificate” on page 67.
Clients cannot see databases hosted by FileMaker Server
The firewall settings on the master machine may be blocking the display of databases to clients.
See “Before you begin” on page 9 and “Before you begin installing on multiple machines” on
page 25 for information on which ports need to be unblocked in firewalls.
A client running FileMaker Pro 12 or earlier or FileMaker Go 12 or earlier cannot see files that are
hosted by FileMaker Server 15. Use FileMaker Pro 13, 14, or 15 and FileMaker Go 13, 14, or 15
to open files that are hosted by FileMaker Server 15.
Apache web server used by FileMaker Server stops responding (OS X)
The most common solution is to ensure that no other websites or other HTTP services in OS X
are using the same ports required by the web server used by FileMaker Server. For example, if
you have the OS X Server application installed and use it to enable HTTP services such as
websites or the wiki, the existing Apache instance installed in OS X may be re-enabled after
FileMaker Server is installed. Therefore to ensure the Apache instance used by FileMaker Server
works normally, you may need to configure any other HTTP services to use different ports from
the ports that FileMaker Server uses, disable other HTTP services, or uninstall the OS X Server
application.
Chapter 5
Administering FileMaker Server
For detailed information about using Admin Console to administer FileMaker Pro databases and
clients that are connected to hosted databases, see FileMaker Server Help.
About FileMaker Server Admin Console
FileMaker Server Admin Console is a web-based application that lets you configure and
administer FileMaker Server, work with and monitor hosted databases and clients, and track
statistical information.
To administer FileMaker Server, you can use Admin Console on the computer where
FileMaker Server is running or on any computer that has network access to the master machine
running FileMaker Server. To secure remote administration, Admin Console uses Secure Sockets
Layer (SSL) technology to encrypt HTTPS connections from other computers.
FileMaker Server Admin Console
Navigation pane
Details pane
Help information
Toolbar Menu
You administer FileMaker Server by choosing options on the menu and Navigation pane. The
results are shown in the Details pane, where you can select tasks, specify configuration settings,
or monitor activity.
Using Admin Console to administer FileMaker Server
When administering FileMaker Server, you can:
1configure FileMaker Server application properties
1open—or host—a FileMaker Pro database file, making it available to clients on the network
1view information about the files being hosted, like the number of clients accessing each
database
Chapter 5 Administering FileMaker Server 50
1view database statistics in a table or graph
1send messages to connected clients
1close a hosted FileMaker Pro database, making it unavailable to clients
1download a hosted FileMaker Pro database to your local system
1disconnect a selected client from all hosted databases
1pause or resume hosted databases
1create scheduled tasks to back up, verify, and clone hosted databases
1create scheduled tasks to run system scripts, FileMaker scripts, and script sequences that
contain both system scripts and FileMaker scripts
1start or stop the Database Server
1delegate database administration tasks to group administrators, use a Group Launch Center to
list the databases used by an administrator group
1start or stop the Web Publishing Engine
1configure settings for FileMaker WebDirect
1configure Custom Web Publishing settings for XML or PHP
Note If you click the Back, Forward, or Refresh (or Reload) button in your browser, Admin
Console exits and the Login page is displayed. Any unsaved changes in Admin Console are lost,
and you must log in again.
Starting Admin Console
You can start Admin Console on a Windows or Mac computer that has network access to the
master machine running FileMaker Server. Admin Console is a web-based application hosted on
the master machine that you access with a browser.
Note To use Admin Console, your remote computer needs only a supported web browser; no
additional runtime environments or browser plug-ins are required. See “Requirements for Admin
Console” on page 6.
To start Admin Console:
1. Open a web browser and enter:
https://[host]:16000
where [host] is the IP address or host name of the machine running FileMaker Server as a
master. This is the address you noted when you installed FileMaker Server.
2. Before the Admin Console Start Page appears, your web browser may require you to respond
to a security message. This is normal behavior for the certificate that is included with
FileMaker Server. Click the option to continue to go to the Start Page.
For information on how to prevent this message in the future, see “Requesting an SSL
certificate” on page 67.
Tip Bookmark the Start Page in your web browser. Come back to this page to access
documentation and other resources.
FileMaker Server Start Page
Chapter 5 Administering FileMaker Server 51
3. Click Start Admin Console.
4. On the Login Page, enter the name and password that you chose in the Deployment assistant
when you initially deployed FileMaker Server. Click Log In.
Note If your web browser prompts you to save your user name and password, you should
decline unless you are sure that access to your web browser is secure.
Admin Console starts and displays the FileMaker Server Status pane.
The following are alternate ways to start Admin Console directly:
To access Admin Console from Go to
Any computer with network access to the
master machine
https://[host]:16000/admin-console
http://[host]/admin-console (redirects to HTTPS)
Master machine only http://localhost:16001/admin-console
FMS 15 Admin Console shortcut:
1Windows: For Windows versions with the Start button, click the
Start button > All Programs > FileMaker Server > FMS 15 Admin
Console. For Windows versions with the Windows Start screen,
click FMS 15 Admin Console.
1OS X: Double-click the FMS 15 Admin Console shortcut on the
desktop.
Chapter 5 Administering FileMaker Server 52
Uploading databases
FileMaker provides two ways to upload databases to FileMaker Server:
1In FileMaker Pro, use File menu > Sharing > Upload to FileMaker Server to transfer
FileMaker Pro databases from your computer’s file system to FileMaker Server if both
computers are on the same network. FileMaker Pro uploads database files along with any
externally stored container field objects. FileMaker Server copies the database files to the
specified database folder and sets file permissions and privileges so that you can access the
databases after they are uploaded.
1Manually upload database files to FileMaker Server. You must copy the database files and any
externally stored container field objects to the proper location. In OS X, change the files’ group
ownership to belong to the fmsadmin group. For information about uploading FileMaker Pro
files to the server, see FileMaker Server Help.
Note If any of your databases require a plug-in, see FileMaker Server Help for information about
managing plug-ins.
Encrypting databases
In FileMaker Pro Advanced, you can use the database encryption feature to encrypt the contents
of a database file. Encryption protects the FileMaker database file and any temporary files that are
written to disk.
Note For information about encrypting a database, see FileMaker Pro Help.
When you use the database encryption feature, it encrypts the database content by combining the
database file’s encryption password and a randomly generated, universally unique identifier
(UUID), also known as a salt. This unique encryption password encrypts the data when it is stored
on disk so if someone steals a copy of the database, the database’s contents can’t be viewed.
Encrypting databases in FileMaker Pro Advanced
In FileMaker Pro, you can restrict user actions while a database is open by setting the user’s
privileges in the file. To protect the database when it is stored on disk, use the database encryption
feature in Developer Utilities (FileMaker Pro Advanced). You can also decrypt or re-encrypt a
FileMaker database file with Developer Utilities. The encryption process can take some time for
large database files, so a progress dialog box displays and shows the current status. For
information about database encryption, see FileMaker Pro Help.
To host an encrypted database file on FileMaker Server for FileMaker clients, you can manually
upload the database to FileMaker Server or use the Upload to FileMaker Server menu command
in FileMaker Pro to transfer the file. In either case, you must open an encrypted database using
Admin Console or the fmsadmin command line interface (CLI). See FileMaker Server Help.
Chapter 5 Administering FileMaker Server 53
Opening encrypted databases
You can open an encrypted database that is hosted on FileMaker Server by using Admin Console
or a CLI command. As the FileMaker Server administrator, you should open the file with its
encryption password, so that FileMaker clients can use the encrypted database. When you open
the encrypted file from Admin Console, the encryption password dialog box displays and you must
enter the password. Because you opened the database, FileMaker clients don’t need the
encryption password to access that database.
For information about opening an encrypted database, see FileMaker Server Help.
Note Use the list command to check whether a database is encrypted.
Backing up databases
FileMaker recommends that you back up your hosted databases. FileMaker Server provides two
ways for you to perform database backups:
1Scheduled backups. With scheduled backups, you use the Schedule assistant to create a
scheduled task that defines which databases are backed up, and how often the databases are
backed up. Every time the scheduled task runs, FileMaker Server checks whether the selected
databases have changed since the last backup. FileMaker Server creates a full copy of the
databases that have changed and creates hard links to the backed up databases that have not
changed.
1Progressive backups. With progressive backups, FileMaker Server starts by creating a full
backup of all hosted databases. After the initial full backup is complete, FileMaker Server
subsequently copies just the changed blocks from the hosted file to the backup folder, on a
frequency based on what you specify for the save interval setting. Because the subsequent
progressive backup copies only the blocks that have changed during the save interval, the
progressive backup can run much more quickly than a scheduled backup, with less impact on
Server performance.
If your database uses container fields that store data externally, you can specify whether to back
up the container file folders. By default the container folders are not backed up. See
FileMaker Server Help.
You can use both scheduled backups and progressive backups to ensure a comprehensive
backup strategy for your hosted databases. When FileMaker Server backs up an encrypted
database, the backup is also encrypted.
Note If you use Time Machine in OS X, exclude FileMaker Server folder items from the Time
Machine backup. Use FileMaker Server Admin Console to back up your database files.
Scheduling database backups
Use the FileMaker Server Schedule assistant to create a scheduled task to:
1back up all hosted databases
1back up hosted databases that are in a specified folder
1back up a specified database
Chapter 5 Administering FileMaker Server 54
To create a scheduled task for backing up databases, choose the Admin Console Schedules
pane, click , and choose Create a Schedule. Then, choose Back up databases, and specify
whether you want to back up hourly, daily, weekly, or on a custom schedule. You can also select
the maximum number of database backups you want to keep for a scheduled backup.
Database backups are saved in the default backup folder or in a folder that you specify. You can
specify the default backup folder on the Admin Console Database Server > Folders tab.
Note If you are backing up a database to a volume that supports Windows ReFS, see “Creating
a backup to a Windows ReFS volume” on page 54.
When FileMaker Server backs up a database, it copies the database while it is active. Users can
continue to make modifications. When the copy is complete, the database is paused to
synchronize backup files with the current database and then the database is resumed. You can
set options to verify the backup, save a clone of the database without the data, and send email
notifications to clients.
Using progressive backup
To enable progressive backup and specify the folder for progressive backup files, choose the
Admin Console Database Server > Folders tab. For Progressive Backup Folder, select Enable
progressive backups. Enter the number of minutes for Save interval, and enter the location of
the progressive backup folder.
Specifying backup locations
Although you can specify remote volumes for the additional database folders and the container
folders, you can’t specify a backup folder on a remote volume for a scheduled backup or a
progressive backup. The backup locations must be on a drive connected directly to the master
machine running FileMaker Server.
After the backup files are created, you can copy the backup files to a remote volume.
