Access and Terminal Services

[George]

Dear friends, need your help,

I am in the process of developing a database for a client. The client says
that he has some licenses of Citrix and we can use them in order to give
users remote access to this database. (I have never created a database in
such a way - remote access()

What shall I have in mind before creating this database? - Is it just a
matter of linked table manager, where you select the server and path where
the Back End is located?

Any help will be highly appreciate.

Thanking you in advance,

GeorgeCY

 

[Tony Toews [MVP]]

I am in the process of developing a database for a client. The client says
that he has some licenses of Citrix and we can use them in order to give
users remote access to this database. (I have never created a database in
such a way - remote access()

What shall I have in mind before creating this database? - Is it just a
matter of linked table manager, where you select the server and path where
the Back End is located?

That's the basics yes. You give each user their own copy of the FE
same as you would for users on their own work stations.

The quirk though is that you want to ensure the FE is placed either
right on the Citrix server or on a network server in the same LAN as
the BE. You don't want to place the FE on the users app data profile
which might be on their local PC or local server a thousand miles away
thus negating the purpose of the Citrix server. This can take a bit
of discussion with the IT staff.

I specifically created the Auto FE Updater utility so that I could
make changes to the FE MDE as often as I wanted and be quite confident
that the next time someone went to run the app that it would pull in
the latest version. For more info on the errors or the free Auto FE
Updater utility see http://www.autofeupdater.com to keep the FE on
each PC up to date.

In a Terminal Server or Citrix environment the Auto FE Updater now
supports creating a directory named after the user on a server. Given
a choice put the FE on the Citrix server to reduce network traffic and
to avoid having to load objects over the network which can be somewhat
sluggish.

Tony
--
Tony Toews, Microsoft Access MVP
Tony's Main MS Access pages - http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm
Tony's Microsoft Access Blog - http://msmvps.com/blogs/access/
For a free, convenient utility to keep your users FEs and other files
updated see http://www.autofeupdater.com/
Granite Fleet Manager http://www.granitefleet.com/

 

[George]

Tony, thanks a lot for your prompt answer.

Citrix terminal servers are installed in the companys server or on the users
PCS?

I will distribute my FE to the users, assuming that they belong in the same
WAN? or can be used via Internet, throught their own PCs at home?

In the link table manager how can I declare the server/ip, in the case they
use their own PCs at their homes?

Sorry for being so novice on the matter.


Ο χÏήστης "Tony Toews [MVP]" έγγÏαψε:

 

[Arvin Meyer [MVP]]

Answers in-line:

Tony, thanks a lot for your prompt answer.

Citrix terminal servers are installed in the companys server or on the
users
PCS?

Citrix is a server and the PCs are clients, or terminals, on that server.
There is client software on the PC which enables a login on the server.

I will distribute my FE to the users, assuming that they belong in the
same
WAN? or can be used via Internet, throught their own PCs at home?

If they have the Citrix client on their home PC, they can log in to the
server, through the Internet, from anywhere.

In the link table manager how can I declare the server/ip, in the case
they
use their own PCs at their homes?

The Citrix client will usually take care of that, but typically:

\\ServerName\FolderName\

if on the company LAN (same as any other server access) or:

\\204.128.4.100

or whatever the IP is for that server.

As Tony notes, the important consideration is that each user has their own
copy of the front-end, and does not share that front-end with any other
user. To do so invites corruption, and with Citrix, that's almost a
certainty if you do share the front-end. I usually have the network admin
set up a separate folder for each user and put their front-end in that
folder. Keeping their permissions limited to that folder and wherever the
back-end is, is a great security enhancement as well.
--
Arvin Meyer, MCP, MVP
http://www.datastrat.com
http://www.mvps.org/access
http://www.accessmvp.com

Disclaimer: Any code or opinions are offered here as is. Some of that
code has been well tested for number of years. Some of it is untested
"aircode" typed directly into the post. Some may be code from other
authors. Some of the products recommended have been purchased and
used by the author. Others have been furnished by their manufacturers.
Still others have not been personally tested, but have been
recommended by others whom this author respects.

You can thank the FTC of the USA for making this disclaimer necessary.

 

[Armen Stein]

In the link table manager how can I declare the server/ip, in the case they
use their own PCs at their homes?

Remember, even if they use their PC at home, your FE is not running
there. It is running on the server using a remote Citrix session. So
your linking will be relative to the server, not the home PC.

Speaking of linked table manager, if you want a more automated
approach to relinking tables, you're welcome to use our free J Street
Access Relinker at:
http://www.jstreettech.com/downloads

It handles multiple Access back-end databases, ignores ODBC linked
tables, and can automatically and silently relink to back-end
databases in the same folder as the application (handy for work
databases or single-user scenarios). There's a ReadMe table with
instructions.

