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Network Optimization

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    #1

    Network Optimization

    I am using ver 3.o Prof and would like to upgrade to v 4. Does the upgrade contain "Network Optimization". I have been using 3.0 on a small 5 station network and recently tried to expand using a t1 line to a sixth node. The speed was terrible. can anyone advise?
    Tags: None
    #2
    RE: Network Optimization

    ver 4.x does have "network optimization." We implemented it where I work and the difference was dramatic. The "network optimization" feature creates "shadow" tables with all of the data dictionary stuff (forms, code, etc.) on each client machine, so that all that is passed from the server is the shared data. If you implement network optimization, it's a good idea to create some code that will re-fresh the client copies when changes are made, especially if there are a lot of them. We did this by locating a table on each users local drive that contained a version number field. When the app opens the local version number is compared with a server -based version number and if they are different the shadow tables are auto re-freshed. Network optimization also solves the problem caused by more than one person opening the app at the same time. I forget (thankfully) what the error message was. Ver 4 has lots of other very usefull features, but network optimize alone justifies the upgrade. Good luck.

    -Bill

    Comment

      #3
      RE: Network Optimization

      I'm probably not the most qualified to answer this question, but it seems to me you'd have better luck if you used something like PC Anywhere so only the screen shot travels over the t1 line. A t1 is fast but not compared to a 100 meg network card which is most common these days.

      Comment

        #4
        RE: Network Optimization

        I have 40 + users on a Novell network and had invested thousand of hours and dollars with an application developer that I would have been forced to scrap were it not for A5 network optimization. Once we established the shadow directory on each user station the difference was incredible. A script to update the shadow is most helphful

        Comment

          #5
          RE: Network Optimization

          Would you mind sharing you script with me? I have been looking for an efficient way to refresh the shadow tables.

          Thanks.

          Comment

            #6
            RE: Network Optimization

            Thanks for the information. Are you running the 40 users on an upgrade copy? and I afraid to say I'm not much of a programmer, Would it be possible to see the script which refreshes the shadow.

            Comment

              #7
              RE: Network Optimization

              Someone else may well have something better, but here's the script that we use to automate the re-fresh process. (We also have 40+ users, and it was a real pain manually refreshing all those machines.)

              dim frm as p

              dim main as p
              dim ver as p

              main = table.current()
              ver = table.open("ver")

              if ver.cur_ver main.version

              now = ui_get_radio("Your copy of A5 is not current. Would you like to update?", 1, "Update Now", "Update Later", "Cancel")

              if now = "Update Now"

              if alltrim(upper(substr(a_db_current_path, 1, 1))) "C"
              ui_msg_box("Warning", "It appears that you are not using a 'Shadow Database.' Therefore, the update will be cancelled")
              goto skip
              end if

              refresh_shadow()

              ver.change_begin()
              ver.cur_ver = main.version
              ver.change_end(.t.)
              ver.close()


              t1 = "Local Update Part 1 Complete"
              t2 = "The update process requires that the program be restarted." + chr(10)
              t3 = "The program will now close automatically." + chr(10) + chr(10)
              t4 = "Please re-start the program to finish the update." + chr(10)
              ui_msg_box(t1, t2 + t3 + t4)
              a5.close()

              end if

              end if

              skip:

              ver.close()

              frm = form.load("menu_1")
              frm.show()
              frm.activate()
              controlpanel.hide()
              this.hide()

              end

              Some of the lines got wrapped when I pasted the code in, but I hope it's clear. This script runs on the OnActivate event of a form that is loaded when our app is opened (the "run on load" form). Ver is a table that is located on each users C: drive and it contains the version number of the copy of the app that they are running. As you probably noticed, the script checks to make sure that the current path starts with "C." That means that everyone's network optimized "shadow tables" have to be on their C: drive. We do this because it is actually possible to get the program confused enough so that it network optimizes (creates shadow tables) over your actual data - a total disaster. This takes a lot of "Murphy's Law," but it can happen.

              We also have an OnTimer event in this form that will shut down A5 if a value in a server-based table is set to "F", which is real handy for shutting down machines that people have left on when they leave for the day. If any of this is not clear, please let me know, and I will try to explain. It actually works pretty well

              -Bill

              Comment

                #8
                RE: Network Optimization

                I remember something on LEARNALPHA.com that has scripts to refresh terminal shadows.

                Bob Sullivan

                Comment

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