Setting up and configuring the operating system (Windows)

Make sure the BIOS, firmware, and drivers are updated, including:

• machine BIOS/firmware

• disk controllers, including RAID controllers

• disk drives

• Network Interface Cards (NICs)

• display adapters

Check for the latest service patches and updates and install them. See the FileMaker Server system requirements for supported Windows versions and service packs.

Configure the disk array into three logical partitions.

• On the first partition, install the operating system and FileMaker Server.

• On the second partition, store the databases that FileMaker Server will host.

• On the last partition, store local backup files and performance logs.

Disable services that Windows enables by default that FileMaker Server doesn't need in order to function properly. The FileMaker Server service only needs to access the hard drives and network.

Consider changing these settings when optimizing the system on which FileMaker Server is run:

• Disable indexing for the hosted database volume and the backup volume.

• Disable Shadow Copy (sometimes referred to as Volume Snapshot Service or VSS) on the hosted database volume.

• Make the virtual memory swap file a static size so Windows doesn't attempt to adjust it. Use the recommended file size amount.

Find out which ports need to be open, and configure the firewall on the primary and secondary machines. See Ports used by FileMaker Server.

Do not allow antivirus software to scan the folders that contain hosted databases or the folders that contain files for container fields that store data externally. Antivirus software may cause file corruption if you allow real-time or on-access virus scanning while files are being hosted to users. With real-time scanning, the virus scanner may take a long time to scan the databases, which places a heavy load on the server's disk, memory, and processor.