Creating a backup to a Windows ReFS volume
FileMaker Server can make full backups on any local volume that supports Windows Resilient File
System (ReFS); however, the backup process may take more time and require more disk space.
Note Creating backups on remote volumes, including remote ReFS volumes, is not supported.
The ReFS volume must be a local volume. See FileMaker Server Help.
When backing up a database, FileMaker Server checks if the backup volume uses ReFS. If the
file is not being backed up to a ReFS volume, FileMaker Server checks if the selected databases
have changed since the last time that scheduled backup ran. For each scheduled backup task,
FileMaker Server creates a full copy of the databases that have changed and creates hard links
to the backed up databases without any changes.
Because ReFS doesn’t support hard links, FileMaker Server must create a full backup even if the
hosted database file is identical to the most recent backup file.
Chapter 5 Administering FileMaker Server 55
Verifying the integrity of databases
Use the FileMaker Server Schedule assistant to create a scheduled task to:
1verify all hosted databases
1verify hosted databases that are in a specified folder
1verify a specified database
To create a scheduled task for backing up databases, choose the Admin Console Schedules
pane, click , and choose Create a Schedule. Then, choose Verify databases, and specify how
often you want to verify the databases.
Hosting databases connected to ODBC data sources
FileMaker Server can host FileMaker Pro databases that are connected to external SQL data
sources. In FileMaker Pro, you can work with the ODBC data in much the same way that you work
with data in a FileMaker file. For example, you can add, change, delete, and search external data
interactively.
See FileMaker Server Help for information on using ODBC and JDBC with FileMaker Server and
accessing external ODBC data sources.
Note You do not need to enable the OBDC/JDBC data source feature of FileMaker Server to
host FileMaker Pro databases that access an external SQL data source via ODBC.
Enabling ODBC data source single sign-on (Windows)
If you work with FileMaker Pro databases hosted by FileMaker Server that access ODBC data from
Microsoft SQL Server, you can configure the master machine to enable single sign-on (SSO). ODBC
data source single sign-on allows FileMaker Pro clients to use their Windows-authenticated login
credentials and permissions to access Microsoft SQL Server without logging in.
To enable ODBC data source single sign-on with FileMaker Server, you must configure the
FileMaker Server service on the master machine to log in using the privileged user account. That
is, this user account must have the Impersonate a client after authentication privilege enabled,
and the account must be an Administrator account and configured in Windows Active Directory on
the network.
Important Before you can enable ODBC data source single sign-on, your Windows domain
administrator must:
1Configure the Account is trusted for delegation security setting for each user’s Windows
user account.
1Configure the Trust this user for delegation and Use Kerberos only security settings for the
privileged user account on the master machine.
1Enable the Impersonate a client after authentication privilege for the privileged user account
on the master machine.
1Configure the ODBC DSN to use Windows authentication on the master machine.
1Configure Microsoft SQL Server to use Windows authentication.
Chapter 5 Administering FileMaker Server 56
To enable ODBC data source single sign-on on the master machine:
1. Choose Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services > FileMaker Server, then choose
Action > Properties.
2. On the Log On tab, choose This account.
3. For This account, enter the privileged user account on the master machine, then click OK.
4. Choose Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Local Security Policy > Local Policies >
User Rights Assignments > Act as part of the operation system.
5. On the Local Security Setting tab, click Add User or Group, then enter the privileged user
account you specified earlier for This account.
6. Click OK, then restart the FileMaker Server service.
Important You must also enable ODBC data source single sign-on in the FileMaker Pro
databases hosted by FileMaker Server. See FileMaker Pro Help.
Running server-side scripts
You can create scheduled tasks to run:
1system-level scripts—for example, Windows batch, Perl, VBScript, and AppleScript
1FileMaker scripts in databases hosted by FileMaker Server
1script sequences that combine a FileMaker script with an optional pre-processing system-level
script and an optional post-processing system-level script
To create a scheduled task for scripts, choose the Admin Console Schedules pane, click , and
choose Create a Schedule. Then, choose System-level script, FileMaker script, or Script
sequence. The Schedule assistant guides you through the rest of the process.
System-level scripts
Script files must be placed in the Scripts folder on the master machine in your FileMaker Server
deployment. To schedule a system-level script to run, start the Schedule assistant as described
above by choosing System-level Script. Next, select the script file you want to run.
System-level scripts can perform whatever tasks you need to perform at the operating system
level on the master machine. For information, see the documentation for the scripting language
you want to use.
See FileMaker Server Help for information about running system-level scripts as scheduled tasks.
FileMaker scripts
To schedule a FileMaker script to run, start the Schedule assistant as described above by
choosing FileMaker script. Next, select the database that contains the script you want to run, then
the script.
FileMaker scripts can do simple tasks or complex tasks. For example, you can write a FileMaker
script to remove duplicate records or to validate the format of phone numbers. You can schedule
these scripts to run during off hours, perhaps before a daily backup.
Chapter 5 Administering FileMaker Server 57
Scripts can incorporate conditional decisions (if-else statements) and perform repetitive tasks (loop
statements). You use the Script Workspace feature in FileMaker Pro to build scripts by selecting from
a list of supported FileMaker Pro commands, called script steps, and specifying options (if
necessary).
To find out if a FileMaker script step is supported from a FileMaker Server schedule, select Server
for Show Compatibility in the Script Workspace window. For information, see the script step
reference in FileMaker Pro Help.
See FileMaker Server Help for information about running FileMaker scripts as scheduled tasks.
Script sequences
To create a script sequence, start the Schedule assistant as described above by choosing Script
sequence. Next, select the database that contains the FileMaker script you want to run, then the
script. Next, select an optional pre-processing system-level script, an optional post-processing
system-level script, or both.
See FileMaker Server Help for information about running script sequences as scheduled tasks.
Displaying server statistics
You can view a summary of connection statistics and database statistics attributes for
FileMaker Server by choosing Statistics > Server tab. The statistics can help you diagnose
performance issues, client access to the server and prevent certain processes on FileMaker Server
from running slow.
You can view the following information:
1Server statistics in the Statistics > Server tab. You can view the statistics in a table and graph
format. The types of information you can view include the percentage of times FileMaker Server
retrieved data from the cache (RAM) rather than the hard disk, percentage of cache unsaved,
the amount of data read from disk, data written to disk, and client call times.
1Client connection information in the Statistics > Clients tab. These statistics are collected
during remote calls made by each FileMaker client, all Web Publishing Engine (WPC) clients,
and all ODBC and JDBC clients.
For information about each feature, see FileMaker Server Help.
Sending messages to FileMaker clients
You can send messages to notify FileMaker Pro, FileMaker Go, and FileMaker WebDirect clients
about important events such as server shutdowns, database maintenance, or deadline reminders.
You can send messages to:
1all FileMaker clients or selected FileMaker clients connected to hosted databases
1FileMaker clients connected to any database or selected databases hosted by FileMaker Server
1FileMaker clients as a scheduled task
To send messages to FileMaker clients, choose the Admin Console Activity > Clients tab, then
select one or more clients from the list. Click , then choose Send Message or Send Message
to All Clients to enter the message.
Chapter 5 Administering FileMaker Server 58
To send messages to FileMaker clients connected to selected databases, choose the Admin
Console Activity > Databases tab and select a folder or database file. Click , then choose
Send Message (for database files only) or Send Message to All Clients to enter the message.
To create a scheduled task for sending messages, choose the Admin Console Schedules pane,
click , and choose Create a Schedule. Then select Send message, choose databases whose
users will receive the message, create the message, and set up a schedule to deliver it.
Viewing log file entries in Admin Console
FileMaker Server tracks activity, client access, and other information as it operates and stores this
information in log files.
1To view, sort, filter, and export a snapshot of the log file entries, choose the Admin Console Log
Viewer pane, select one or more log file modules for Modules, and select a date range for Start
and End.
1To filter the log file entries displayed in the Log Viewer pane, select a message type (All, Error,
Warning, or Information) for Type.
1To view the most recently logged events, click Refresh.
For information about using the Log Viewer pane, see FileMaker Server Help.
Emailing notifications
You can configure FileMaker Server to send SMTP email notifications about errors and warnings as
well as completion of scheduled tasks. Emails allow for more timely notification of these events, without
having to locate the information in system or event logs on the computer running FileMaker Server.
You can send emails:
1when FileMaker Server errors and warnings (optional) occur
1when a scheduled task is finished
Specify your SMTP mail server settings in FileMaker Server, including the SMTP server address,
the port number, user name and password, and the list of email addresses that will receive the
email messages.
Each email notification type is configured separately in FileMaker Server, allowing for different
recipients for each type of email:
1Configure FileMaker Server to send error or warning emails on the Admin Console
General Settings > Email Notifications tab. You can specify a list of email addresses that will
receive error or warning emails on this tab. You can also use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) data
encryption and Transport Layer Security (TLS) when FileMaker Server connects to the SMTP
email server.
1Enable email notifications when you create a scheduled task with the Schedule assistant. The
scheduled task will send email notifications to the email addresses specified in the Schedule
assistant. The SMTP server used for email notifications is configured on the
General Settings > Email Notifications tab.
For information about email notifications, see FileMaker Server Help.
Chapter 5 Administering FileMaker Server 59
Using the command line interface
FileMaker provides the tool fmsadmin for administering FileMaker Server via the command line
interface (CLI). You must be logged on to the computer running FileMaker Server, either directly
or using remote desktop software, to use the CLI. The CLI is available via the command prompt
(Windows) and the Terminal application (OS X). CLI commands can also be used in a script or
batch file.
Command line interface files
The CLI executable fmsadmin is located in the folder:
1Windows: [drive]:\Program Files\FileMaker\FileMaker Server\Database Server\fmsadmin.exe
1OS X: /Library/FileMaker Server/Database Server/bin/fmsadmin
Notes
1Windows: If FileMaker Server is installed in a non-default location, the beginning portion of the
default path shown above, \Program Files\FileMaker\FileMaker Server, is replaced with the
path that was specified during installation. For example: \My_Path\Database Server\
1OS X: The following symbolic link to fmsadmin is also installed: /usr/bin/fmsadmin
Command line interface commands
The general format for fmsadmin commands is:
fmsadmin command [options]
The following example authenticates with Admin Console user name admin and the password
pword, and closes all open databases without prompting you to confirm:
fmsadmin close -y -u admin -p pword
Important CLI commands can include the Admin Console name and password. If a command is
used interactively, the user name is visible but the password is not. If a command in a script or
batch file must include a name and password, be sure that only the password owner can view the
script or batch file.
CLI Help
In the CLI, use the help command to see Help pages that list what commands and options are
available and how to use them:
fmsadmin help
Chapter 6
Upgrading or moving an existing installation
You can upgrade an existing installation of FileMaker Server 13 or 14 to FileMaker Server 15. You
can also move an existing installation of FileMaker Server 15 to other machines.
