I know what I know fairly well, but this is a step beyond it.
Currently two of us work in the same office with the DBISAM
database (two tables: users and disks/orders/downloads) on one
machine accessed by various Delphi clients on our two machines.
All works brilliantly.

Next week my assistant becomes a homeworker and she will be
processing cheque sales and purchase orders. In a couple of
months I will be emigrating to Australia and continuing to run
my business from there. Update downloads and web site sales will
be fed through to me.

So the key issue is that we both need access to the same data
and it is a question of how best to enable this. The ad-hoc
temporary arrangement is that the copy of the database on my
machine will be the master, and I have modified the main client
so as to flag data changes which each of us can email to each
other, they being formatted for automatic import: this means
that each of us always has access to the data locally in case of
broadband failure, but synchronisation of the data is not
guaranteed. And the export/import is OK for small quantities of
data, but possibly not for a large batch of transactions.

So is there a better way of doing things, bearing in mind that
we are just two users? We have MySQL on our web site which we
use for various things, but this is accessible via PHP only, no
direct access allowed by our ISP for security reasons.

All suggestions gratefully received.


--
Tony Bryer   SDA UK   'Software to build on'   www.sda.co.uk

"Tony Bryer" <tonyb@sda.co.uk> wrote in message
news:VA.0000000e.0165895b@sda.co.uk...
> other, they being formatted for automatic import: this means
> that each of us always has access to the data locally in case of
> broadband failure,

If "broadband failure" is a calamity that can only happen in rare
circumstances, then maybe it's not worth doing anything to prepare for it.
Just get a static IP for your computer, and use client / server. Have your
assistant connect via C/S. The additional advantage is when you're on the
beach with your laptop, you can also connect to your database (though I use
Gotomypc for that type of connection) and the data is always current for
both of you.

Otherwise, you could FTP changes to a password protected folder in your
website, and use those files to update the local databases. Buyer beware:
these attempts at home made synchronization can end up in disaster, or at
least become a more extensive and expensive project than you anticipate.

Robert

I'd use something like RAdmin (www.famatech.com) or one of the free ones,
and have your assistant connect in remotely to a machine that does the
actual work. We use it for remote support, but even over ADSL it is very
effective. The best part though is that if the line goes dead and you
lose a connection, the PC doing the database work is sitting happily
waiting when you reconnect seconds, hours or days later. PCs are so cheap
nowadays, it's not worth doing anything else.

/Matthew Jones/

Tony,

I would say that your options are (in the order of easiest/least trouble):

1) Remote access using terminal services or remote desktop. like Matthew
suggests.
2) Remote access using DBISAM C/S like Robert suggests.
3) Changing to ElevateDB 2.0 with the replication once it is released.
4) Doing your own replication.

I would only do 4) if you really have a lot of free time on your hands and
don't mind spending it on replication.

--
Tim Young
Elevate Software
www.elevatesoft.com

In article <3179E081-5A2C-46AC-8948-172375909E8F@news.elevatesoft.com>, Tim
Young [Elevate Software] wrote:
> I would say that your options are (in the order of easiest/least trouble):
>
> 1) Remote access using terminal services or remote desktop. like Matthew
> suggests.
> 2) Remote access using DBISAM C/S like Robert suggests.
> 3) Changing to ElevateDB 2.0 with the replication once it is released.
> 4) Doing your own replication.
>
> I would only do 4) if you really have a lot of free time on your hands
> and don't mind spending it on replication.

Like Mr Rumsfeld, I know what I don't know and that is databases in any
depth! So 4 is out.

The remote access to my machine idea is OK until I want to go on holiday, and
I have to leave it on ... and the next day there's a power cut or something.

Can you just unpick replication for me, and, without committing yourself, how
it would work in the EDB context. I presume the philosophy is something like
newsgroup servers chatting to each other and exchanging new content?

--
Tony Bryer   SDA UK   'Software to build on'   www.sda.co.uk

"Tony Bryer" <tonyb@sda.co.uk> wrote in message
news:VA.0000000f.002a5a87@sda.co.uk...
>
> The remote access to my machine idea is OK until I want to go on holiday,
> and
> I have to leave it on ... and the next day there's a power cut or
> something.
>

The day before you go in holiday, zip the database and send it to your
assistant, have him run local until you get back. Must we do EVERYTHING for
you Or teach the cleaning lady how to reboot the computer.

Robert

Or put in a UPS..



--

Indeed. Here, we have UPS's on all the PCs (and I'd suggest having a PC
sitting there for the assistant to access remotely, completely
independent of the main PC). On my PC, the UPS has a network management
card. The two servers are also on a "masterswitch" with big UPS, and that
allows me to power cycle them too. On the ADSL line, I have a telephone
responder which can power cycle the ADSL router if I need to. The router
then allows RAdmin access to at least two computers, and I can gateway to
any other from them. Thus if I'm away and need to, I can access my PC, or
restart any aspect of the infrastructure as required. This was mainly set
up for my holiday in December, but obviously useful any time. And this
despite having a few staff here.

/Matthew Jones/

"Tony Bryer" <tonyb@sda.co.uk> wrote in message
news:VA.0000000e.0165895b@sda.co.uk...
>
> So is there a better way of doing things, bearing in mind that
> we are just two users? We have MySQL on our web site which we
> use for various things, but this is accessible via PHP only, no
> direct access allowed by our ISP for security reasons.
>
maybe buy a host account that allows you to install dbisam on the server?
Some virtual server account?

With MySql and a gateway/http-tunneling you can access the database with a
exe. Example of such a program and some info on the gateway
http://www.webyog.com/faq/content/21/19/en/what-is-http_tunneling.html

I do not know if there are any MySql gateways available for Delphi

Frans

Tony,

<< Can you just unpick replication for me, and, without committing yourself,
how it would work in the EDB context. I presume the philosophy is something
like newsgroup servers chatting to each other and exchanging new content? >>

It works on a publisher <--> subscriber basis, whereby publishers can also
be subscribers, and vice-versa.  As a publisher, you publish the tables that
you want to be published in the database, and indicate the direction in
which the inserts, updates, and deletes on the published tables will go
(only to subscribers, only to publishers, or both directions).  Then, you
set up a list of valid subscribers.  The subscribers (any EDB installation -
single-user, multi-user, or C/S) can then create a subscription to you, the
publisher, indicating which tables they want to synchronize with.  Finally,
the subscriber can, at the time of their choosing, synchronize with the
publisher so that the subscriber updates the publisher with any new inserts,
updates, and/or deletes, and grabs any inserts, updates, and/or deletes from
the publisher.

--
Tim Young
Elevate Software
www.elevatesoft.com