"Raul" <raul@raul.ca> wrote in message
news:C258A436-1469-4148-8302-02DFBBFE8EF7@news.elevatesoft.com...
>
> You can but need a client license (CAL) for every user (or at least
> license for concurrent connection - whatever makes more sense in your
> scenario).
> Using XP Pro that Peter wants to use you will likely run into the
> connection limits as well.
>
> Both above apply in this case since you're using a windows os server
> file-share for accessing the exe (even though you are using just TCP
> sockets with DBISAM server for data).
>

Since the solutions involve downloading a program from the server anyway,
what's the difference between unloading the program from the sorver to the
workstation and executing right off the server?

Robert

The download option that Tim recommended uses the TCP connection of DBISAM
so there is NO file-share access and hence no need for ANY windows client
licenses. In fact you do not need to even share any folders on server since
the new exe is sent down by dbisam server over the tcp connection.

Even if you decide to download the file from server fileshare to local
server you only access the share once (to download the file) so you would
only need couple of concurrent connection licenses - vs having as many user
licenses as you have users if you run it from file share 9since the file is
always open and windows considers it an active file share session). This
option would also work with XPPro and the user limit since the exe access
would be brief (on any decent lan downloading an exe will likely just take
seconds) so you will rarely if even hit the limit downloading just the exe.

Raul


> Since the solutions involve downloading a program from the server anyway,
> what's the difference between unloading the program from the sorver to the
> workstation and executing right off the server?
>
> Robert



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Raul,

<< Even if you decide to download the file from server fileshare to local
server you only access the share once (to download the file) so you would
only need couple of concurrent connection licenses - vs having as many user
licenses as you have users if you run it from file share 9since the file is
always open and windows considers it an active file share session). This
option would also work with XPPro and the user limit since the exe access
would be brief (on any decent lan downloading an exe will likely just take
seconds) so you will rarely if even hit the limit downloading just the exe.
>>

I would be careful with this also.  I haven't checked, but it wouldn't
surprise me if there is a slight delay before the connection is actually
dropped completely from the file server.  MS is particularly fond of keeping
things around for a moment or two, just in case another request comes in.
But, whether or not this would count towards the license count is also a
separate issue.  They may keep the connection around but not count it
towards the license count.

--
Tim Young
Elevate Software
www.elevatesoft.com

"Tim Young [Elevate Software]" wrote:

Raul,

<< Even if you decide to download the file from server fileshare to local
server you only access the share once (to download the file) so you would
only need couple of concurrent connection licenses - vs having as many user
licenses as you have users if you run it from file share 9since the file is
always open and windows considers it an active file share session). This
option would also work with XPPro and the user limit since the exe access
would be brief (on any decent lan downloading an exe will likely just take
seconds) so you will rarely if even hit the limit downloading just the exe.
>>

I would be careful with this also.  I haven't checked, but it wouldn't
surprise me if there is a slight delay before the connection is actually
dropped completely from the file server.  MS is particularly fond of keeping
things around for a moment or two, just in case another request comes in.
But, whether or not this would count towards the license count is also a
separate issue.  They may keep the connection around but not count it
towards the license count.

--
Tim Young
Elevate Software
www.elevatesoft.com

Hi thanks to everyone for your replies and apoligies for not relying earlier.

I take onboard your comments.


Michael:  Keeping the executable on the server is not a question of disk space.  The client has 30 users in a busy office. The software is business
critical and sometimes there are weekly upgrades.  It would not be practical or cost effective to go around each PC doing the upgrade every week.

The scenario of running off the server never occurred to me until a user connected themselves directly to the executable on the server which was
residing there.  It was there because for convenience I had put it there during an upgrade to copy across the network.  I was surprised that it
worked myself but it did.  At the time there were only 4 users so it was convenient just to copy the executable and other files over the internet to
perform an upgrade rather than onto each machine.

I know this might not be ideal but if it aint broke dont fix it.  There is also a business issue here. Clients are willing to pay for something that
benefits the business such as an upgrade that just appears on schedule the next morning with no disruption to business but less likely to appreciate
someone going to the office for a few hours and shutting everything down.

Tim: Thanks for your replies I am going to look at your suggestions and implement something on those lines.

The connections for upgrading will not be a problem.  As you say Microsoft hang onto them often for quite a long time. You used to be able to see
them on NT4 Server.  However I am also running on the site a FreeNAS BSD (unix based NAS) where there are no practical limits to connections.  I
can put the upgrades on the Unix box.

If anyone out there needs a fileserver just to serve documents and images I can recommend FreeNAS.  I have had the box up continuously on an
UPS for 10 months and only just had to restart the box as it was running slowly.  My client has 130,000 documents and images with often 200 or
more word documents and lots of images open at any one time. The client manages the images using Picasa with every PC constantly tracking
changes and indexing. The box I built is an AMD dual core with 4gb memory and two Western Digital Raid Edition drives mirroring.

Thanks again to everyone

Regards

Peter