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FormerMember

Timeslips 2017 Network

Posted By FormerMember

I have used Timeslips since DOS, so forever!  I am one user and there are no other users, so I only have 1 license.  From the 90's until a couple of days ago, I have been able to access my primary database on multiple computers.  I have a desktop computer and a laptop computer.  The database is located on my primary desktop computer.  So, for 20+ years, I have been able to access my database from my laptop, over the network, allowing me to work in another area of my home when necessary.  Imagine my surprise when I installed my Timeslips 2017 version on my laptop and tried to access the database, and was promptly informed that I had to purchase another license!  This is incredibly disappointing.  It means that now, if I need to work in another location, on the same database, that only I access, I have to first copy the database to that computer, do my work, and then copy it back to my primary desktop computer.  This just adds unnecessary time to my workload, and it increases the possibilities of corrupted databases with all that copying.  I don't understand the need for this, since more than one user cannot access a database at the same time without a second license anyway, so they aren't adding any protection to anything.  My business is providing a billing service for attorneys and I have performed this service for over 20 years for multiple clients.  I have always used Timeslips, even through their ups and downs (including the debacle of 2009), but I may need to start to rethink this.  Are there any workarounds for this problem?  Any suggestions?

  • 0
    Couple of ideas.

    First, let's review how the licensing works. The program don't care how many users are using the database at one time, known as simultaneous use licensing. That is not how licenses are counted. (This is a common misconception, and why I am taking the time to address it now.)

    Licenses are assigned to a COMPUTER when that computer first accesses the program. This is a semi-permanent assignment in that the license will remain assigned to that computer until it is manually released. Thus, in your instance, two computers are requiring two licenses.

    I suspect what you have done in the past is load/install the entire program on both of your computers, giving you TWO Timeslip.CFG files. In the older Paradox/BDE versions of Timeslips, these Timeslip.CFG files were the "license cops." They manage the licenses purchased/available, and what has been assigned to which computers. Again, if my suspicions are correct in your scenario, each computer then had it's own CFG for a single license, and assigned that license to itself. If you ever tried to use the same database on the two machines simultaneously, you would have gotten an error as those license files conflicted with each other. However, as long as you only tried to use one at a time, the setup allowed you to do so.

    The new 2017 database is a Firebird SQL database which still assigns the licenses to computers (again these are not simultaneous use licenses), but is much more centralized about it. It assumes the database is located on the same machine with the single license. Hence, your needing to copy.

    So, what can you do? 1) you could buy a second license to allow two machines to access the same database, but I wouldn't in this scenario.

    Instead, I would 2) look at setting up a remote desktop connection between the two machines (free if you use the Windows remote desktop tool) and simply "drive" the one computer with the license (the primary) from the other (the laptop). See: support.microsoft.com/.../windows-7-connect-to-another-computer-remote-desktop-connection

    What NOT to try: storing the database on some sort of synchronized database location such as Dropbox, etc. That will eventually lead to corruption, and nobody likes corruption.

    Hope this helps.

*Community Hub is the new name for Sage City