Database Access Issue

[bighdaddy1]

Hello,

I reciently attempted to migrate a database application and a number
of file shares from an NT4 server to a Windows 2000 server. The
clients accessing the file shares and database are a mix of Windows
XP, Mac OSX, and Mac OS 9.x.

Following the migration all clients were able to access the file
shares. The Mac's were connecting via SMB. However, the database was
a whole different story. The XP clients have no problem accessing the
database all at the same time. The Mac's, however, could only access
the database one at a time. In fact once a Mac accessed the database
no other client, XP or Mac, could access the database. It would just
show up as locked.

I dug down a bit deeper and it looks like the problem is related to
Appletalk, or the lack there of. The old NT4 server was on the same
subnet as the clients, thus clients could connect to that server via
an Appletalk share. When I look at that server it shows all of the
Mac clients connecting to the Mac share. However, the new W2K server
is on a different subnet in a different building with multiple routers
in between. Appletalk is not, and can not be enabled on our network.
Thus when the Mac clients connect to the W2K server they are
connecting via the Windows share. Even though I have Mac shares
created and enabled...it looks like the only way to see that server if
via an SMB share. It also looks like when the Mac's connect to this
share via SMB they have no way of sharing the database.

Does anyone have any clue how to get all of the clients to access the
database on the remote W2K server without enabling Appletalk on all
the routers?

Thank You.

 

[William Smith]

Hello,

I reciently attempted to migrate a database application and a number
of file shares from an NT4 server to a Windows 2000 server. The
clients accessing the file shares and database are a mix of Windows
XP, Mac OSX, and Mac OS 9.x.

Does anyone have any clue how to get all of the clients to access the
database on the remote W2K server without enabling Appletalk on all
the routers?

In today's network environment, Appletalk is used only to browse a
network server. When a connection is made (selecting an item in the
Chooser) the Windows 2000 server and the Mac negotiate an IP connection.
Fear of Appletalk is probably unfounded in your network.

To address your problem, when your Mac OS 9 machines connect to the
server, they are using AFP (Apple Filing Protocol) over IP. They are
still using the Windows Server's File Services for Macintosh sans
Appletalk. (This is all relevant unless you're using a third party
product on your Macs such as Dave.) These machines are not using the
Windows share. Instead they are using a Mac volume. This is similar to a
Windows share but is not the same connection that Windows users connect
through. You can think of a Windows share and a Mac volume as being the
front doors to a server. They both let different clients into the server
but once inside, the permissions are the same for both.

You may need to make the Mac volume and Windows share "read only" to be
able to access the database from multiple machines. This will connecting
Macs from opening the file and showing it to be in use to the server.
This only works in a situation where you need to just read data and not
write.

Since I'm not familiar with your database, the above may not apply but
this is the most I can suggest based on your description so far.

Hope this helps! bill