Network Use

You can place the Photo-Db database file (named Photo-Db_be.mdb) anywhere on your network (although more usually on the Server) where multiple users can access it simultaneously. Obviously, you must run Photo-Db Workstation setup on each machine that you want access from (to place a copy of Photo-Db on it first).

If you do move the database file then Photo-Db will complain the next time you open it, and a series of dialog boxes will appear giving you instructions to re-link to the database.

Photo-Db works at the speed of light (well almost) on a network because it only stores filenames. However, if the images are on a remote machine over a slow connection then transfers will slow to a snails-pace.

One way around this is to keep a copy of the image files (in the same directory structure) locally on each machine. This sounds difficult, but in reality only involves copying a directory or two across whenever images are added. If your library is static then this is viable but if you add images every day then it might prove a nuisance (to your network administrator). Even if you add records but don’t synchronise image files you will still be able to retrieve all the other information – and fast!

It is possible to copy files across network drives by dragging and dropping them but the drives must be mapped prior to opening IMAGExplorer.