data import
Doug
Thanks for the questions. I am pleased to answer as best I can.
LabNet uses its own type of database, which can be great, but in a couple of areas is getting kind of dated.
LabNet can share data externally through an ODBC connection, but that kind of connection is less than ideal for anything mission critical.
It is much safer for LabNet to dump the data and have you import it.
All systems shutting down before a backup can be performed.
Now, that is a tough one! This is a basic structure thing...
There are auto-backup programs and software services you can subscribe to but all of them will still require ALL copies of LabNet be shut down. Some of those services will tell you they are backing up successfully even when they are not! Faithfully backing up nothing can be an awkward discovery...
LabNet's datafile is not SQL, and it is not server based. LabNet uses peer to peer sharing. It is simple to set up, and as long as it is used under correct conditions will simply work, and work. Where it is less than ideal is when hardware anywhere on the network starts to fail, or when wireless networks are required.
You could set up Terminal Server; it will turn computers into dumb terminals and require serious server hardware to run effectively but it will 'somewhat' remove the danger of not backing up.
I wish I had a better answer for you.
I think cloud computing is the future. No backups, no installs, no updates, access anywhere, from anything.