🚀 go-pugleaf

Gareth Alun Evans wrote:
>
> I wish to use some PC's networked together to control an ATE rig.
> Do I have to buy a Novell file server in addition, or is there
> a peer-to-peer network I can use? (eg, Netware Lite?)
> Can I get away with just buying network cards or do I
> have to buy a proprietary network software package?
> I want to have a central Access database to record the test
> results, and also control some auxiliary instruments from the
> central PC.
> --
> G.A.Evans, Director, Out And About Systems Ltd
> Software Consultancy for Telecommunications and Real Time
> 13 Hardens Close, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 3AA
> (01249) 651897

Try using Linux.  It is free from lots of places on the web
and from many CD suppliers.  There are several related
newsgroups for Linux q&a.

It has a SMB server facility that will do what Lantastic,
Microsoft Networks (Windows for Workgroups is the latest
incarnation) and Novell Lite would do for you.

The latest Linux Journal magazine has an article on setting
up a Linux machine as a network server.

Re Access, have you considered recording data in DBF files,
then attaching to those files from Access to do reports,
fancy interface work, etc.? There are C and VB libraries
available for this kind of thing.

I maintain one of the largest Access 2.0 databases in existence,
2.5 million records - I have nothing against Access. It is
a poor tool for multiuser work.  Any visit to the relevant
newsgroups will fill your head with doubts about any
multiuser project in Access.  Yes it can be done (usually),
but do you have a spare life to use to track down and solve
all the problems?

MS wants us to use SQL server for multiuser work, not Access.

Yes, we have the Access Developer's Kit. As far as I know,
Access 7 is not the answer either.


Good luck.

--
Tim Henderson
Software Engineer
AbTech Corporation
1575 State Farm Boulevard Ste. 1
Charlottesville VA 22911
<#include standard-disclaimer>
*The Leader in Statistical Network Modeling*

In article <31ED7E6D.437B@cstone.net>, Tim Henderson <timh@cstone.net>
writes
>> I wish to use some PC's networked together to control an ATE rig.
>> Do I have to buy a Novell file server in addition, or is there
>> a peer-to-peer network I can use? (eg, Netware Lite?)
>> I want to have a central Access database to record the test
>> results, and also control some auxiliary instruments from the
>> central PC.

Hello Tim, and thank-you for taking the trouble to reply.

>Try using Linux.  It is free from lots of places on the web
>and from many CD suppliers.  There are several related
>newsgroups for Linux q&a.

The systems are specified to be Windows; NT, 95 or WFWG.

>Re Access, have you considered recording data in DBF files,

What are DBF files? dBase4?

> I have nothing against Access. It is a poor tool for multiuser work.

Could you expand on this? There will be very little human interaction
aprt from printing out summary reports at the end of a test run. Two
PC's will be posting the results of tests onto the third PC.


> Yes it can be done (usually),
>but do you have a spare life to use to track down and solve
>all the problems?

Could you outline the type of problems that occur?

>MS wants us to use SQL server for multiuser work, not Access.

I haven't heard of this.

>Yes, we have the Access Developer's Kit. As far as I know,
>Access 7 is not the answer either.
>
>
>Good luck.
>

--
G.A.Evans, Director, Out And About Systems Ltd
Software Consultancy for Telecommunications, Real Time and ATE
13 Hardens Close, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 3AA
(01249) 651897