Every computer problem breaks down into two basic parts: hardware and software. For Polytrope's database work, the software part is pretty easy. You need our database. Our databases run "inside" FileMaker Pro, so you need a copy of FileMaker Pro. And FileMaker Pro itself only runs on certain operating systems (Windows and Mac OS X) so you need a compatible operating system.
As I said, the software part is easy. This article is about the hardware you will need to run all this software.
Note: Info in this article is somewhat time sensitive and details may change in the future. Take this article as a guideline and be sure to confirm the info here independent. Latest info can always be found at FileMaker Inc's web site. As of October 2009, the latest version of FileMaker Pro is 10 and the latest version of FileMaker Server is 10. Based on FileMaker's release history, it seems likely that a new version of FileMaker Pro will be released some time in 2010.
What hardware you can or should use depends on what you're trying to run. If your database needs to be accessed by only one user from a single computer, things are easy. It is good for user workstations to have plenty of free space on their hard disks (several GB at least) and a reasonable amount of memory (RAM, say 1 GB as a minimum).
If the database needs to be shared among two or more users, things are a tad more complicated, as you may now need to distinguish between the user's workstations (a.k.a. client computers) and a separate machine designated and used as the server or host. The guest or client workstations should satisfy the criteria described in the previous paragraph. As for the machine you use to host or serve database files to multiple users, it does not need to be a true "server class" machine, which can be very expensive. FileMaker Server works quite well on an ordinary computer, even an inexpensive one, provided that the computer has plenty of hard disk space and plenty of memory (RAM). If there are many users accessing the shared database, a fast processor and a fast hard disk will also be beneficial. The host or server machine should be dedicated, that is, you should use this machine to host/serve the databases and nothing else.
As of late 2009, the latest versions of FileMaker Pro and FileMaker Server (both version 10) require Windows XP SP3 or Windows Vista or Mac OS X v4 or later. These operating systems will run on most PCs or Macs produced in the last couple of years. In other words, just about any computer made in the last couple of years should be able to run the operating system, FileMaker and database software. Keep in mind that newer operating systems may have greater hard disk and/or memory requirements, so if you are upgrading a two-year old computer to run, say, Windows Vista or looking forward to running Windows 7, you should make sure that your machine will have enough disk space for an installation and enough memory to run satisfactorily.
So much for the "executive summary". The following paragraphs elaborate on the details.
To open a FileMaker Pro database, you need a computer with a properly licensed copy of FileMaker Pro installed on it. To decide which computer to install FileMaker Pro on, you should consider four factors: hard disk, memory (RAM), processor, and display.
If your database is shared among several users, the database files will be stored somewhere else, on a host or server machine. If your database has only one user, the database file should probably be installed on that user's computer's internal hard disk. Regardless of whether the database is shared or single-user, every user's computer should have a hard disk with a good deal of free space available because FileMaker creates invisible cache files while you use the database. It's a good idea to have several GB empty on the hard disk. If the hard disk of the user's computer has too little free space, the database may work very slowly.
If the database is being accessed by a single user, it is probably best to store the database files on the internal hard disk of the user's computer - the same hard disk on which FileMaker Pro is installed. The hard disk will obviously need to be capacious enough to hold the operating system, all the user's programs (including FileMaker Pro), and all the user's documents (including the FileMaker database files).
If you're installing the database files on this computer's hard disk, it's a good idea to have a reasonably fast hard disk, at least in theory, because FileMaker Pro will be reading data from and writing data back to the disk very frequently. However, as a practical matter, most single-user installations do NOT require a very fast hard disk. It's more important to have lots of room than to have a big hard disk.
It's a good idea to have plenty of memory, and memory is more important if your database is more complicated. A relatively simple one-table database (for example, a simple address database) can probably run on any computer with enough memory to run the operating system and launch FileMaker Pro. But a complicated database with many tables and layouts, one that does lots of calculations, will run better if your computer has additonal RAM. In 2009, we recommend that all of our users have 1 GB of RAM or more to run our databases.
The computer needs to have a processor capable of running FileMaker Pro. See FileMaker Inc's specs page for details.
Keep in mind that you will need to see the database on a display screen - a monitor. A display capable of a screen resolution of at least 1024 x 768 pixels is necessary for all Polytrope's databases. Some databases may benefit from higher resolution displays. Most displays are capable of being viewed at more than one resolution; you set the resolution from a control panel (in Windows XP, it's the Display control panel). You should know how to set your display to its optimum (usually its highest) resolution. A display set to a resolution that is not optimum may look fuzzy.
As we said in the executive summary, the machine you use as your server or host does not normally need to be a true server-class, super-duper powerful computer - at least not to run Polytrope's databases, which tend to be designed for access by fewer than 20 users. The server/host machine should be spec'd much like the workstations: recent processor, plenty of hard disk space and plenty of hard disk free, and a good amount of memory (RAM). A faster hard disk and a faster processor become more important as more users are given access to the database.
The most important thing you can do for the server (besides meeting the specs just described) is make it a dedicated machine. In other words, the machine running FileMaker Server (or being used as a host in a peer-to-peer sharing environment) should be used for nothing else. Turn operating-system file sharing off on that machine to relieve the machine of the need to check constantly for access through those ports. Put few or no other applications on this machine. It may be advantageous for the server or host machine to have access to the Internet, to check for updates, and to allow remote access to the database (if you wish to). But you should be sure to have a solid firewall protecting the machine.
The info above provides an admittedly vague description of the ideal: recent hardware with lots of RAM and big, fairly empty hard disks, running recent operating systems and the latest version of FileMaker Pro.
But all of our clients have to deal with tight budgets. We always recommend the ideal, but you may be able to get by with a little less. You can figure out for yourself what you need by trial and error. Don't cut corners on the server, but it's possible that your workstations might work just fine with 512 MB of RAM rather than 1 GB or more. If things are working great, well, you may leave them alone. But if your databases are running slowly, or printing slowly, or crashing frequently, then it's possible that you should consider upgrading your hardware.
A final note about software. The FileMaker line of products are released in what we like to call "generations," based on the basic file format of the databases. The current generation as of late 2009 is represented by the database file extension .fp7, which is recognized by FileMaker Pro and FileMaker Server versions 7 through 10. It is possible to run a network in which some users are using FileMaker Pro 7, some FileMaker Pro 8 or 8.5, others 9, and others FileMaker Pro 10, all accessing the same database. If you are running a database that was built, say, in FileMaker Pro 8 (now several years old) and you need to add a new user or two, you'll probably have to buy them copies of FileMaker Pro 10, because 8 isn't sold any more. That's okay. However, every user workstation must be running a version of FileMaker Pro that is recent enough to support the features used in the database. So if the developer built the database in FileMaker Pro 9 or 10 and used features unique to 9 or 10, all of your users must be using FileMaker Pro 9 or 10 to access the database. A user with FileMaker Pro 7 might be able to open the database - but after that, the database might not work properly.