To change the license of an existing deployment of FileMaker Server 15, see “Updating the
FileMaker Server 15 license key” on page 8.
The steps listed below outline the process. See the remaining sections for information about each step.
Important You must perform the steps in the order they are presented.
1. Save the settings for your schedules and administrator groups. See “Step 1. Save your
schedules and administrator groups” on page 61.
2. Note your existing FileMaker Server settings. See “Step 2. Note your FileMaker Server settings”
on page 61.
3. Stop FileMaker Server. See “Step 3. Stop FileMaker Server” on page 62.
4. Make a copy of any database files and shell script files you used with FileMaker Server. See
“Step 4. Make a copy of databases, scripts, and plug-ins” on page 62.
5. Uninstall FileMaker Server. See “Step 5. Uninstall FileMaker Server” on page 62.
6. Clear the Java cache and web browser cache to clear information from the previous
FileMaker Server install. See “Step 6. Clear the Java cache and web browser cache” on
page 64.
7. Install FileMaker Server 15. See “Step 7. Install FileMaker Server 15” on page 64.
8. Move any database files or script files you used with the previous version of FileMaker Server
to the proper folders within the FileMaker Server folder structure. See “Step 8. Move files to the
proper location” on page 64.
9. Load the settings for your schedules and administrator groups after installation. See “Step 9.
Load your schedules and administrator groups” on page 64.
10. Configure FileMaker Server. See “Step 10. Configure your deployment” on page 65.
If you need to upgrade your machine’s operating system, see “Upgrading the operating system on
machines running FileMaker Server” on page 65.
Chapter 6 Upgrading or moving an existing installation 61
Step 1. Save your schedules and administrator groups
You can save the settings for your schedules and administrator groups that are configured in the
current installation.
1. Start FileMaker Server Admin Console.
2. Choose Server menu > Save Schedules and Groups. By default, the file is saved in your web
browser’s download folder.
After you install FileMaker Server, you can then load the settings for your schedules and
administrator groups to instantly configure them in the new installation.
Note The default name of the Schedules and Groups settings file matches the version of
FileMaker Server:
1For FileMaker Server 13: fms13_settings.settings
1For FileMaker Server 14: fms14_settings.settings
1For FileMaker Server 15: fms15_settings.settings
You cannot specify a different name when you save the file in Admin Console, but you can change
the filename using your operating system tools after you save the file.
Step 2. Note your FileMaker Server settings
Make a note of your existing FileMaker Server settings because you will have to reenter your
settings manually later. Some examples are:
1Note the name of your FileMaker Server installation (the name users see in the Launch Center
window in FileMaker Pro).
1Save the schedules and groups settings in a file. See “Step 1. Save your schedules and
administrator groups” on page 61.
1Note other settings that you have changed from the defaults and want to reuse in your
FileMaker Server 15 deployment.
1If you are using a custom SSL certificate, save a copy of the serverCustom.pem and
serverKey.pem files stored in the CStore folder so that you can import your custom SSL
certificate later.
Where to note settings for FileMaker Server
Before moving an existing installation of FileMaker Server to another machine, start
FileMaker Server Admin Console (see “Starting Admin Console” on page 50 for
FileMaker Server 15). Note the settings in the General Settings, Database Server, and Web
Publishing panes.
Chapter 6 Upgrading or moving an existing installation 62
Step 3. Stop FileMaker Server
1. In the Admin Console Status pane, turn off Web Publishing Engine.
Wait until the Web Publishing Engine has stopped.
2. Turn off FileMaker Server.
Wait until the Database Server has stopped.
3. Stop the FileMaker Server service (Windows) or processes (OS X). See FileMaker Server
Help.
Step 4. Make a copy of databases, scripts, and plug-ins
Make a copy of any database files, shell script files, and plug-ins you used with FileMaker Server. In
a default FileMaker Server installation, they are stored on the master machine in the following folders.
FileMaker Server 13, 14, and 15 files (default installation)
Windows:
1\Program Files\FileMaker\FileMaker Server\Data\Databases
1\Program Files\FileMaker\FileMaker Server\Data\Scripts\
1\Program Files\FileMaker\FileMaker Server\Database Server\Extensions\
OS X:
1/Library/FileMaker Server/Data/Databases/
1/Library/FileMaker Server/Data/Scripts/
1/Library/FileMaker Server/Database Server/Extensions/
FileMaker Server 13, 14, and 15 files (non-default installation in Windows)
When you install FileMaker Server in a non-default location in Windows, the beginning portion of
the default path, \Program Files\FileMaker\FileMaker Server, is replaced with the path you
specified during installation.
\User-specified location\Data\Databases
\User-specified location\Data\Scripts\
\User-specified location\Database Server\Extensions\
Step 5. Uninstall FileMaker Server
After you have noted the settings in your existing installation of FileMaker Server, you can uninstall
FileMaker Server.
Important The uninstall process deletes your settings, so be sure to write down any settings that
you want to save. See “Step 2. Note your FileMaker Server settings.”
Chapter 6 Upgrading or moving an existing installation 63
Windows
To uninstall a multiple-machine deployment, uninstall the worker machines first.
To uninstall FileMaker Server:
1. Start Windows.
2. Open Control Panel, then click Uninstall a program (or Programs and Features).
3. Select the FileMaker Server product from the list and click Change.
4. When the Installation program starts, click Next.
5. Select Remove, then click Next and Remove.
6. If a User Account Control alert appears, click Yes.
Your database files, script files, and plug-ins are not deleted.
7. Click Finish.
OS X
To uninstall a multiple-machine deployment, uninstall the worker machines first.
Note For your convenience, the FileMaker Server 14 uninstaller is included in the
FileMaker Server 15 installation disk image. You can find FMS 14 Uninstaller in the Extras folder.
To uninstall FileMaker Server:
1. Open the installation disk image or insert your product DVD.
2. Double-click the FileMaker Server installation icon.
3. Enter your OS X user name and password.
4. Read the Before You Begin information and click Continue (OS X).
5. Review and accept the end user license agreement. You may need to enter your OS X user
name and password again.
6. For Installation Type, choose Uninstall and click Next.
7. Click Yes to confirm that you want to uninstall FileMaker Server. Some files and folders cannot
be removed.
8. Click OK or Quit.
9. If you are uninstalling FileMaker Server 12, restart the machine after uninstalling.
Chapter 6 Upgrading or moving an existing installation 64
Step 6. Clear the Java cache and web browser cache
Even after you uninstall FileMaker Server, the Java cache may retain pointers to FileMaker Server
components that have been uninstalled. In addition, your web browser may retain cached versions
of artwork and HTML files that have been uninstalled.
Clear the Java cache and web browser cache to clear information from the previous
FileMaker Server install.
Step 7. Install FileMaker Server 15
To install FileMaker Server, you must use an account with administrative privileges.
1To deploy on a single machine, see chapter 2, “Installation quick start.”
1To deploy across multiple machines, see chapter 3, “Deploying FileMaker Server across
multiple machines.”
The FileMaker Server installer and the Deployment assistant prompts you for some of the settings
that you noted in “Step 2. Note your FileMaker Server settings” on page 61.
Step 8. Move files to the proper location
Move the script files and plug-ins you used with the previous version of FileMaker Server to the
proper folders within the FileMaker Server 15 folder structure. See “Step 4. Make a copy of
databases, scripts, and plug-ins” on page 62.
Note You can use FileMaker Pro 15 to transfer .fmp12 databases to your new FileMaker Server
deployment. See “Uploading databases” on page 52. To transfer your database files manually,
see FileMaker Server Help.
Important If you are using FileMaker Server 15 and you want to transfer settings by loading the
Schedules and Groups settings file, make sure you have created a folder structure in the new
FileMaker Server installation that is identical to the source server installation. Copy the databases,
scripts, and other solution files from the source installation to the new FileMaker Server
installation, and set the appropriate permissions in OS X. See FileMaker Server Help.
Step 9. Load your schedules and administrator groups
If you are moving from a previous FileMaker Server 13, 14, or 15 installation, you can load the
Schedules and Groups settings file after installation. See “Step 1. Save your schedules and
administrator groups” on page 61.
Important Whenever you load a Schedules and Groups settings file, all existing schedules and
administrator groups settings in the new FileMaker Server installation are deleted and replaced by
the settings in the Schedules and Groups settings file. You cannot merge the schedules and
administrator groups settings from multiple FileMaker Servers.
1. In Admin Console for the new FileMaker Server 15 installation, choose Server menu > Load
Schedules and Groups.
Chapter 6 Upgrading or moving an existing installation 65
2. Click Choose File and navigate to the folder where you saved the Schedules and Groups
settings file. For each FileMaker Server version, the default filename for settings is given below.
FileMaker Server
version Default filename for settings
13 fms13_settings.settings, unless you changed the filename using your operating system
tools
14 fms14_settings.settings, unless you changed the filename using your operating system
tools
15 fms15_settings.settings, unless you changed the filename using your operating system
tools
3. Select the Schedules and Groups settings file and click Choose.
4. Click Load to load the Schedules and Groups settings file into FileMaker Server.
5. Do one of the following:
1If the Load Successful message appears, no errors occurred.
1If the Load Schedules and Groups Results dialog box appears, note the errors that occurred
so that you can make the necessary corrections, and then click OK.
See FileMaker Server Help.
Step 10. Configure your deployment
You can now start Admin Console and configure your FileMaker Server deployment using the
settings you noted in “Step 2. Note your FileMaker Server settings” on page 61. For information
on configuring your deployment, see FileMaker Server Help.
As part of the configuration, be sure to import your custom SSL certificate, if you are using SSL.
For information on how to upload databases, schedule backups, and perform other regular tasks,
see chapter 5, “Administering FileMaker Server.”
Upgrading the operating system on machines running FileMaker Server
For a list of supported operating system versions, see the FileMaker Server system requirements.
Applying security updates or minor operating system updates
When applying a security update or minor operating system update—for example, from
OS X 10.10.3 to 10.10.4 or using Windows Update—FileMaker recommends that you stop the
FileMaker Server processes, apply the update, and then restart the machine.
1. Save the settings for your schedules and administrator groups. See “Step 1. Save your
schedules and administrator groups” on page 61.
2. Note your existing FileMaker Server settings. See “Step 2. Note your FileMaker Server settings”
on page 61.
3. Stop FileMaker Server. See “Step 3. Stop FileMaker Server” on page 62.
4. Make a copy of any database files and shell script files you used with FileMaker Server.
FileMaker recommends you copy the files to an external volume. See “Step 4. Make a copy of
databases, scripts, and plug-ins” on page 62.
