Network Installation

Picto-Selector uses Firebird database server as database engine. By default, Picto-Selector uses Firebird embedded which is installed implicitly. Picto-Selector is very much self-contained.

If you prefer using Picto-Selector in office/school environment where people using multiple copies of Picto-Selector will share the same set of pictosheets, a standalone Firebird database server should be installed.

Assuming that you have installed Picto-Selector on computer “MyClient1” and are going to use computer “MyHost” to host the database and linked files, here are the steps:

1. Download and install Firebird database server.

2. Prepare the first client “MyClient1”

3. Prepare database files on the server

Assuming the server machine is “MyHost”.

  1. Create a secured directory (for example “D:\SecuredData\PS”) not accessible across the network but the Firebird database server only.
  2. Move database file “PictoSelectorDatabase.fdb” from MyClient1 to “D:\SecuredData\PS”. Thus, no client computer should be able to access the database file directly through networking file sharing, but through Firebird database server only.
  3. Optionally copy the files installed on the first client to a application folder on the server.
    The INI file created on each client contains pointers to to the picto sheet database, as shown in the example below.

    [primary storage]
    ConnectionType=Network
    HostName=MyHost
    PortNumber=3050
    DatabaseName=D:\SecuredData\PS\PictoSelectorDatabase.fdb
    UserName=SYSDBA
    PassWord=RM5pT6LoQsK
    
    The user name/password pair is used for authentication to the Firebird databases “PictoSelectorDatabase.fdb”. This file is located in " D:\SecuredData\PS" of the host machine “myhost”. Thus, Picto-Selector knows it should connect to server “myhost” and talk to the Firebird database server there. Then the database will process the database file in the host machine’s D drive and authenticate the user name/password pair.
  4. Start the first client. The database has been moved so it will ask to choose the database. Select Network and the options as shown above (change the path to your own configuration)
  5. Test. Picto-Selector should now run with the database on the server.

4. Install Picto-Selector on each of the workstations (client machines)

After positive result of the test, you may start clone the program and shortcut on every workstations.

Notes