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How do we install the BaseElements plugin in FMS Windows Server 2008 R2?

Question asked by douglerner on Feb 25, 2018
Latest reply on Jun 4, 2018 by user19752

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A newbie question. I need to install BaseElements on my FMS 15 running under Windows Server 2008 R2.

Following the instructions on this page: https://www.filemaker.com/help/15/fms/en/index.html#page/fms/fmsh_plugins.14.3.html

I installed two copies of the 64-bit Windows plugin:

(1) In [drive]:\Program Files\FileMaker\FileMaker Server\Database Server\Extensions\

(2) In [drive]:\Program Files\FileMaker\FileMaker Server\Web Publishing\publishing-engine\cwpc\Plugins\

But no plugins show up at all in the Admin Console > Database Server > Server Plugins, even after I check the Enable FileMaker Script Engine (FMSE) to use plug-ins box.

What am I doing wrong?

Thanks,

doug

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user19752 Feb 25, 2018 10:31 PM
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You'd need restarting FMS. (I tested with FMS16)
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douglerner @ user19752 on Feb 25, 2018 11:27 PM
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user19752 wrote:

You'd need restarting FMS. (I tested with FMS16)
Are you sure? That seems a bit extreme.

On this page:
https://www.filemaker.com/help/15/fms/en/index.html#page/fms/config_dbserver_plugins.html
It says to Select Allow Install Plug-In File script step to install, update, and load Server plug-ins, but it doesn't mention restarting FMS.

But I just tried that and it didn't work either.

Also, after changing any settings in that tab I get locked out of the admin console > database server settings for several minutes.

Weird.
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monkeybreadsoftware @ douglerner on Feb 25, 2018 11:48 PM
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Sometimes plugins show up alone, but sometimes we need to restart.
We usually start complaining if it does not show up after restarting!
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douglerner @ monkeybreadsoftware on Feb 26, 2018 12:17 AM
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Christian Schmitz wrote:

Sometimes plugins show up alone, but sometimes we need to restart.
We usually start complaining if it does not show up after restarting!
I just hate to attempt a restart because last time I did the database had to go through a long consistency check (like a half hour) before it came up.

I guess I could:

(1) close each database.
(2) do a restart in system services?
(3) then open up the databases

Maybe that will avoid the long consistency check because I will have closed down the databases first.

I wish there was a safe and simple FMS restart.

I wonder why the instructions don't say an FMS restart is needed while some other settings explicitly say it is.
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douglerner Feb 26, 2018 1:36 AM
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Well, I went ahead and restarted the server (safely, after closing the databases). I had to restart it twice, because the first time the fmserver.exe process did not start. But the second time it did and everything opened ok. By closing the databases first I was able to avoid the long "database verification" step I sent through last time.

I don't know why I needed to restart it twice though.

Anyway, the BaseElements plugin is now showing as enabled.

Question - do I need to have both of those first two checkbox in the screenshot checked? The instructions were unclear. The first one seems obvious. The second one less so.

Thanks,

doug
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wimdecorte @ douglerner on Feb 26, 2018 4:19 AM
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douglerner wrote:

I had to restart it twice, because the first time the fmserver.exe process did not start. But the second time it did and everything opened ok. By closing the databases first I was able to avoid the long "database verification" step I sent through last time.

I didn't see it mentioned before but when you use the FM script step "Install Plugin File" and you call it through PSoS you can avoid the manual manipulation and most of the time (depends on the plugin) you can avoid any restart. At least for the script engine plugin. Works like a charm with the BE plugin every time for me.

As to the quoted text: that would give me serious pause.
- it is not normal for fmsever.exe to fail to start
- you mention that closed the files first and that you in so doing avoided the long consistency check. Does that mean that the last time you restarted the machine without closing the files? And that the file ended up not closing in time before Windows rebooted the machine?

It is a long-standing best practice to always disconnect users and close the files before attempting to restart the FMS service or reboot the machine. Precisely for this reason. No point in taking chances.
But the fact that it didn't work on the restart combined with the fact that fmserver.exe fails to launch: that's pretty scary and I've only seen it happen on marginal machines or machines that otherwise have other things going on (running other tasks, failing hardware,...)
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jfletch @ wimdecorte on Jun 3, 2018 12:01 AM
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wimdecorte wrote:
I didn't see it mentioned before but when you use the FM script step "Install Plugin File" and you call it through PSoS you can avoid the manual manipulation and most of the time (depends on the plugin) you can avoid any restart. At least for the script engine plugin. Works like a charm with the BE plugin every time for me.
Well, it doesn't work for me either. The script step fails. Putting it into the folder manually does not get it to show up. Until I restarted the service in the Windows control panel. Then it works. So there is some other element to the install that some of us are not privy to. FMS 16.0.4 and WinServer 2016.
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wimdecorte @ jfletch on Jun 3, 2018 5:12 AM
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Usually there would be one of two reasons:
- wrong version of the plugin (32-bit or mac/windows confusion)
- permissions on the FMS folders. That's normally not a problem on Windows, unless you condigured FMS to run as something different than "local system"?

Is FMS installed in the default "c:\program files"?
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user19752 @ jfletch on Jun 4, 2018 7:33 PM
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I don't need restart on FMS17 WinServer2016.
And it can be done with PSOS.
The help is confusing that saying "to update", looks like "can't install new plug-in". If it is installed by copying file, should be enabled in admin console to work, but by the script it is enabled by default.
After
1.disable BE plugin on admin consle
2.fmsadmin stop fmse
3.delete plugin file from server folder
4.fmsadmin start fmse
5.use PSOS to install BE
then it worked again. BE is now enabled on admin console.

And the step use users' folder when run on client, but use server folder on PSOS. This mean the step manages server, not for the script session.
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How do we install the BaseElements plugin in FMS Windows Server 2008 R2?

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