Chapter 6 Upgrading or moving an existing installation 66
5. Apply the security update or system update, and then restart the machine.
6. If FileMaker Server wasn’t set up to automatically start, start FileMaker Server manually.
See “CLI Help” for the fmsadmin start command or see FileMaker Server Help.
7. Start Admin Console. See “Starting Admin Console” on page 50.
8. Using Admin Console, verify that all FileMaker Server databases are being hosted.
9. Using Admin Console, verify that all FileMaker Server settings, schedules, and groups have
been preserved.
10. Review the FileMaker Server Event.log for any error messages, warning messages, or
unexpected settings changes.
11. If you find any problems, uninstall FileMaker Server and reinstall it, then restore the files and
settings you saved before applying the update. See steps 5 through 11 below for instructions
on how to uninstall and restore.
Applying a major system update
When applying a major operating system update—for example, from OS X 10.10 to OS X 10.11
or from Windows Server 2012 to Windows Server 2012 R2—FileMaker recommends that you
uninstall FileMaker Server, upgrade your operating system, and then reinstall FileMaker Server.
1. Save the settings for your schedules and administrator groups. See “Step 1. Save your
schedules and administrator groups” on page 61.
2. Note your existing FileMaker Server settings. See “Step 2. Note your FileMaker Server settings”
on page 61.
3. Stop FileMaker Server. See “Step 3. Stop FileMaker Server” on page 62.
4. Make a copy of any database files and shell script files you used with FileMaker Server.
FileMaker recommends you copy the files to an external volume. See “Step 4. Make a copy of
databases, scripts, and plug-ins” on page 62.
5. Uninstall FileMaker Server. See “Step 5. Uninstall FileMaker Server” on page 62.
6.
Clear the Java cache and web browser cache to clear information from the previous
FileMaker Server install. See “Step 6. Clear the Java cache and web browser cache” on
page 64.
7. Upgrade your operating system.
8. Install FileMaker Server 15. See “Step 7. Install FileMaker Server 15” on page 64.
9. Move any database files or script files you used with the previous version of FileMaker Server
to the proper folders within the FileMaker Server 15 folder structure. See “Step 8. Move files to
the proper location” on page 64.
10. Load the settings for your schedules and administrator groups after installation. See “Step 9.
Load your schedules and administrator groups” on page 64.
11. Configure FileMaker Server. See “Step 10. Configure your deployment” on page 65.
Chapter 7
Setting up the web server
In all deployments, FileMaker Server uses Internet Information Services (IIS) in Windows or
Apache in OS X. In a two-machine deployment, the web server on the worker serves web
publishing clients; on the master machine, the web server hosts the web-based Admin Console
application and handles some data transfer tasks. In a single-machine deployment, all of these
functions are performed by one web server.
This chapter describes the basics of requesting a custom SSL certificate, enabling the web server,
and configuring additional IIS authentication settings. For information on how to configure the web
server, see the documentation for the web server.
Requesting an SSL certificate
FileMaker Server uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology to encrypt HTTPS connections
between the web server and users’ web browsers for Admin Console, FileMaker WebDirect, and
Custom Web Publishing. The Database Server can also use SSL encryption for connections with
FileMaker Pro clients, FileMaker Go clients, and the Web Publishing Engine.
Admin Console provides two settings on the Database Server > Security tab that enable secure
connections with clients:
1Use SSL for database connections – With this setting, data passed between FileMaker
Server and FileMaker WebDirect, Go, and Pro clients is encrypted and sent over SSL
connections instead of over unencrypted TCP connections.
1Use SSL for progressive downloading – With this setting, interactive content is encrypted
and sent over HTTPS connections as it downloads to clients.
For information on how to use secure connections, see FileMaker Server Help.
SSL uses digital certificates to certify the ownership of the public key used to encrypt data.
FileMaker Server provides a standard SSL certificate signed by FileMaker, Inc. that does not verify
the server name. This certificate is used by all FileMaker Server components that use SSL.
However, because this certificate doesn’t verify the server name, most web browsers will warn
users of a problem with the website’s security certificate. For some web browsers, certificate
issues can affect performance and functionality as well. The FileMaker default certificate is
intended only for test purposes.
A custom SSL certificate is required for production use. If your server does not have a custom SSL
certificate, Admin Console will display security warnings.
You can request a custom SSL certificate that matches your specific server name or domain name
from a trusted certificate authority (CA) supported by FileMaker, Inc. On the Database Server >
Security tab, click the Create Request button to create a certificate signing request
(serverRequest.pem), which you send to a CA, and a private key (serverKey.pem) that you keep
secret. When you receive your signed certificate from the CA, click the Import Certificate button
and use your private key to import the certificate. See FileMaker Server Help.
Alternately, you can use the CLI certificate command to create a certificate signing request
and import the custom SSL certificate. See “CLI Help.”
Chapter 7 Setting up the web server 68
The custom SSL certificate file is placed in the CStore folder:
1Windows: [drive]:\Program Files\FileMaker\FileMaker Server\CStore\serverCustom.pem
1OS X: /Library/FileMaker Server/CStore/serverCustom.pem
When the Database Server starts, if it is unable to find a custom SSL certificate, it will use the
default server.pem file. After updating the custom SSL certificate, you must restart the Database
Server.
For information about enabling SSL, see FileMaker Server Help topic “Securing your data.”
Notes
1FileMaker Server supports using a single-domain certificate, a wildcard certificate, or a subject
alternative name (SAN) certificate.
The Admin Console’s Create Certificate Signing Request dialog box can create a request for a
single-domain certificate or a wildcard certificate. It does not support creating a request for a
SAN certificate. If you want to use a SAN certificate, contact a CA to create the certificate
signing request.
1Use FileMaker methods to import the custom SSL certificate: either the Admin Console import
certificate feature or the CLI certificate command. Do not use IIS certificate tools or
OpenSSL certificate tools to import a custom SSL certificate for FileMaker Server’s web server
component because the Database Server and the web server component must use the same
certificate.
1The custom SSL certificate must use base-64 encoding.
1FileMaker Server does not support validation using a certificate revocation list (CRL validation).
1If you are using a two-machine deployment, you must request a custom SSL certificate for both
the master machine and the worker machine. Import a custom SSL certificate on each machine.
1To remove an imported certificate, use the CLI command fmsadmin certificate delete,
and restart FileMaker Server to apply the change. See “CLI Help.”
1For information about supported certificates, see the FileMaker Knowledge Base at
http://help.filemaker.com.
Enabling the IIS web server in Windows
The IIS web server must be enabled on the master and worker machines in order for
FileMaker Server to operate. The FileMaker Server installer installs the Microsoft Application
Request Routing (ARR) extension for IIS if it is not present. If the ARR installer detects that IIS is
not enabled, it will enable IIS. However, if you need to enable IIS manually, follow the steps below
for the supported version of Windows you’re using.
To enable IIS in Windows versions with the Start button:
1. Click the Start button > Administrative Tools > Server Manager.
2. Click Add Roles.
3. In the Add Roles wizard, select Web Server (IIS), then click Next.
4. Choose the IIS role services to install. Click Next to accept the defaults.
5. Add any role services as required.
6. Click Close to exit the wizard.
Chapter 7 Setting up the web server 69
To enable IIS in Windows versions with the Windows Start screen:
1. On the Windows Start screen, choose Server Manager.
2. Click Manage menu > Add Roles and Features.
3. Select Role-based or feature-based installation, then click Next.
4. Select the server, then click Next.
5. Choose Web Server (IIS), then click Next.
6. Choose any additional features, if necessary, then click Next.
7. Click Next.
8. Choose the IIS role services to install. Click Next to accept the defaults.
9. Confirm your selections, then click Install.
10. Click Close to exit the wizard.
To verify the web server is running, enter the following in a web browser on the web server host machine:
http://localhost
During installation, the FileMaker Server installer checks whether any existing website is using
ports 80 or 443 (the Default Web Site uses port 80 and is enabled when your first enable IIS). If
these ports are in use, the installer prompts you to let it stop the website or to specify alternative
ports. Then, the installer creates its own separate website named FMWebSite and configures it to
use the ports you specify for HTTP and HTTPS. On the master machine, the installer also
configures FMWebSite to use port 16000 for Admin Console via HTTPS.
For information about IIS, see the Microsoft website.
Setting up authentication for FMWebSite in IIS
FileMaker Server handles the authentication for password-protected databases that are published
via Custom Web Publishing. You can choose whether you want to use IIS website authentication
for the FMWebSite site in addition to FileMaker Server authentication.
You can choose from the following configurations:
1Disable IIS authentication. You can disable all IIS authentication methods and use
anonymous access to the FMWebSite site. This is the simplest configuration. See the next
section, “Disabling IIS authentication.”
1Leave IIS authentication enabled and also enable Basic Authentication. You can leave the
current IIS authentication methods enabled for use with other websites, and use Basic
Authentication for the FMWebSite site used by the Web Publishing Engine. You must also set
up Windows user accounts that exactly match the user accounts for the web-published
FileMaker databases. See “Enabling IIS authentication” on page 70.
Chapter 7 Setting up the web server 70
Disabling IIS authentication
By default, Windows IIS directory security attempts to authenticate all requests that are made
through the IIS web server. The simplest way to use IIS with FileMaker Server is to disable IIS
authentication. If you disable all IIS authentication methods and use anonymous access to
FMWebSite, then you don’t need to add any Windows user accounts.
To disable IIS authentication:
1. In Control Panel, choose System and Security > Administrative Tools > Internet
Information Services (IIS) Manager.
2. In Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager, select the FMWebSite site. You may have to
expand some of the nodes to see the websites.
3. In the center pane, double-click Authentication.
4. In the Authentication pane, do the following:
1Ensure that Anonymous Authentication is enabled.
1Disable all other authentication methods.
Enabling IIS authentication
If you enable any of the IIS authentication methods for the IIS web server, you must enable Basic
Authentication for the FMWebSite site, which connects to the Web Publishing Engine. The Web
Publishing Engine uses only Basic Authentication. Other websites on the web server can use the
other IIS authentication methods.
In this configuration, you must also create Windows user accounts on the web server host
machine that contain user names and passwords. These user names and passwords must exactly
match the user names and passwords for all password-protected accounts defined in all FileMaker
databases that are published via Custom Web Publishing.
The following steps show how to install Basic Authentication in each supported version of
Windows and then how to enable authentication.
