New installation of PGdebt 7 on a Client/Server network for the first time

Note that there are separate bulletins for upgrading peer to peer networks and upgrades from PG5.
Please read the whole leaflet before starting, there are extra paragraphs for special circumstances.

Upgrading an existing PGdebt6 network
This Bulletin deals with new installations. If you have a fully functional PGdebt6 network which is running properly then all you need to do to upgrade it to PGdebt7 is to install the new PG7 CD on every PC which is currently running PGdebt6. That is all there is to it, PG7 should pick up all previous PG6 configuration and data information.

Who is going to do this configuration ?
Please remember that all networks should have a network supervisor, who is responsible for setup, backups and all network troubleshooting and administration. The supervisor sets the 'supervisor password' and no-one else should be allowed to change the configuration, ever ! If you do not have a network supervisor please appoint somebody to be responsible for these matters. Remember that your normal staff may be able to run a network, they not be capable of setting up a network installation of PGdebt 7. To set up PG7 on the network you should have the appropriate network permissions and understand how to share and map directories on the server and all other computers. Please note that PG Computing cannot set up your network for you, or do much troubleshooting on the telephone. You really do have to have someone who can do it !

General principles
PGdebt 7 must be installed and set to run locally on every workstation. Only the client data files and some other important files are shared between the computers. These shared files should be set up in specific folders on the server and all work stations should be configured to look to these folders on the server and use their contents. Full details are in the manual but this note gives a practical example which may be helpful. Your system does not have to use the same folders or names as the example, it is the principle which is illustrated here of having 3 shared folders on the server which all computers on the network use.

Take care
If this set up is not correct, especially the path to the COMMON files, the statistics will not run correctly, but it will NOT be obvious.

What we are about to do now is:
Configure/set up folders on the server
Map the server folders from the first Workstation
Install PG7 on the first workstation
Copy files from the first workstation to the server
Configure the first workstation to point at the server
Install PG7 on the other workstations and configure them, no more file copying is required.

If you already have PG7 running on a single computer, which is now part of the network
Treat this PC as workstation 1 in the instructions below and your existing files will be copied to the network. If you have PG7 on a single PC which is NOT now on the network, set up the network first then follow the instructions given after item 16 below

How to do it ...example installation !
1. Before anything else, at the server set up a folder (C:\PG) and three sub-directories to hold the client data, standard letters and common files. You do not need to install PG7 on the server, just make these folders and ensure that they are shared. C:\PG\DATA (for the client data files) C:\PG\STANLETS (for the standard letters) C:\PG\COMMON (for the creditor database and other vital files)
You may also optionally set up a fourth folder for draft letters if you wish to hold these centrally. C:\PG\DRAFT.

2. Go to workstation computer No.1 and MAP the folder C:\PG on the server so that workstation No.1 can see and recognise it by a logical drive letter (say J for this example). It should be possible for the workstation to see the server's PG folder listed in Windows Explorer as Drive J.

3. Install PGdebt7 on Workstation No.1

4. Copy the contents of C:\PGDEBT7\DATA (locally) to J:\DATA (server)

5. Copy the contents of C:\PGDEBT7\STANLETS (locally) to J:\STANLETS (server) which was empty

6. Copy the contents of C:\PGDEBT7\DRAFT (locally) to J:\DRAFT (server) which was empty

7. Copy the contents of C:\PGDEBT7\COMMON (locally) to J:\COMMON (server) which was empty

8. Start PGdebt7 and go to OPTIONS/SUPERVISOR/FILES-PATHS.

9. Use the top browse button to set the Data folder to J:\DATA (on the server)

10. Use the second browse button to set the Standard letters folder to J:\STANLETS (on the server)

11. Use the third browse button to set the folder for draft files to J:\DRAFT (on the server)

12. Use the fourth browse button to set the folder for common files to J:\COMMON (on the server)

13. Stop users changing the data folder by checking the 'Prevent users changing this folder' box.

14. Stop unauthorised access to the Files-paths screen by setting a 'supervisor' password !

15. No.1 workstation is now set up !

16. Proceed to workstation No. 2 and repeat steps 2-3 and 9-14 on workstation No.2 and so on with all other computers...NB. There is no need to repeat steps 4-8

When finished your system should be set something like this:

If you already have PG7 running on a single computer which is NOT on the network
Completing the procedure above will give you an operational network installation of PG7,but you will need to copy your existing files to the server, so that they can be accessed by all machines.
Work out from Options/supervisor/files-paths on this PC, which is the data folder, standard letters folder and folder for shared files. Then copy the contents of these folders to the equivalent folders on the server using floppy discs. Shut down PGdebt on the network on all PCs when you do this.

Synchronising
Synchronising computers on the network is not required, as they all use the same COMMON folder, but you still need to synchronise any laptops or separate machines which are NOT CONNECTED to the network. You can make the synch disc in any network computer to take to the separate PC. Do not attempt to re-synch the network This is not possible. Make the synch disc on the network and then use it to synch the separate PC and stop at that. Note that the warning that a vital file has changed is not required on networks and has been removed. This warning is therefore not available to prompt you to backup or synchronise. This means that synchronising must be done to a regular (frequent) routine !
Changes to the OPTIONS\SUPERVISOR\STATISTICS screen should ONLY be made on the network, then synchronise any non-network machines.

Statistics
These can be run from any workstation on the network, but are likely to be much slower across the network. Choose your best machine. Once compiled, the stats are held locally on the workstation.

Backups
Backing up everything necessary in PG7 is very easy on a network. Just back up the three/four shared folders on the server, and you will have backed up all client data, standard letters, creditor database and the VITAL statistics file PGCOMMON.INI     
Your network supervisor will have a proper backup routine set up and all you need to do is add the C:\PG sub-folders to that.
In cases where a proper network backup is not available, one should be established without delay.

However if this is not possible, you can use the PG7 internal backup system (from the server only) to make backups. To do this you must install PG7 on the server and configure it to look at the same folders as the rest of the network (C:\PG\etc.) in the example above. The default configuration after installing PG7 on the server will not be correct, you must make it point to the same folders as the workstations. This is the only occasion that PG7 need to be installed on the server.