Help with setup

You would do a standard installation on your computer, and any other that won't physically store the company file but which you'll run the program on. You'll install the software as server on the computer you want to store the data file on but which you don't plan to use to work in QB.

Per the license you can install it on as many computers as you will use but if you're going to have multiple users (even if they're only logging on one at a time) you're supposed to buy a multi-user license.

Tara

Thanks, that helps.

There will be only one user, multiple machines,and obviously one at a time. What is the benefit of installing the server software as oppose to just opening the company file on a network share? Faster?

I don't understand all the details of how the new db works. I do know that it requires a db manager to handle write functions. You could try just placing the company file on a network share without installing the db server manager but I don't think it'll work.

Here's an easy to understand and detailed writeup on QB 2007. Pages 1 & 11 will probably give you the most information for the questions you have:

http://209.85.165.104/search?qÊche:ul_p4g78XooJ:

-- Tara

If only one workstation will open the file at a time, then the program does not have to be installed on the server.

The server software runs as a service on the machine containing the data. This service handles I/O requests from client machines. In other words, data access is not peer-to-peer, but a primitive form of client-server.

One of the consequences of this technique is that you will not be able to do some ordinary backups. When most backup programs start, they'll detect that the file is in use (by the server software) and abandon any attempts at copying the file.

You CAN use QB's backup facility then copy the resulting backup file.

Bummer.

Another consequence is that you cannot put your data on a "network drive." By that I mean the appliance that consists of a hard drive and an IP address (no computer). These "network drives" are becoming more popular for several reasons: price, maintainability, redundancy, transportability, etc.

You can install QB on as many machines as your heart desires. One, and only one, can be accessing the data - in application mode - at any given instant.

Everything I've read so far says that if the data file is to be accessed from a different location, like a home office setup, then the server database manager has to be installed in the location that will host the file.

-- Tara

Whether the DB engine is set to single-user or multi-user, you can put the data file wherever you want -- on the local machine or on a file server.

Like Allan said, you can point multiple single-user installations at a DB file on a file server, as long as they aren't run at the same time.

However, performance would be improved by following the recommended procedure of setting up the server to host the DB file.

In a single user environment I do not believe any performance increase will be gained by running the QB on the server and hosting the file. Naturally for multi-user access there is a notable difference.

"Allan Martin" :

I should have been more specific. You are right if the DB file is on the same computer as QB.

Best performance is with DB file on same computer with QB set to single-user mode.

If the DB file is on a server, then performance "should" be better with QB hosting installed on the server, rather than mapping to the file across the network.

Notice you said "should" rather than will. To be honest my response was seat of the pants rather than one derived by an actual bench mark. I do wonder even if only slightly faster by hosting on the server if the difference is worth the hit to the server by having another service running.

Hi, we also would like to have different QB 2007 PRO client machines access the data files on a network drive (the appliance, not a typical PC). I think they call it 'alternate mode' in the documents. Is it still possible to set it up that way if we can live with the degraded performance (as warned in their documents and tech notes)? I understand that by so doing, we have to avoid multiple users from accessing the data files at the same time, but that's pretty easy to enforce in our small work environment.

Do we just set up QB as a single user, single computer mode, in which the company files will be on a mapped drive?

Has anyone done this and how is the performance? Is it really dog slow?

Thanks for any tips!