To install IIS Basic Authentication in Windows versions with the Start button:
1. Click the Start button > Administrative Tools > Server Manager.
2. Click Add Roles.
3. In the Add Roles wizard, select Web Server (IIS), then click Next.
4. Select Web Server > Security. Ensure that Basic Authentication is selected.
5. Click Next until you reach the end of wizard, then click Close.
To install IIS Basic Authentication in Windows versions with the Windows Start screen:
1. On the Windows Start screen, choose Server Manager.
2. Choose Manage menu > Add Roles and Features.
3. Select Role-based or feature-based installation, then click Next.
4. Select the server, then click Next.
Chapter 7 Setting up the web server 71
5. Choose Web Server (IIS), then click Next.
6. Choose any additional features, if necessary, then click Next.
7. Click Next.
8. Select Web Server > Security. Ensure that Basic Authentication is selected.
9. Click Next until you reach the end of wizard, then click Close.
To enable IIS authentication:
1. In Control Panel, choose System and Security > Administrative Tools > Internet
Information Services (IIS) Manager.
2. In Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager, select the FMWebSite site. You may have to
expand some of the nodes to see the websites.
3. In the center pane, double-click Authentication.
4. In the Authentication pane, do the following:
1Enable Anonymous Authentication.
1Enable Basic Authentication.
5. Click OK.
Using the Apache web server in OS X
You do not need to enable the Apache web server that is installed with OS X, nor do you need to
have the OS X Server application installed. In fact, the FileMaker Server installer creates its own
instance of the Apache web server on both the master and worker machines and configures this web
server to use port 80 for HTTP and port 443 for HTTPS (or the alternative ports you specify); on the
master machine, the installer also configures its Apache web server to use port 16000 for Admin
Console via HTTPS. If you have enabled the Apache web server that is already installed with OS X,
the FileMaker Server installer prompts you to let it disable any existing website using port 80 or 443,
or to specify alternative ports, before it can continue.
If you have the OS X Server application installed and use it to enable any HTTP services (for
example, websites or the wiki), the existing Apache instance may be re-enabled after
FileMaker Server is installed. Therefore to ensure the Apache instance used by FileMaker Server
works normally, you may need to configure any other HTTP services to use different ports from
the ports that FileMaker Server uses, disable other HTTP services, or uninstall the OS X Server
application.
Chapter 8
Optimizing your FileMaker Server deployment
FileMaker Server must be properly installed, maintained and configured so that users can
efficiently perform the tasks they need. This chapter provides tips on selecting the proper
hardware, configuring the operating system, identifying issues that help FileMaker Server run
efficiently, and monitoring the server’s performance. If your company has an IT group, they might
be able to provide support and guidance to keep the server running efficiently.
Selecting the right hardware
Before you select hardware for the server, consider how many users are or will be accessing the
server. If many users are accessing the database, then the hard drive and processor will probably
get heavy usage. A Database Server accessing a great deal of data can take more resources and
needs the right equipment.
Consider these key areas when selecting the hardware:
1Disk subsystem. The disk subsystem is a type of disk storage that has an integrated collection
of disk drives. This subsystem is the most important factor to consider when purchasing
hardware for FileMaker Server because it reads and writes data stored in the database. Having
a fast and optimized disk subsystem to effectively handle both reading and writing the data has
a significant impact on how the database performs. Regardless of the specific drive type you
selected, configure the subsystem to support a Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks (RAID)
or reliable Storage Area Network (SAN) for the hosted databases.
1Processor. FileMaker Server handles many processor intensive operations, such as finding
information, evaluating unstored calculations, and resolving relationships; therefore, the
processor you choose is almost as important as the disk subsystem. Because FileMaker Server
can take advantage of multiple processors, certain database tasks can be handled by different
processors.
1Network. The network throughput can be measured using various tools on the system, and the
quality of network throughput depends on several factors. These include the type of Network
Interface Card (NIC) installed and the network’s physical infrastructure. While the network
infrastructure may be outside your control, problems happen due to the network configuration,
traffic, and routing. Users can connect to and work with databases over a LAN or a WAN
connection. Connecting to a FileMaker Server hosted database over the Internet or a WAN
requires that several ports be open for TCP.
Chapter 8 Optimizing your FileMaker Server deployment 73
1Memory. The amount of memory a database uses depends on the size of the database, the
type of database, the number of users, and the database’s complexity. Any one of these factors
can require more memory. Another critical factor for FileMaker Server is the cache.
The maximum allowed database RAM cache size is the smaller positive number of these two
formulas:
1the physical RAM size minus 1024 MB (1 GB)
190% of the physical RAM size
If Web Publishing is enabled in a single-machine configuration, you should set the database
cache to no more than 50% of the maximum.
You specify the database cache size by selecting the Database Server > Databases tab in
Admin Console.
Note During deployment, FileMaker Server configures memory use based on the physical RAM
size. If you add or remove RAM, you need to redeploy so that FileMaker Server can recalculate
optimal memory use for its components.
Virtual servers
Virtualization lets you run multiple instances of an operating system and its specific applications
or services on the same physical hardware because you can use a software application to divide
a server into isolated virtual environments. Some IT departments turn to virtualization to reduce
costs and as a way to use the full potential of the hardware.
FileMaker Server has been tested to run in virtual machines. When using FileMaker Server within
a virtualized environment, you must monitor the machines to determine the stress being placed
upon the physical hardware.
Setting up and configuring the operating system
Keeping the server running reliably and efficiently takes some planning. You have to set up and
configure the operating system, either in Windows or OS X, to avoid problems on the chosen
operating system.
Setting up and configuring Windows
If you are running FileMaker Server in Windows, this table provides suggestions for setting up and
configuring the operating system.
Recommendation Do this
Update the operating system
and other key drivers
Make sure the BIOS, firmware, and drivers are updated, including:
1Machine BIOS/Firmware
1Disk Controllers, including RAID Controllers
1Disk drives
1Network Interface Cards (NICs)
1Display adapters
Install Windows updates Check for the latest service patches and updates and install them. See the
FileMaker Server system requirements for supported Windows versions and service
packs.
Chapter 8 Optimizing your FileMaker Server deployment 74
Setting up and configuring OS X
This table provides specific tips for the settings and configurations for FileMaker Server in OS X.
Configure the disk
subsystem
Configure the disk array into three logical partitions.
1On the first partition, install the operating system and FileMaker Server.
1On the second partition, store the databases that FileMaker Server will host.
1On the last partition, store local backup files and performance logs.
Don’t use file sharing FileMaker Server's database server accesses the FileMaker database files directly
and handles the network access by FileMaker clients. File sharing is not needed.
Disable unnecessary
services
Disable services that Windows enables by default that FileMaker Server doesn’t
need to function properly. The FileMaker Server service only needs to access the
hard drives and network.
Disable other Windows
settings
Consider changing these settings when optimizing the system on which
FileMaker Server is going to run:
1Disable indexing for the hosted database volume and the backup volume.
1Disable Shadow Copy (sometimes referred to as Volume Snapshot Service or
VSS) on the hosted database volume.
1Make the virtual memory swap file a static size so Windows doesn’t attempt to
adjust it. Using the recommended file size amount works fine.
Configure the Windows
firewall
Find out which ports need to be open and configure the firewall on the master and
worker machines. See “Before you begin” on page 9 or “Before you begin installing
on multiple machines” on page 25.
Configure virus scanning Do not allow antivirus software to scan the folders that contain hosted database files
or the folders that contain files for container fields that store data externally. Antivirus
software may cause file corruption if you allow real-time or on-access virus scanning
while files are being hosted to users. With real-time scanning, the virus scanner may
spend large amounts of time scanning the database files. This scanning places a
heavy load on the server’s disk, memory, and processor.
Defragment the hard drive Defragment the hard drive partition containing the live database files (not the backups)
routinely; however, don’t defragment the partition while files are being hosted.
Note Close any live hosted files with Admin Console before defragmenting. For
information about how to close a file, see FileMaker Server Help.
Recommendation Do this
Avoid services that may
impact the live, hosted
database
Any service or application that allows the live, hosted database files to be touched,
copied, or accessed in any way may cause database corruption. Sometimes files
accessed directly while FileMaker Server is under load become corrupted. If you
remove the process that accesses the files, then they are no longer corrupted. Avoid
those services or applications that attempt to access the hosted files.
Don’t use file sharing FileMaker Server's database server accesses the FileMaker database files directly
and manages the network access by FileMaker clients. File sharing is not needed.
Turn off OS X Spotlight Spotlight indexing can impact FileMaker Server’s performance. The Spotlight
service automatically watches when information is written to the hard drive and
indexes the data to allow faster searches for files.
Don’t use Time Machine Time Machine is an application that automatically backs up files, but doesn’t back up
any files that are in use, such as the live FileMaker database files. If you use Time
Machine, it doesn’t corrupt the database files if it was configured to back up those
files, but can be very CPU intensive. You should add the locations where the
databases are stored to the “Do not back up” section of the Time Machine
Preferences to avoid problems.
Recommendation Do this
Chapter 8 Optimizing your FileMaker Server deployment 75
Monitoring FileMaker Server
Monitoring the server is important for recognizing and preventing problems.
1When users report a problem, such as a system crash or very slow performance, you need
good monitoring tools to determine what caused the problem.
1By analyzing future hardware needs, taking baseline readings when monitoring a situation, or
gaining a better understanding of the server’s health, you can prevent future problems.
Monitoring performance in Windows
To monitor FileMaker Server in Windows, you can use a tool called Performance Monitor, also
known as perfmon. With the perfmon tool, you can examine how applications that are running
affect your computer's performance, including the memory used, disk access time, and log
statistics on different processes. While some log information shows obvious bottlenecks or stress
points, much of the information might require more detailed analysis. With a little experience, you
can recognize common stress points.
Note To use perfmon, you must have local Administrators group or equivalent privileges in
Windows. For information about using perfmon, see Windows Help and Support.
There are five logs that can help you monitor performance in Windows:
1Processor. Logs the processor activity and idle times. Select % Processor Time as the
primary indicator of processor activity and to display the average percentage of busy time. To
view the time the processor is idle, select % Idle Time.
Don’t enable FileVault FileVault is used to encrypt the entire OS X startup volume. Don’t enable FileVault
on your FileMaker Server machine. This requires an additional layer of software and
more processor work on any data being moved to or from the hard drive. Instead,
use FileMaker Pro Advanced to encrypt databases. See “Encrypting databases” on
page 52.
Make sure the Dashboard is
not running
The OS X Dashboard allows small applications, called widgets, to run. Log out or
exit Dashboard. (Dashboard does quit when the user logs out.) By not running
Dashboard, server resources are not consumed with running widgets.
Configure the firewall The OS X firewall is disabled by default. You can enable the firewall by opening the
System Preferences application. Configure the firewall to allow incoming connections
to FileMaker Server. When FileMaker Server is initially deployed, OS X does ask
whether the FileMaker Server component is allowed to accept incoming connections.
