Automatic startup of FileMaker Pro Server

Nov 06, '01 04:41:27PM

Contributed by: jgardner

FileMaker Pro Server 5.5 on Mac OS X won't startup automatically when the machine boots. According to the documentation and FileMaker technical support, the only way to start the so-called "server" is to run the FileMaker Server Config app and click the "Start" button. Since this is totally lame and unacceptable, I devised a workaround.

Read the rest of this article for the how-to...

STEP BY STEP DIRECTIONS

  1. Logon as root.

  2. Edit /etc/hostconfig and add the following line somewhere in the file:
    FMPSERVER=-YES-
  3. In /Library/StartupItems, create a new directory named "FMPServer".

  4. In the new FMPServer directory create two files, one named "StartupParameters.plist" and the other named "FMPServer".

    Contents of StartupParameters.plist:
    {
    Description = "FileMaker Pro Server";
    Provides = ("FMPServer");
    Requires = ("Resolver");
    OrderPreference = "None";
    Messages =
    {
    start = "Starting FileMaker Pro Server";
    stop = "Stopping FileMaker Pro Server";
    };
    }
    Contents of FMPServer:
    #!/bin/sh

    . /etc/rc.common

    ##
    # Start up FileMaker Pro Server
    ##

    if [ "${FMPSERVER:=-NO-}" = "-YES-" ]; then

    ConsoleMessage "Starting FileMaker Pro Server"

    # If the FileMaker Server 5.5 folder is in a different location
    # from the one shown below, modify the path appropriately!

    cd "/Applications/FileMaker Server 5.5/FileMaker Server Config.app/Contents/Resources/"
    ./fmserverd start -c fmserver.conf

    fi
  5. Restart the server. FileMaker Pro Server should start automatically.
If you ever want to disable automatic startup, simply edit /etc/hostconfig and change "FMPSERVER=-YES-" to "FMPSERVER=-NO-".

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