

However, when setting this up, I ran into issues with PHP sendmail failures, and I wanted a process that minimized manual intervention. If the ping returns an error, the administrator intervenes. If the ping – a PHP request – returns a valid result, then all is well. One oft-used method is to create a PHP page that pings the Database Server. In order to automate the process we need to turn to some system-based tools. However, as it is a GUI-based system, it needs eyes-on management.

The Admin Console is a GUI-based tool to manage databases, backup and script schedules, clients, statistics, and the current state of the database and WPE processes. The ability to build an automatic monitoring method becomes critical for anyone managing web pages that communicate with FileMaker Server, to rapidly identify problems and minimize downtime. But what happens when a web page is no longer is responsive? Which process failed? Is it a page error, a Database Server problem, or an issue with the WPE? As you can imagine, manually checking the state of the server becomes tedious. Custom web publishing such as PHP communicates to the Database Server via the WPE. The Database Server is perhaps the most obvious component, as this hosts the databases that are shared with clients.Īny type of web publishing requires the Web Publishing Engine (WPE) to be active and running.

In case you need to get some basic knowledge about FileMaker Server 12 and the new features related to backup and enhanced container fields, here are some great resources to get you started: Understanding these situations will help you properly restore FileMaker 12 files that use external container storage. In the course of my work on a customer project, I discovered that the links to externally stored container fields with a FileMaker Server 12 backup can break if the backup is not restored properly. After trying a number of different scenarios, I have come up with a list of circumstances where container fields will remain intact and when they won’t.Īll examples are using a Windows based FileMaker server and apply equally to both secure and open external container storage.