Disk Permissions and
S.M.A.R.T. Status
Because OS X is built on UNIX, the underlying permissions for hosted database files
are sometimes set incorrectly. Although the database files are placed in the right
location, they can be inaccessible because FileMaker Server can’t modify the
permissions. Use FileMaker Pro to upload the database file and to properly set the
file permissions. See FileMaker Server Help.
Security By default when a computer running OS X starts, it immediately opens to the
desktop. FileMaker Server doesn’t require anyone to be logged in for it to run.
Configure virus scanning Do not allow antivirus software to scan the folders that contain hosted database files
or the folders that contain files for container fields that store data externally. Antivirus
software may cause file corruption if you allow real-time or on-access virus scanning
while files are being hosted to users. With real-time scanning, the virus scanner may
spend large amounts of time scanning the database files. This scanning places a
heavy load on the server’s disk, memory, and processor.
Recommendation Do this
Chapter 8 Optimizing your FileMaker Server deployment 76
1Network Interface Counter (NIC). Captures bytes sent and received over each network
adapter, the length of the output packet queue (in packets), and the errors for inbound and
outbound packets.
1Memory. Records the amount of physical memory immediately available for allocation to a
process or for system use. The log also records the Cache Bytes for Memory\System Cache,
cache faults, page faults, the number of read operations, and the pages written to disk.
1Process. Logs statistics on processes, including time, reading and writing rate, page faults,
thread count, virtual address space, and the current size, in bytes, of the memory that this
process has allocated.
1Disk. Captures the disk read time, the disk write time, the percentage of time the disk was idle,
the number of outstanding requests, and the split input and output to the disk.
Note The Windows Event Viewer contains the Application log and the System log, which are
useful for understanding how the server is performing. These can provide insight into activity at
the user, system, and service level.
Reviewing the performance logs
By default the performance logs show you real time statistics of specific counters. To display the
performance logs, open Administrative Tools > Performance Monitor, then navigate to
Monitoring Tools > Performance Monitor.
Monitoring performance in OS X
Monitoring is an important part of any server deployment; FileMaker Server is no exception. The
reasons for performing monitoring are planning, resource management, and troubleshooting.
OS X has four primary tools that you can use for monitoring server performance: Activity Monitor,
the OS X Server application, Top, and System Activity Reporter (SAR).
1Activity Monitor is found in the /Applications/Utilities folder. It supplies a list of all the processes
currently running as well as some information about the overall activity on the computer.
1The OS X Server application available in the Mac App Store provides tools that can be used to
administer various services on the operating system and provide a graphical interface for
monitoring CPU usage, network traffic, and memory usage. However, be aware of possible
conflicts when using OS X Server to enable any HTTP Services (see “Using the Apache web
server in OS X” on page 71).
1Top is a command-line program that is part of the UNIX engine for OS X. When running Top,
you see a list of the processes that are running on the machine sorted by the process ID.
1SAR is a command-line program installed in OS X by default. It consists of two basic tools, the
System Activity Data Collector (SADC) and the System Activity Reporter (sar). It is designed to
automatically gather data for an extended time period, then analyze that data later. The data
collected by SAR are reports on cumulative statistics counters.
For information about Activity Monitor and OS X Server, see their help systems. To get information
about command-line tools, open the Terminal application and look at the manual (man page).
Terminal is located in the /Applications/Utilities folder. To view the man page, type man followed by
the command—for example, man top.
Chapter 9
Using a standby server
A standby server is a redundant FileMaker Server installation that can be brought online to replace
the primary server. If a hardware or software failure prevents the primary server from hosting
databases, you can make the standby server your production server. You can also make the
standby server your production server when you want to make scheduled hardware or software
upgrades to the primary server.
A standby server is essentially a copy of the primary server, set up so that any changes to the
primary server are automatically applied to the standby server. The standby server does not host
databases for clients, but is ready to replace the primary server when needed.
When you create the connection between the primary server and the standby server, the database
files and external container field objects are securely synchronized from the primary server to the
standby server. Any subsequent changes to the primary server databases are saved to
progressive backup files, which are incrementally applied to the standby server.
Important Using a standby server is not a replacement for backing up your hosted databases.
Although you can use a standby server to recover from potential hardware or software failures, a
standby server is not a substitute for a sensible backup and recovery strategy. For information on
backing up your databases, see “Backing up databases” on page 53.
Standby server requirements
To set up a standby server, you must have two server machines with identical configurations. The
two server machines must match in the following ways:
1Operating system (Windows or OS X) and operating system version
1FileMaker Server version
1FileMaker Server installation folder
1FileMaker Server user account name
1FileMaker Server login credentials
1Physical memory size available on the machine (RAM size)
1Deployment configuration (one-machine or two-machine deployment)
1Ports for web connections (HTTP) and secure web connections (HTTPS)
1Whether ODBC/JDBC is enabled
1Whether web publishing is enabled
1Folders containing files for container fields that store data externally
1Default database folder path
1Additional database folder paths
1Local volumes that contain databases
Chapter 9 Using a standby server 78
1Progressive backup folder path
1The setting Enable progressive backups must be enabled on both the primary server and the
prospective standby server
1The FileMaker Server user account must have write permission to the parent folder of the
progressive backup folder path
Notes
1If your installation uses remote volumes for additional database or container data folders, make
sure that the remote volumes are available before using any of the standby commands. To
verify a folder is accessible, use the fmsadmin list files command.
1In the procedures below, if you are using a container data folder to store container field data
externally, be sure to also select the setting to back up that container data folder. For example,
if you select the Enable container data folder 1 setting, then select the Back up container
data folder 1 setting as well. The standby server feature uses progressive backups to copy
data, and the backups must include the external container data.
Standby server procedures
The procedures in this section describe how to set up and use a standby server configuration.
To complete these procedures, you must use the FileMaker Server command line interface (see
“Using the command line interface” on page 59).
Windows: To run standby commands, open the command prompt window using Run as
Administrator.
Setting up a standby server
This procedure assumes that you have a FileMaker Server single-machine installation already in
production. From the production server, you must be able to open Admin Console and open and
close database files. Start this procedure with that production server up and running. That
production server will be your primary server.
To set up a standby server for your primary server:
1. Install FileMaker Server on the prospective standby server. During deployment, enter the user
name, organization, and license key information that you used for the primary server.
This procedure assumes that you do not already have a FileMaker Server installation that you
want to use as the standby server. If you have a FileMaker Server installation to use as the
standby server, then shut down and restart the prospective standby server before continuing to
the next step. The prospective standby server must be started after the primary server is
already running.
2. Make sure that the prospective standby server configuration matches your primary server
configuration. See “Standby server requirements” on page 77. Even though the prospective
standby reports a license conflict, you can use Admin Console to configure the settings.
3. Close all databases on the primary server and the prospective standby server.
Chapter 9 Using a standby server 79
4. If you have scripts, manually copy the contents of the scripts folder from the primary server to
the prospective standby server:
1In a Windows default installation, copy the
\Program Files\FileMaker\FileMaker Server\Data\Scripts\ folder.
1On OS X, copy the /Library/FileMaker Server/Data/Scripts/ folder.
5. On the primary server, initiate a connection with the standby server using the standby
connect command:
fmsadmin standby connect standbyhost
where standbyhost is the IP address or host name of the prospective standby server. If you
use the host name, the host name must resolve to a single IP address.
6. Enter the user name and password for the Admin Console account that is defined on the
primary server.
7. Note the setup code that FileMaker Server returns. In the next step, you will enter this setup
code on the standby server. This setup code is valid for one hour.
8. On the standby server, confirm the connection with the primary server using the standby
accept command:
fmsadmin standby accept code
where code is the setup code that FileMaker Server returned from the standby connect
command in the previous step.
9. Enter the user name and password for the Admin Console account that is defined on the
standby server.
10. On the primary server, complete the connection by responding to the command line prompt.
You should see a message that the configuration settings have been transferred to the standby
server.
11. Perform the initial file synchronization from the primary server to the standby server. On the
primary server, run the standby update command:
fmsadmin standby update
By running the standby update command with no arguments, all hosted database files and
folders that are hosted on the primary server are updated on the standby server.
12. On the primary server, open the databases that you want to host. As clients use the hosted
databases, any changes are written to progressive backup files, which are used to
asynchronously transfer incremental file changes to the standby server.
Chapter 9 Using a standby server 80
Notes
1With standby commands, you can use the CLI -y or --yes option to automatically answer yes
to all command prompts and the -f or --force option to ignore any certificate warning
messages.
1If a database file is on both the primary server and the standby server when you run the
standby connect command, the files must be identical or else the command returns an error.
For example, if your files are on a remote volume and the volume changes the folder timestamp
or dates, then FileMaker Server may determine that the files are not identical and the standby
connection command returns an error.
To waive this requirement, use the --overwrite option. When this option is used, conflicting
databases on the standby server are overwritten when they are updated. Databases that are
on the standby server but not on the primary server are not changed.
1When the standby server is initially connected to the primary server, the primary server’s
license key is transferred to the standby server. If you change the license key on the primary
server, the license key is also updated on the standby server. If you receive a license key
conflict message, restart the primary server, then restart the standby server.
1After you have defined the standby configuration, do not change the FileMaker Server user
account. Changes to the FileMaker Server user account may cause the standby
switchover command to fail.
1After you have defined the standby configuration, database files synchronize from the primary
server to the standby server when they are first opened on the primary server. Opening
database files on a primary server may take longer than on a standalone server because the
files are synchronized to the standby server before they are opened on the primary server.
1The following folders are synchronized from the primary server to the standby server:
1Data/Database folder. If you define additional database folders—additional database
folder 1 or additional database folder 2—they are also synchronized.
1Data/Databases/RC_Data_FMS folder, as long as this folder is not a shared network folder
such as a SAN target. If you define additional container data folders—container data folder 1
or container data folder 2—they are also synchronized.
1CStore folder. However, for security reasons, custom SSL certificates are not copied.
1The contents of other folders—for example, the scripts, documents, backup, and HTTPServer
folders—are not automatically copied to the standby server. You may either manually copy the
folders’ contents or use the standby update command. See “Updating files and folders on
the standby server” on page 85.
1When files are copied from the primary server to the standby server, file attributes are not
retained. For example, even if a file is locked on the primary server, it will be unlocked on the
standby server because the “locked” attribute is not retained when the file is copied. Use
FileMaker accounts and privilege sets to secure the database file rather than using the system’s
file attributes to lock the file.
1If a database is removed from the primary server, the database is not automatically removed
from the standby server. To remove the database from the standby server, disconnect the
standby server, remove the database, and then reconnect the standby server.
Chapter 9 Using a standby server 81
1Once you define a server as a standby server, you cannot configure the standby server’s
settings directly. Changes that you make to the primary server’s configuration settings are
saved on the primary server, and are not transferred to the standby server until a switchover
procedure (described in “Switching the standby configuration roles”) or failover procedure
(described in “Using the standby server when the primary server fails” on page 82).
