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Single Install or Network Configuration

If your institution uses only one installation of a PDS product and your PDS data is stored on that same computer, you do not need to set up a shared network.

If you have one or more computers using data stored on a separate computer, you need to "point" those computers to the shared database using the instructions below.

  1. On the computer (server) that you want to store your database, open Windows Explorer.
  2. Locate the computer in My Network Places, and note how its name displays. You need this when configuring workstations to access the shared data.
  3. Create a folder on the server's hard drive, and give it a name associated with the program. For example, "PDS Data".
  4. Right-click the folder, and select Sharing and Security.
  5. On the Sharing tab, select Share this folder. Note the Share name, as it's needed when configuring workstations to access the shared data.
  6. Click Permissions. In Permissions for Everyone, select all checkboxes in the Allow column.
  7. Click OK in both dialog boxes.

In Windows Explorer, the folder displays with the "shared" attribute.

Your PDS program can now be installed on the server. See the "Installation Instructions" topic. When prompted for the data location, enter the network path to the server data directory. You can use either the server's UNC name (\\server\share\file_path) or a drive letter (if you mapped the data directory to a drive in Windows Explorer).

Note: Once your program is installed, you can find out where it stores and retrieves its data. Right-click the desktop shortcut icon and select Properties. In the Target field, note the string D="<path>.

For more information about Network Support, see the "Get Program Help" topic.