AutoManager.com - Support: Networking

Networking

To setup DeskManager for use on a network, please follow these instructions.

To begin, install DeskManager on each workstation that will be using it.
Verify that the version of the program is identical on all workstations. Version information appears in the top left corner of DeskManager. It should be in the form: ##.yy ST mm.dd; where ## is the major version number, yy is the year it was generated, ST is the state supported by that version of the application, mm is the month and dd is the day of the software build.
If you have different versions, download the latest update from this web site or request an update by contacting IMS Support.
Determine which workstation will hold the main data files.
Find the location of the data files on the main computer by clicking File->Location of Data Files from DeskManager's main Toolbar.
Share the drive and/or folder that contains the data files. DeskManager's installion defaults to using the C:\AUTO.IMS folder. You can share this folder by right-clicking on it (either by opening My Computer or Windows Explorer and locating the folder) and selecting Sharing and Security. You will need to allow all users to have full access (Read/Write) to this folder. In Windows XP, you must check "Allow users to change my files".
To complete the networking setup for the other workstations, you must know the name of the computer that contains the data files. You can find the computer name by clicking Help in DeskManager. The System Information box displays the Computer Name. Record this name for use when setting up the other workstations.

Once you have the main computer installation completed, and sharing enabled for the data files, you can set up the other workstations to access the data over the network. You may only access your data files simultaneously from as many workstations as you have network licenses obtained through IMS.

There are two methods you can use to set up the workstations:

Workstation Setup Method 1

From the workstation, open DeskManager.
Click File->Location of Data Files.
Click the question mark next to the Data Files field to find the Server (in this case, the computer that contains the data files). Locate and select the AUTO.IMS folder, and then click Open.
Click Save. The system will need to shut down at this point. When you run DeskManager again, it should now be reading the data files using the new file path.

Workstation Setup Method 2

From the workstation, click Start->Programs->AM DeskManager->Utilities.
In the Server Name field, type the name of the computer that contains the data files.
In the Drive Letter or Name field, type the name of the drive that contains the data files.
In the Folder Name field, type the name of the folder that contains the data files.
If you have shared the only folder and not the drive, you may enter the folder name in addition to the drive letter or name in the Drive Letter or Name field, and leave the Folder Name field blank.
Click Verify to confirm that the location of the data files has been entered correctly.
If you get the error message "Data File Locator Error", the location could not be found on your network, or the information was not entered correctly. You will need to resolve any network connectivity issues and enter the correct path to the data files before you can continue. Contact your network administrator.
If you get "Found Inventory Files Dated mm/dd/yy", the path has been entered correctly and the location was found. Click Save to update DeskManager. When you run AutoManager again, it should now be reading the data files using the new file path.