For security reasons, the settings Use SSL for database connections and Use SSL for
progressive downloading are not transferred from the primary server to the standby server.
Install a custom SSL certificate and configure these settings on the prospective standby server
before running the standby connect command.
In addition, the settings on the following Admin Console tabs cannot be transferred from the
primary server to the standby server:
1General Settings > ODBC/JDBC
1Web Publishing > General Settings
1Web Publishing > FileMaker WebDirect
1Web Publishing > PHP
1Web Publishing > XML
To change these settings, disconnect the standby server, change the settings on both servers,
and then reconnect the standby server.
1If you installed FileMaker Server on the prospective standby server and opened Admin Console
on that machine before opening Admin Console on the primary server, you may receive a
license conflict on the primary server that prevents it from acting as the primary server. To
resolve this issue:
1On the prospective standby server, stop FileMaker Server either using Admin Console or the
CLI command fmsadmin stop server.
1On the primary server, restart FileMaker Server either using Admin Console or the CLI
command fmsadmin restart server.
1On the prospective standby server, start FileMaker Server either using Admin Console or the
CLI command fmsadmin start server.
1Follow the procedure described in “Setting up a standby server” on page 78.
Switching the standby configuration roles
When you switch the roles of your primary server and your standby server, you make the standby
server your production server and the primary server becomes the standby server. This procedure
is called a switchover.
Important Running the standby switchover command while clients are connected to
databases or while scripts are running can cause data loss. Any uncommitted data is lost when
you run the standby switchover command. Notify clients about a planned switchover in
advance, and perform the switchover operation at off-peak times when clients are not connected.
To perform a switchover operation:
1. On the primary server, use the standby status command to verify all files:
fmsadmin standby status -s
Fix any issues that are reported before continuing with the rest of this procedure.
Chapter 9 Using a standby server 82
2. On the primary server, use the pause command to pause all open databases.
fmsadmin pause
3. On the primary server, use the standby update command to update all databases from the
primary server to the standby server:
fmsadmin standby update
4. On the primary server, run the standby switchover command:
fmsadmin standby switchover
5. After you run the standby switchover command, the former standby server becomes the
new primary server. On the new primary server, use the resume command to resume all
paused databases.
fmsadmin resume
Notes
When you run the standby switchover command on the primary server:
1The primary server pauses all hosted databases and sends all pending progressive backup
files to the standby server.
Note Only the databases that have been opened on the primary server are synchronized with
the standby server. Databases that have never been opened on the primary server are not
copied to the standby server, even if those databases are in one of the database folders on the
primary server. If you want to copy all the files in a database folder, use the standby update
command and specify the folder you want to copy. See “Updating files and folders on the
standby server” on page 85.
1The standby server applies all the pending progressive backup files that it has received, and
then the standby server becomes the production server.
1The former primary server becomes the new standby server.
1In general, hosted databases are resumed for clients to use. However, use Admin Console or
CLI commands to verify that databases are open after the switchover operation completes. If
the former primary server hosted encrypted database files, the encrypted database files do not
automatically open after you switch the roles of your primary and standby servers. You must
manually open encrypted database files after completing the switchover. See “Opening
encrypted databases” on page 53.
1If the primary server is unable to communicate with the standby server, the switchover
operation fails, and the primary server remains the production server.
Using the standby server when the primary server fails
If your primary server fails due to a hardware or software issue, or if the primary server becomes
unavailable due to network issues, you can make your standby server the production server in
place of the primary server. This procedure is called a failover.
To perform a failover operation, run this command on the standby server:
fmsadmin standby disconnect
Chapter 9 Using a standby server 83
When you run the standby disconnect command on the standby server:
1The standby server is changed to a standalone server and stops synchronizing with the primary
server.
1Because the standby server is no longer communicating with its former primary server, the
standby server does not attempt to change the former primary server to a standalone server. It
only changes itself to a standalone server. However, if the former primary server is able to
communicate with the former standby server and detects that the former standby server is now
a standalone server, the former primary server changes itself to a standalone server as well.
1There may be some data loss if the primary server had not fully synchronized with the standby
server before the primary server failed.
Important Do not to bring both database servers online after the standby server has switched to
a standalone server. When the same database files are simultaneously hosted by two servers,
clients may unknowingly commit data to separate copies of the database files.
Setting primary and standby server host names
To minimize the impact to clients, use alias host names instead of direct IP addresses for the
primary server and the standby server. By planning the host names for each server, you can make
it easier for clients to connect to the production server after switchover and failover operations.
Use the standby hostnames command to set the host names that FileMaker clients use to
access hosted databases. On the primary server, run this command:
fmsadmin standby hostnames primaryHost standbyHost [options]
where primaryHost is the host name for the primary server and standbyHost is the host name
for the standby server. For options, you can use -w or --wait to set the timeout value.
A network administrator needs to configure the environment's Domain Name System (DNS) to
resolve a server host name to both the primary server and standby server addresses.
Disconnecting a standby server
To disconnect a standby server from the primary server:
1. On the primary server, use the pause command to pause all open databases.
fmsadmin pause
2. On the primary server, use the standby update command to update all databases from the
primary server to the standby server:
fmsadmin standby update
3. On the primary server, use the standby disconnect command:
fmsadmin standby disconnect
4. On the primary server, use the resume command to resume all paused databases.
fmsadmin resume
When you run the standby disconnect command on the primary server:
1The primary server removes the standby server from synchronization, then the primary server
is changed to a standalone server. The primary server does not need to be restarted after it is
changed to a standalone server. Clients can continue to use hosted databases after you
resume the paused databases.
Chapter 9 Using a standby server 84
1The standby server is removed from synchronization, then the standby server is changed to a
standalone server. To prevent both servers from hosting the same databases, the databases
on the former standby server are closed, and the Automatically Open Database Files setting
is disabled on the former standby server.
1If the primary server cannot communicate with the standby server, the primary server still
changes to a standalone server and stops sending updates to the standby server. However, the
standby server remains as a standby server due to the communication error. To complete the
disconnection, run the standby disconnect command on the standby server, and the
standby server is changed to a standalone server.
Reconnecting a standby server
If you want to reconnect servers that you previously disconnected:
1. Ensure that the prospective primary server is a standalone server by running the standby
status command, described in “Getting information about the standby configuration” on
page 86.
1If you see the message “Standby server not configured,” then the server is a standalone
server.
1If you see a message that says the server is a primary or a standby server, then run the
standby disconnect command to change it to a standalone server.
2. Ensure that the prospective standby server is a standalone server by running the standby
status command, described in “Getting information about the standby configuration” on
page 86.
1If you see the message “Standby server not configured,” then the server is a standalone
server.
1If you see a message that says the server is a primary or a standby server, then run the
standby disconnect command to change it to a standalone server.
3. After verifying that both servers are standalone servers, follow the procedure described in
“Setting up a standby server” on page 78.
Notes
1If a database file is on both the primary server and the standby server when you run the standby
connect command, the files must be identical or else the command returns an error. When
reconnecting a standby server, you can either delete conflicting databases or use
the --overwrite option. When this option is used, conflicting databases on the standby
server are overwritten when they are updated. Databases that are on the standby server but
not on the primary server are not changed.
1After a failover with a two-machine deployment, you cannot use the standby connect
command to reconnect the former standby server. To redefine the standby configuration,
uninstall and then reinstall FileMaker Server from the former standby server. Then follow the
steps in “Setting up a standby server” on page 82.
Chapter 9 Using a standby server 85
Updating files and folders on the standby server
In case of an update error or communication failure, you may need to update specific database
files or folders. Use the standby update command to update files or folders on the standby
server. This command can only be run on the primary server. Before running this command, close
or pause all open databases using fmsadmin close or fmsadmin pause.
Format
fmsadmin standby update [file...] [path...][options]
Options
1If no file or path is specified, the closed and paused databases located in the default database
folder and the additional database folders are updated.
1For file, you can specify a database ID or database name to update that database file, including
any external container field objects. If the specified file is already up-to-date on the standby
server, no updates are transferred. You can specify multiple files, separated by spaces.
1For path, you can specify a directory containing database files that you want to update. You can
use "*" wildcards, but UNIX regular expressions and other types of wildcards are not supported.
Note To use "*" wildcards on OS X, enclose the value for path in quotation marks. For
example: fmsadmin standby update "/folder/*"
The standby server must be able to create the same directory as specified on the primary
server. The root volume of the directory must already exist on the standby server. If the volume
refers to a remote drive, the drive must be mounted before you run the standby update
command. The FileMaker Server user account must have write access to the directory.
The value for path cannot include files in reserved folders:
1the default database folder
1the additional database folders
1the container data folders
The value for path can include these folders:
1Data/Backups/
1Data/Documents/
1Data/Scripts/
1Database Server/Extensions
1Use the -r or --recursive option to recursively update folders.
Note To update files that use a filename extension other than .fmp12, you must register the
filename extension in Admin Console on the Database Server > Databases tab before running
the standby update command. See FileMaker Server Help.
Chapter 9 Using a standby server 86
Getting information about the standby configuration
You can use the standby status command to get information about the standby configuration
of your server machines. You can run this command on a primary server, a standby server, or a
standalone server that is not using a standby configuration.
Example 1: Running standby status on a primary server
fmsadmin standby status -u [admin] -p [pass]
Result
Primary Server: FMS01 (192.168.1.101) This machine
Standby Server: FMS02 (192.168.1.102)
Last Updated: 10-22-2016 02:55:44 PM
Example 2: Running standby status on the standby server
fmsadmin standby status -u admin -p pass
Result
Primary Server: FMS01 (192.168.1.101)
Standby Server: FMS02 (192.168.1.102) This machine
Last Updated: 10-22-2016 02:55:44 PM
Example 3: Running standby status on a standalone server
fmsadmin standby status -u admin -p pass
Result
Error: 11300 (Server is not connected to standby server)
Example 4: Getting status information about updates
To get status information about the updates to individual database files, use the -s or --stats
option.
fmsadmin standby status -u admin -p pass -s
Result
Primary Server: FMS01 (192.168.1.101) This machine
Standby Server: FMS02 (192.168.1.102)
Last Updated: 10-22-2016 02:55:44 PM
ID File State Last Updated Last Error
1 Contacts.fmp12 Updated 10-22-2016 02:55:44 PM
2 Invoices.fmp12 Update Error 10-21-2016 01:23:14 AM Permission Denied
3 Orders.fmp12 Updating 10-22-2016 02:55:43 PM
4 Sales.fmp12 Not Updated
Chapter 9 Using a standby server 87
Standby server performance considerations
The standby server feature uses progressive backups to communicate changes from the primary
server to the standby server. As a result, performance considerations related to progressive
backups can also apply to standby server performance.