It will work fine in a Citrix scenario.

Armen Stein
Microsoft Access MVP
www.JStreetTech.com

 

[Tony Toews [MVP]]

Citrix terminal servers are installed in the companys server or on the users
PCS?

They are installed in the company server farm. Citrix is an
enhancement to Terminal Server. The Citrix/TS systems send screen
draw commands and such down to your PC. Your PC sends mouse
movements, clicks and keyboard commands up to Citrix/TS. Thus this is
very efficient even on a slow as molasses modem connection. Also the
client PCs can be real old slow systems whose only purposes is to
provide a network jack, monitor, mouse and keyboard connection. Or
specialized cheap PCs without a hard drive that are the size of a
pocketbook.

I will distribute my FE to the users, assuming that they belong in the same
WAN? or can be used via Internet, throught their own PCs at home?

Correct. because all that is happening on the users computer is a
window into the host system which is running many other such sessions.

In the link table manager how can I declare the server/ip, in the case they
use their own PCs at their homes?

This doesn't matter because they aren't actually running the program
at home.

Sorry for being so novice on the matter.

Nothing for you to be sorry for. We *MUCH* prefer folks who ask
intelligent questions trying to understand before they come back later
and ask "Just what is going on here?!?!?!" in a loud tone. We'll
answer dumb questions too although yours is not dumb. <smile>

Tony
--
Tony Toews, Microsoft Access MVP
Tony's Main MS Access pages - http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm
Tony's Microsoft Access Blog - http://msmvps.com/blogs/access/
For a free, convenient utility to keep your users FEs and other files
updated see http://www.autofeupdater.com/
Granite Fleet Manager http://www.granitefleet.com/

 

[George]

Armen, thanks a million for your comments and your link to the amazing linked
table manager.

I have tested it and works like a charm.

The problem is that some of my BackEnds are protected with a password. How
can I provide that password in the code provided, or have Access to ask me
for that password?

Thanks again.

Ο χÏήστης "Armen Stein" έγγÏαψε:

 

[Armen Stein]

Armen, thanks a million for your comments and your link to the amazing linked
table manager.

I have tested it and works like a charm.

The problem is that some of my BackEnds are protected with a password. How
can I provide that password in the code provided, or have Access to ask me
for that password?

We haven't supported an Access BE password, because of a) the apparent
ease with which it could be broken in the past, and b) the lightweight
code we wanted to provide (without tables or forms). So I can't help
you here, but perhaps someone else can weigh in with some code to
support a BE password.

Armen Stein
Microsoft Access MVP
www.JStreetTech.com

 

[Earl C.]

How do i send email to a yahoo user.

We haven't supported an Access BE password, because of a) the apparent
ease with which it could be broken in the past, and b) the lightweight
code we wanted to provide (without tables or forms). So I can't help
you here, but perhaps someone else can weigh in with some code to
support a BE password.

Armen Stein
Microsoft Access MVP
www.JStreetTech.com

 

[Armen Stein]

Look over here
http://www.connectionstrings.com/access

Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=C:\mydatabase.mdb;Jet OLEDB:
Database Password=MyDbPassword;

Good, that should work fine. But of course, that password needs to be
stored and/or prompted in the front-end somehow. Our current relinker
code has no provision for this.

If it still doesn't work, I'll have to steal Armen's pancakes.

Not without a fight.

That's a pretty obscure reference - you must have seen some demo code.


Armen Stein
Microsoft Access MVP
www.JStreetTech.com

 

[Arvin Meyer [MVP]]

How do i send email to a yahoo user.

Try using your Yahoo email account. This newsgroup is dedicated to the
Microsoft Access database product. You have misinterpreted it's title.

 

[Armen Stein]

I have your book "Access 2003 VBA Programmer's Reference" which I purchase
about 3 years ago. Lots of pretty good demo on ADO and it was very helpful to
me and still is.

Great, I'm glad you like that book. I do think the 2007 edition
turned out even better (and had better reviews on Amazon). Maybe
that's why I was smiling on the 2007 cover, instead of the stern look
for the 2003 cover.

Armen Stein
Microsoft Access MVP
www.JStreetTech.com

 

[raphaela]

Great, I'm glad you like that book. I do think the 2007 edition
turned out even better (and had better reviews on Amazon). Maybe
that's why I was smiling on the 2007 cover, instead of the stern look
for the 2003 cover.

Armen Stein
Microsoft Access MVP
www.JStreetTech.com

 

[Armen Stein]

So, you're gonna do 2010 version? I would certainly hope to purchase it.

At this point I'll be involved with the editing of the 2010 book, but
not one of the authors - I can't make that time commitment. My words
from the previous editions will live on, though!

Armen Stein
Microsoft Access MVP
www.JStreetTech.com