How to Troubleshoot Filemaker Server 9

On occasion, users may have difficulty connecting to databases on a Filemaker 9 server.

With the Filemaker Server 9 software, you can host databases and allow multiple users in your home or office to work on a file at the same time. Databases are streamed over a network, and users must log in with a valid user name and password. If users are having trouble connecting to databases on the Filemaker server, there are a variety of troubleshooting methods you can follow.

Things You'll Need

• PC server running Windows Server 2003 or later
• Filemaker Server 9

Instructions

1. Log in to your server with an account that has administrative privileges.

2. Open the start menu, go into the "All Programs" list and click on the name of your Filemaker server.

3. Enter the user name and password that you set up when installing the Filemaker Server 9 software.

4. Look at the "Filemaker Server Overview" window to see if the database server is currently running. If it is not, click on the green button labeled "Start Database Server" at the top of the window.

5. Go to the "Databases" tab on the left side of the window to check on the status of individual files. If users are having trouble accessing a certain database, click on the file's name and choose the "Open" option. This will reset the file and allow users to connect to it.

6. Manually restart the Filemaker service in Windows if users are still having trouble connecting to shared databases. Open the start menu, go into the "Administrative Tools" folder and select "Services." Then right-click on "Filemaker Server" in the list of services and choose "Restart."

7. Reboot the Windows server if all other troubleshooting methods have failed. This will completely reset the Filemaker server software and databases.

References

• Filemaker Documentation: Filemaker Server 9 Help