In systems where more than one user will be concurrently accessing a database, a lock manager is required. This is necessary to prevent more than one user from updating the same record at the same time. The lock manager must be run on one and only one computer on the network, either as a system service or as normal program.
The lock manager must be loaded before the QuickFill program is run on any of the workstations. If you are using a Windows server then we recommend running the lock manager service on the server. If you have a small peer-to-peer Windows network then you should run the lock manager program on the workstation that is normally the first one started at the beginning of the work day.
The lock manager coordinates access to the database by the workstations. The lock manager does not access the database itself—it simply communicates with QuickFill on the workstations and acts as a "traffic cop" granting permission for each workstation to access the database in turn.
The lock manager uses the NetBIOS protocol. This is normally not an issue since NetBIOS support is automatically included for the TCP/IP protocol (unless it has been deliberately disabled).
First decide which computer the lock manager will run on. Ideally this should be the computer where the QuickFill database files reside. If your server is "locked down" and you don't have access to it, then you can install the lock manager on any workstation. Just be sure that workstation is the first one started in the morning.
To install the lock manager, select 'Run' and browse to the "LockManager" folder of the QuickFill program folder on the server. Locate the "LockManagerInstall.msi" file in that folder and run it. The installer program will appear and you will be given a choice of installing the lock manager either as a service or as a startup program. We recommend choosing the "as a service" option, but be aware that Windows 98 systems do not support system services. Click 'Next' and then 'Install'. The lock manager service will be installed and automatically started.
If you choose to install the lock manager as one your startup programs then the shortcut for the lock manager will be placed in your "Startup" menu. The lock manager will be loaded automatically, but only when someone logs on to the computer. If the computer is booted but nobody has logged on, then the lock manager will not run.
Warning: Do not install the lock manager on more than one workstation. Normally the lock manager allows only one instance to run at a time, but if network problems somehow allow more than one instance to be run then database corruption will be the result.
Windows XP Service Pack 2 and later (this includes Windows Vista) include a firewall. The firewall blocks incoming Netbios traffic unless you have enabled file sharing on your computer. To correct this problem, open the Windows Firewall control panel and make sure that the "File and Printer Sharing" box is checked on the "Exceptions" tab. If you do not do this, other workstations will not be able to communicate with the lock manager and you will get "lock manager has not been loaded" error messages.
Running the lock manager program
The lock manager program, LMW32.EXE, needs to be called from the network drive where QuickFill is loaded. You can run it on any computer on the network. If you want to run it on the workstation or server that holds the QuickFill programs everything you need is ready to go. To run the lock manager simply click on the 'Start' button, select 'Programs', 'QuickFill' and then 'Lock Manager'.
To install the lock manager on another computer go to that computer, click on the 'Start' button, select 'Run' and browse to the "LockManager" subdirectory of the QuickFill program directory on your server. Now run SETUP.EXE. We also recommend that you place a copy of the lock manager icon in the startup folder of the computer that you have selected as your "lock manager machine."
Default number of users for the lock manager
The default maximum number of users in the lock manager is 200. If you are running the non-service lock manager program, LMW32.EXE, you can increase this number by adding -u nnn (where nnn represents the number of users you want to increase the limit to) to the command line in the shortcut for the lock manager. Each tab open plus each background report/update (when using "Run it now shared… " mode) counts as a "user."
Running the remote console for the lock manager
If you would like to view the lock manager screen from a workstation other than the one it is running on, you can run the remote console for the lock manager. The 'Lock manager console' program can be found by clicking the 'Start' button, then 'All programs', then 'QuickFill'.