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Star Analyzer Network Upgrade Details

Compatibility
The current version of Star Analzyer is V8.44F, and it is compatible with all Microsoft Windows versions.

Speed
Networks run more slowly than single-user machines. If your network is too slow for you, ask your network consultant what speed your network is. Older 10MBps network interfaces should be updated to 100MBps, or better still, 1000MBps.

Reliability
To avoid losing your valuable data, follow these simple steps.

1. Backup your data regularly on a Zip drive or other backup medium. Rotate between at least three sets of backups. You can backup from inside Star Analyzer.

Floppy disks are NOT a reliable backup medium. There are bugs in floppy disk controllers that regularly destroy data stored on floppy disks.

2. Purchase a battery backed up power supply (UPS). We recommend the APC brand name. They are about $60 at Office Max or Staples. They provide 4 minutes of backup power -- long enough for you to safely shut your network down. They also protects the computer and your modem from voltage spikes.

If you set up a network, you must have a UPS battery backup power supply on the Server, and we recommend a UPS for each of the Client computers.

Step by step instructions
Consider handing these instructions to a computer expert because we cannot help computer novices setup a network. If you are not fluent in Windows networking, please hire a local computer consultant.

Make sure your computers are networked
This goes without saying, but there, we've said it anyway.

Make sure your computers have antivirus software
Install an antivirus program and keep it updated. Each computer on your network should have it's own antivirus software installed.

Make sure your computers have a firewall
A firewall protects your computer from threats coming across the internet.

Choose one computer as the Server
There are two kinds of computers on a network, Servers and Clients. The data resides on the Server. The Clients access the data on the Server.

The Server should be a fast computer with at least 500 Megabytes of RAM. 1 Gigabyte of RAM would be even better. If you find the server slowing down as you add clients, then increase the server RAM.

Install Star Analyzer on the Server
Go to the Star Analyzer web site (www.StarAnalyzer.com) and download and install the program on your server.

Updating Star Analyzer
When you update Star Analyzer by downloading and installing the latest version from our web site, please update only update the Server. The Client computers will automatically update themselves when they log onto the server.

Create a sample database on the server
1. Start Star Analyzer on the Server.
2. Select "Create a database on this computer".
3. On the Welcome screen, type you company's name in the "First and Last Name" blank.
Leave the "Professional Designations" blank.
4. Start the Program.
5. Watch while it creates sample properties.
6. Select "Try the Professional version"
7. Close Star Analyzer

Share the StarAnalyzer8 folder on the server
1. Open the C: drive.
2. Locate the StarAnalyzer8 folder and right-click on it.
3. Select Properties, then Sharing and Security.
4. Click "Shared this folder on the network".
5. Click "Allow network users to change my files".
5. Click OK

Installing the Server Database Engine
1. Copy the file "C:\StarAnalyzer8\ServerIni\DbSrvr.ini" to the folder "C:\StarAnalyzer8\Server"

2. Click the Windows Start button, select Run, type Cmd and click OK. You will see a black screen. Type IPConfig, and click the Enter key to see the server's IP Address.

3. Edit "C:\StarAnalyzer8\Server\DbSrvr.ini" using Windows Notepad, and change the "Server Address" and the "Administration Address" to the IP Address of your server. Do not change anything else in the file.

4. Clicking the Windows Start button, select Run, then type C:\StarAnalyzer8\Server\DbSrvr.exe /Install and click the OK button. You should see the message "Service installed successfully".

5. If you wish to install the DBISAM Database Server on a Windows server in which the current user will be logged out of the system, then type C:\StarAnalyzer8\Server\DbSrvr.exe /Install /NoInteract and click the OK button. This will install the service as a non-interactive service and the server will not display a user interface when it is started.

6. Start the DBISAM Server by clicking the Windows Start button, then select Settings, Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Services. In the Windows Services screen, right-click the "DBISAM Database Server - DBSRVR" line and Start the server.

7. Locate the DBISAM Server icon in the icon tray on the lower-right of your computer screen. It looks like a computer with a world globe on it. Double-click the icon. Make sure that the Main Address and Admin Address are the ones you edited in the DbSrvr.ini file. If they are wrong, edit the file again.

The DBISAM Database Server is now running as a Windows service. Each time you re-boot the server, the DBISAM service should start up automatically.

If you ever wish to stop the DBISAM service, right-click the DBISAM server line and click Stop.

If you ever wish to uninstall the DBISAM service, type C:\StarAnalyzer8\Server\DbSrvr /Uninstall from the Start, Run menu.

Set up Star Analyzer Networking on the Server
1. Start up Star Analyzer on the Server.
2. From the Star Analyzer main screen, click Database, Network menu.
3. Click "I have the network codes"
4. Type the Network Access code you received with your network upgrade purchase.
5. Fill in "This Computer's Name" with a descriptive name for this server.
6. Click "This computer is a Network Server"
7. Fill in the "Server IP Address" with the IP Address of this server.
8. Click the "Test the Settings" button.
9. The "Valid Settings" message will appear and the program will halt.

Install Star Analyzer on each Client computer in the network
One time only, you must install Star Analyzer on each Client computer on the network. You can execute the program setup.exe file that you downloaded to the Server, or you can download Star Analyzer again from www.StarAnalyzer.com site.

Set up Star Analyzer on each Client computer in the network
1. Start up Star Analyzer on the client computer.
2. Choose "Connect to a database on the network server".
3. On the data entry screen that pops up, fill in the required data.
4. Click the Test the Settings button.
5. You should now see the Star Analyzer data on the network server.
6. Repeat these steps for each Client computer on the network.
7. The Help | About menu in Star Analyzer will indicate each computer's network status.

Using laptop computers on a network
1. Connect your laptop computer to the network and setup Star Analyzer for a Client computer. In the setup screen, tell the program that this is a "Laptop computer sometimes connected to the network".

2. When you wish to remove the laptop from the network, make sure the network is up and running. Then on the laptop, exit Star Analyzer. You will be asked if you wish to copy the Star Analyzer data to the laptop for use away from the network.

3. When you run Star Analyzer with your laptop disconnected from the network, Star Analyzer will use the data copied from the network.

4. The next time you connect the laptop to the network and start up Star Analyzer on the laptop, the program will automatically synchronize the laptop with the network, updating both the program and data files.

If you need to Update the Server Database Engine
From time to time we place a new version of the Database Engine on our web site. To update the database engine on your network server, follow these instructions:

1. Stop the DBISAM Server by clicking the Windows Start button, then select Settings, Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Services. In the Windows Services screen, right-click the "DBISAM Database Server - DBSRVR" line and Stop the server.

2. Download and install the latest Star Analyzer version from www.StarAnalyzer.com web site.

3. Start the DBISAM Server by clicking the Windows Start button, then select Settings, Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Services. In the Windows Services screen, right-click the "DBISAM Database Server - DBSRVR" line and Start the server.

4. Everything should be working properly again.

If your server's IP address changes

1. Stop the DBISAM Server by clicking the Windows Start button, then select Settings, Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Services. In the Windows Services screen, right-click the "DBISAM Database Server - DBSRVR" line and Stop the server.

2. Open C:\StarAnalyzer8\Server and delete all files except for dbsrvr.exe and dbsrvr.hlp.

3. Start the DBISAM Server by clicking the Windows Start button, then select Settings, Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Services. In the Windows Services screen, right-click the "DBISAM Database Server - DBSRVR" line and Start the server.

4. Delete the file C:\StarAnalyzer8\Program.sfg from the server and each of the clients.

5. Follow the instructions below to set up Star Analyzer networking on the Server and each of the Clients.