Appendix VII - CHOOSING A SERVER

Choosing the server computer

Choosing a server for the BCFPI software consist of 2 main tasks; choosing the physical machine that will act as the BCFPI server, and choosing the specific install location on that machine for the BCPFI server files. There are some important issues to be aware of when choosing the right computer to be your BCFPI server:

Once a computer is the BCFPI server it is always the BCFPI server. (Likewise, once the BCFPI workstation install has been run on a computer it will always be a BCFPI workstation).
Only ONE computer per site should have the server install run on it. We have some built-in safeguards that insure that once a server install has been run on a computer, the workstation install will not work (and vice versa). But on a new computer with nothing installed, there is no way for it to know what has been installed on other computers. You must be very careful not to run a second server install.

The BCFPI is already installed on your network

If you already have the BCFPI software installed on your network, the computer where your database files (*.db, *.px, etc.) are is the machine that is your BCFPI server. This is the computer that you should run the BCFPI server install on.

You are installing the BCFPI on your network for the first time

When you are doing a networked installation

If you choose an 'Install Type' of "Networked" on the special options dialog of the Server install, then you expect several people to use the BCFPI software on your network. If you are installing the BCFPI software for the first time, you need to choose your server based on the following:

If your network has an actual server, this server should be the computer where you install the BCFPI server.
Ideally, you should choose a computer running Windows NT or Windows 2000 as the computer for your BCPFI server. (These operating systems are much more stable and secure).
1. If your network has a mix of Win95-based (Win95, Win98, WinMe) and WinNT-based (WinNT, Win2000, WinXP) computers, then you MUST choose one of the WinNT-based computers (or a Novell server if you have one) to be your server. Failing to do so will prevent the BCFPI from running on all of your computers.
The computer you choose should be one that can be regularly backed up.

When you are doing a standalone install

If you choose an 'Install Type' of "Standalone" on the special options dialog of the Server install, then the BCFPI software will only be used on one computer. If you are installing the software as standalone software, then the software should be installed on the computer where the BCFPI will be used. The computer you choose should be one that gets backed up regularly.

Installing the BCFPI software on a computer where the BCFPI Server install won't run (i.e. on Novell)

The BCFPI Server install will only run on a computer with a Windows operating system. This means that you can't directly install the BCFPI server on a server running Novell. If your are unable for some reason to run the BCPFI server install directly on the computer that should be your server, then you need to designate a workstation to be the ' BCFPI Server' (for the installs). This machine can be used to enter BCFPI data, but ALL server updates must be done on this specific computer.

What if the BCFPI is already installed on my network, but I want to install it somewhere else?

If you already have the BCFPI software installed on your network, but have decided it would be better to install it somewhere else, you should contact support@bcfpi.com for help in moving the BCFPI software BEFORE you install the new version.

Choosing the Server install location (directory)

Once you have chosen the computer that will act as your BCFPI server, you can choose the actual install location for that computer.

If you already have the BCFPI installed

If you already have a copy of the BCPFI software installed on your network, you need to install the new BCFPI Server to the exact same location. The older BCFPI installs did not keep a usable record of your prior install location, and you will need to manually set it when you run the BCPFI Server install. The correct install directory will have a file called, "indicator32.exe", and several subdirectories including, "SQL", "QBE", and, "Data". The BCFPI server install may set this directory for you automatically. For example, if you see the following directories on your computer: "D:\Global\Apps\Indicator32\indicator32.exe", and "D:\Global\Apps\Indicator32\Sql\", and "D:\Global\Apps\Indicator32\Data\", then the correct install destination would be, "D:\Global\Apps\Indicator32\" for the new software.

If you are upgrading an install that you did with our new install technology (version 3.2 and later), then the install will automatically configure the proper install location for you.

If you don't already have the BCFPI installed

When you are doing a networked install

If you chose an 'Install Type' of "Networked" on the special options dialog of the Server install, then you expect several people to use the BCFPI software on your network. You need to choose a location that all users can have access to, with full rights (read, write, execute, etc.). The location should also be one that will get backed up regularly.