Workstation Setup
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Network vs.. Standalone Computing Environments
Express Technology software may be installed into two computing environments. They are the Network and Standalone computer environments.

Standalone
The Standalone environment consists of a situation where the application runs on a single computer.. This computer works as the Server and the Client by processing the application and maintaining all data. Since a Standalone computer does handle all data and the application, it should be a reasonably fast computer with adequate memory, processing speed and disk space. In this environment, you simply need to install the database engine and application on the standalone computer.

Network With Server & Client Workstations
The Network environment is made up of two or more computers. These computers communicate with each other, share resources and, in some cases, control other computers over the network. Express Technology uses the Client/Server model in a Network environment. The Client/Server model is comprised of a computer that acts as a Server to one or more computers over the network. The Server houses data and handles data requests from Client computers. Clients (Workstations) are the computers that manipulate the data sent to and from the Server. These computers run independent of the Server in all respects other than to request and send data.

In this environment, you need to install the database engine and application on the Server Only. Each network workstation that will access and run the application is setup with a simple shortcut as outlined below.

Client Workstation Setup (Networks)
To run the applications from a client workstation, you need to have the ExpressTech folder on the server shared with read / write permission. In addition, you must have TCP/IP installed on the server (usually installed automatically by windows) and preferred that the server have a static IP address. Test run ExpressMaintenance and exiting the program to insure the communication is working between the program and the database engine.

Once you are sure that the server computer is setup according to the guidelines above, proceed to the client workstations. Create a shortcut on the workstation pointing to the Maintenance.exe file on the server in the Express Tech folder. Follow one of the following two methods below for directing the workstation to the SQL Server and database.

1. Ini File Method (preferred and simplest)
On the server where the Maintenance.exe file resides, run ExpressMaintenance one time to have the database created. When you exit ExpressMaintenance, the Connection.ini file is automatically created in the folder with Maintenance.exe. Edit the Connection.ini file to include the IP address of the SQL server computer rather than the server name if the server has a static IP number. For example:

[LastConnection]
Server=209.208.254.48
Database=ExpressMaintenance

Edit and save the Connection.ini file. Make sure the IP address is correct by test running the program again from the server again.

Next, at each client computer, create a desktop shortcut to the Maintenance.exe file on the server. When ExpressMaintenance is executed from any workstation, it will check the Connection.ini file that resides in the same folder as Maintenance.exe for the SQL server and database connection information. You can download a sample ini file - download now.

If the workstation shortcut fails to work, proceed to the Troubleshooting section below. Usually, creating an ODBC DSN will resolve the issue by forcing the computers to communicate via TCP/IP.

2. Shortcut Parameters Method (alternative, not recommended)
Right click on the workstation shortcut and select "Properties". You will need to add two parameters to the Target field. These parameters are:
Server Name or IP and the Database Name.

With ExpressMaintenance, the target field might appear as:
"G:\ExpressTech\Maintenance.exe" "111.111.111.111" "ExpressMaintenance"
where ServerName is the actual name or IP address of your server computer.

If you are using UNC naming, the target field might appear as: "\\MyServer\C:\ExpressTech\Maintenance.exe" "Nameor IPAddress" "ExpressMaintenance" where NameorIPAddress is the IP address of your server computer.

Troubleshooting
This method of running the application from the client workstation works extremely well. It means that updates only need to be applied to a single computer, the server. It also allows for access to multiple servers and creation of unlimited databases. You should find this method easy for setting up client workstations. However, if you are unable to run the program from the client workstation using these shortcuts, check the following items:

1.Make sure the server is running and ExpressMaintenance runs at the server  
2.Try using the server IP address rather than the server name in the shortcut (see above).  
3.Insure that TCP/IP is installed on the client workstation and server.  
4.Insure that the shortcut points to the correct file.  
5.Insure that the shortcut parameters are in double quotes and separated by a space if using that method.  
6.Insure that the Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) are installed (usually automatically installed with Windows98 and above, but not always).  
7.Try creating an ODBC DSN in windows to establish a connection to the SQL server.  

Creating ODBC DSN You can check for MDAC and force a TCP/IP connection to the server by creating an ODBC Data Source. Try creating a DSN to ExpressMaintenance by following the steps below:

1.Click on Windows / Start / Control Panel  
2.Double Click on Data Sources (ODBC) Note: some versions of windows, click Administrative Tools first  
3.Click the System DSN tab  
4.Click the Add Button  
5.Scroll to the bottom of the driver list and click SQL Server  
6.Click the Finish button  
7.Type ExpressMaintenance in the Name & Description field  
8.In the Server field, type the IP address of the computer where SQL Server (MSDE) is running  
9.Click the Next button  
10.Click the "With SQL Server authentication ..." option  
11.Click the Client Configuration button  
12.Click TCP/IP option for the network library  
13.Make sure the Server Alias and Server Name fields have the IP address of your server  
14.Click the Ok button  
15.Click the "Connect to SQL server to obtain..." option  
16.Enter "sa" (no quotes) for the user name,  
17.Leave password blank unless you already had SQL Server and use a different password  
18.Click the Next button  
19.Click on "Change the default database to:..." option  
20.Click the Database drop down list and select ExpressMaintenance  
21.Click the Next button  
22.Click the Finish button  
23.Click the Test Data Source button  
 
If the above process does not allow you to successfully connect to the server / database, the problem is in your network or the Microsoft Data Access Components are not installed on the client workstation. You can install the MDAC directly from the Express Technology CD. You may need a specialist to setup your network using TCP/IP which is the industry standard.

You can get the MDAC detection utility to determine your MDAC version. To download the MDAC detection utility, click here. You can download the MDAC installation program or learn more about MDAC from Microsoft. For more details on MDAC, go to the downloads page.

For the most current information, check the Technical Bulletins (FAQ) at our web site at: http://www.expresstechnology.com/TechBulletins/BulletinIndex.htm.

 

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