The setting that has the most impact on primary server performance is the value specified for the
Save interval on the Database Server > Folders tab. The Save interval determines how often
progressive backups are created. The Save interval can be any value between 1 and 99 minutes,
but FileMaker recommends that you do not specify a value lower than the default of 5 minutes. If
the standby server feature has a negative performance impact on your primary server, then
increase the value specified for the Save interval.
Using a standby server in a two-machine deployment
A two-machine deployment consists of a master machine—which runs the Database Server—and
a worker machine—which runs the Web Publishing Engine, web server, and Web Server Module.
For a two-machine deployment, you can set up a standby server for the master machine.
Setting up a standby server for a two-machine deployment
1. Follow the procedures in chapter 3, “Deploying FileMaker Server across multiple machines,” to
deploy the standard two-machine deployment:
1Install FileMaker Server on the worker machine, designating the machine as a worker
machine during installation (Machine B in the diagram below).
1Install FileMaker Server on the master machine, designating the machine as a master
machine during installation (Machine A in the diagram below). This machine will act as the
master machine in the two-machine deployment and as the primary server in the standby
server configuration.
2. Follow the procedures in chapter 2, “Installation quick start,” to install FileMaker on the
prospective standby server, selecting Single Machine as the installation type (Machine C in
the diagram below), and deploy without web technologies. This server will act as the standby
server to the master machine.
3. Follow the procedure in “Setting up a standby server” on page 78, using the master machine as
the primary server. This procedure uses the standby connect command to connect the
primary server, Machine A, to the standby server, Machine C.
Chapter 9 Using a standby server 88
The primary server acts as the master machine in the two-machine deployment. The worker
machine in the two-machine deployment communicates only with the primary server in the
standby configuration, as shown in the diagram below.
BEFORE the switchover operation:
Machine A is the primary master machine
Machine B is the worker machine
Machine C is the standby master machine
The worker machine automatically communicates with the primary master machine
Primary master
Worker
Standby master
Machine A Machine C
Machine B
Worker
Machine B
Standby master Primary master
Machine A Machine C
AFTER the switchover operation:
Machine A is the standby master machine
Machine B is the worker machine
Machine C is the primary master machine
When you perform a switchover or failover operation with a two-machine deployment,
FileMaker Server automatically updates the worker machine to communicate with the correct
master machine.
Notes
1If you use the standby disconnect command to disconnect the standby server in a two-
machine deployment, the standby server becomes a standalone server. However, the settings
and preferences may cause that server to behave as if it were the master in a two-machine
deployment. To use that server as a standalone server, uninstall and then reinstall FileMaker
Server.
1After a failover with a two-machine deployment, the servers are treated as if they were
disconnected. As a result, you cannot use the standby connect command to reconnect the
former standby server. To redefine the standby configuration, uninstall and then reinstall
FileMaker Server from the former standby server. Then follow the steps in “Setting up a standby
server” on page 78.
Chapter 10
Additional resources
Product documentation
Using FileMaker Server documentation
Online Help is accessible from FileMaker Server Admin Console, Help menu > FileMaker Server
Help.
Where to find documentation
To access FileMaker Server documentation:
1In Admin Console, choose Help menu > FileMaker Server Product Documentation.
1Click the links in the FileMaker Server Admin Console Start Page.
1On the web, go to http://www.filemaker.com/documentation.
Customer support
For information about Technical Support and Customer Assistance, visit
http://www.filemaker.com/intl.
To access resources on the FileMaker website, such as ready-made solutions and the FileMaker
Knowledge Base, open the FileMaker Server Admin Console Start Page and click Service and
Support.
If you do not have access to the web, refer to the FileMaker Service Directory that comes with your
software.
Check for software updates
From the FileMaker Server Admin Console Start Page, you can check for software updates. In the
Software Update section, click Check Now. If an update is available, you can click a link to
download the update.
Index
A
accounts
Admin Console login 15, 35
FileMaker Server user
requirements for existing account 43
selecting 12, 32
IIS and Basic Authentication 69
web server 70
Windows user 70
Admin Console
described 22, 49
passwords 15, 35
requirements 6
starting 50
Status pane 21, 42
troubleshooting deployment 48
user names 15, 35
administrator groups
loading configuration 64
saving configuration 61
administrators, contact information 16, 36
alerts, sending to clients 57
antivirus software
during installation 10
performance considerations
OS X 75
Windows 74
Apache web server 67, 71
authentication, setting up (Windows IIS) 69
B
backing up files 53
backups, for migration 62
Basic Authentication 70
Bonjour requirements 43
C
cache size 73
certificate
importing 67
requesting 67
certificates, SSL 48, 67
CLI commands 59
client applications 6
clients
maximum number of 6
sending messages to 57
clone databases 54
close command 59
command line interface 59
computers, master and worker 23
configuring a standby server 77
configuring web server 67
connections, adding 8
Custom Web Publishing
enabling 18, 37
testing 45
D
data sources
FileMaker files as 17, 37
ODBC files as 55
data, synchronizing 54
database cache size 73
Database Server
described 22
stopping 62
deploying FileMaker Server
multiple machine 22, 35–41
single machine 15–20
testing deployment 45
deployment
alternatives 22
multiple machines
master machine 31
worker machines 28
type, selecting 38
Deployment assistant 15, 35
documentation 89
E
email notifications 58
enabling
Custom Web Publishing 18, 37
IIS web server 68
ODBC and JDBC 17, 37
PHP 18, 37
web publishing 17
XML 18, 37
encrypted files 52
F
failover 82
FileMaker API for PHP 18, 37
FileMaker Go
clients supported 6
sending messages to clients 57
FileMaker Pro
clients supported 6
sending messages to clients 57
testing connection to files 45
FileMaker scripts 56
91
FileMaker Server
administering 49
client applications supported 6
components, described 22
deploying
on multiple machines 22
on one machine 11
Deployment assistant 15, 35
described 6
documentation 89
installing
on multiple machines 25–42
on one machine 9–21
license key 7
optimizing 72
requirements 6
setting up email notifications 58
testing deployment 45
uninstalling, in OS X 63
uninstalling, in Windows 63
updates 89
upgrading from a previous version 60
user account
requirements for existing account 43
selecting 12, 32
FileMaker Server Admin Console. See Admin Console
FileMaker WebDirect
sending messages to clients 57
testing 45
files
backing up 53
clone databases 54
encrypting 52
maximum number of 6
synchronizing data 54
testing database deployment 45
uploading 52
verifying 55
firewalls, configuring 26
fmsadmin command line interface 59
close command 59
help command 59
list command 53
restart adminserver command 47
standby command 79
fmsadmin group (OS X) 52
FMServer_Sample.fmp12 46
folders for backups 53
G
groups. See administrator groups
guests. See clients
H
hardware, selecting 72
help command 59
hibernate mode 10
host names, standby server 83
hosting files, maximum number 6
HTTPS
Admin Console 49
port 9, 26
I
IIS Manager 70
IIS web server
enabling 68
enabling IIS authentication 70
setting up authentication 69
importing a certificate 67
indexing software, turning off 10
installation options 22
installing FileMaker Server
moving an installation 60
multiple machines 25–42
recommendations 10
single machine 9–21
Internet Information Services (IIS). See IIS web server
IP addresses
DHCP 10, 26
master machine 21, 42
Start page 50
static 10, 26
worker machine 39
J
JDBC
client drivers 6
enabling for FileMaker data sources 17, 37
port required 27
K
Knowledge Base 89
L
Launch Center window 46
license key
entering 8
upgrading from previous versions 60
limitations
client 6
file 6
list command 53
localhost 51
Log Viewer pane, using 58
92
M
machines, master and worker 23
master machine
described 23
installing on 31
IP address 21, 42
maximum number of clients 6
maximum number of files 6
memory requirements 73
messages, sending 57
migrating FileMaker Server from previous versions. See upgrad-
ing FileMaker Server
multiple-machine deployment 22
O
ODBC
client drivers 6
enabling for FileMaker data sources 17, 37
ODBC data sources 55
port required 27
ODBC data source single sign-on 55
optimizing FileMaker Server 72
OS X
configuration tips 74
system requirements 6
OS X Server application 71, 76
P
passwords, Admin Console 15, 35
performance
monitoring 57, 75
multiple-machine deployments 22
optimal 25
recommendations 10, 26
PHP
enabling 18, 37
PHP engine, described 22
testing 45
physical RAM size 73
plug-ins 52
ports
described 24–27
usage by component 26
progressive download 26
R
RAM cache, recommended 73
ReFS support 54
requesting a certificate 67
requirements
clients and web browsers 6
hardware and software 6
web servers 22
restart adminserver command 47
roles, worker machines 39
S
sample database 46
Schedule assistant 53, 55
schedules
loading configuration 64
saving configuration 61
scheduling
backups 53
email notifications 58
messages 57
scripts 56
verifying 55
scripts
FileMaker 56
script sequence 57
system-level 56
Secure Sockets Layer. See SSL
security
database 23
web browser message 50
server
IP address 21, 42
name 16, 36
settings, noting 61
setup information 15, 35
shell scripts 56
shutdown notifications 57
single sign-on, ODBC data source 55
SMTP 58
SQL data sources 55
SSL 23
SSL certificate 48, 67
standby accept command 79
standby connect command 79
standby disconnect command
on primary server 83
on standby server 83
standby hostnames command 83
standby server
disconnecting 83
failover 82
hostnames 83
reconnecting 84
requirements 77
setting up 78
status 86
switching roles 81
using 77
with two-machine deployment 87
standby status command 86
standby switchover command 82
standby update command 79
starting Admin Console 50
static IP addresses 10, 26
statistics 57, 75
streaming. See progressive download
switchover 81
93
system requirements
Admin Console 6
FileMaker Server 6
web server 22
T
Technology Tests page 45
trial versions, updating 8
troubleshooting deployment 47
U
uninstalling FileMaker Server
OS X 63
Windows 63
updating FileMaker Server software 89
upgrading FileMaker Server
described 60
noting settings 61
uploading files
described 52
port required 27
user accounts. See accounts
user names, Admin Console 15, 35
V
verifying files 55
virtual servers 73
W
web publishing
deployment options 22
enabling 17
setting up web server 67
software components 22
testing deployment 45
Web Publishing Engine
described 22
stopping 62
web server
OS X, Apache 71
setting up 67
testing 45
Windows IIS 68
Windows user accounts 70
Windows
configuration tips 73
directory security 70
ReFS support 54
system requirements 6
user accounts 70
worker machines
assigning roles 39
changing to master 28
described 23
installing on 28
X
XML, enabling 18, 37

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