Stopping and Uninstalling the Server

The NewViews Window service installer can also be used the uninstall the NewViews server. Just click the <Uninstall> button. You can just as easily re-install and restart the server by again clicking the <Install> button.

Note that if you do uninstall the server, workstations connected to any database through the server will report a lost connection.

But why stop the server? There is no reason that we can think of right now other than to perform various tests or the satisfy your curiosity.

Description of the NewViews Windows Service Installer fields.

The NewViews Windows Service Installer dialog window is shown above and the fields are described below.

• Service name:

  This is the internal service name. The windows service manager shows this field as Service name: in the properties.

• Service display name:

  The service is generally displayed using this name. It is required. The windows service manager shows this field as Name in the table and as Display name: in the properties.

• Service Description:

  This field describes the service. It is optional. The windows service manager shows this field as Description in the table and as Description: in the properties.

• Server database path:

  This is the path to the NewViews server database that will be used by the NewViews service. This field is optional. If empty, then c:/nv/server.nv2 will be used where c:/nv is the NewViews installation folder. The windows service manager has no field corresponding to the server database path.

• Server executable:

  This is the executable file that Windows uses to launch the service. It is optional. If empty, the default is nv2.exe in the NewViews installation folder. You do not need to add any options to this field. The windows service manager shows this field as Path to executable: in the properties.

Accessing the Server.

Because the server is running as a Windows service it doesn't have a direct user interface. Instead, open the server using a workstation:

1. Open a NewViews workstation.

   The workstation could be on the same computer as the server but normally it will be on a different computer.

2. Add a row to the workstation login table and fill it in.

   In the Server field enter the server computer URL or IP. In the File field enter the keyword "server". Instead of a path identifying an accounting database, the special keyword "server" results in opening a window interface on the server itself.

3. Double-click on the new workstation login row to open the server.

   A screen displaying server information should appear. It is actually a window interface on the server database and it is used to manage and monitor the server.

   Note that NewViews is inherently multi-user and you can open the server any number of times from different workstations.

Offering Databases

Now that the server is open the next step is to provide a list of databases that the server will offer to users. Add a row for each database you want to offer, and type in a full path to the database. The database should be on the server computer so the path you enter is the path to the database on the server, not the workstation. Currently <F3> cannot be used to select a database, so you have to type in the path to the database manually.

Note that among the accounting databases there is a row with the special value "server", indicating that users have access to the server database. This "server" row was added automatically when the server database was created. Note that you should set a password to restrict access to the server.

Opening a remote accounting database.

1. Open a NewViews workstation.

   You may already have a workstation open so just go back to its table of logins.

2. Add a row to workstation login table.

3. In the Server field enter the URL or IP of the server.

4. In the File field press <F3>.

   The list of databases offered by the server will pop up.

5. Select a database from the list.

6. Double-click on the new login row to open the application database.

   You may need to enter a password to open the database.

Using a workstation to open an application database through a remote server is very similar to opening a local database. Each uses a login table row to specify the database. The main differences are that for a remote database you have to specify the Server field and instead of picking a file from a file explorer, you can only pick from the databases offered by the server.

As you can see from the list at the top of this page, there are many more topics related to multi-user NewViews and remote server access. Most can be skipped unless you need them. For example, you don't need to know how to set server port numbers or specify other field values in the server installer unless you want to run multiple servers on the same computer.

Using the commandline

The Windows Service Installer dialog is used above to configure, install, and uninstall the NewViews Windows Service. That dialog is always used to configure the service by specifying the executable, server database, and so on. In addition, the service can be installed and uninstalled using a command line window (sometimes known as a terminal). You can install the NewViews Server from the command line as shown below:

c:\nv>nv2.exe -script system/service/windows_service_installer -command install >wsi.lst
            

And unstall it from the command line as shown below:

c:\nv>nv2.exe -script system/service/windows_service_installer -command uninstall >wsi.lst
            

Short forms are also available for convenience:

c:\nv>nv2.exe -script wsi -command install >wsi.lst
c:\nv>nv2.exe -script wsi -command uninstall >wsi.lst
            

When using the command line, the server executable and server database and other values are taken from the values last set in the installer dialog.