Can an Access app run on a web server?

[bcanavan]

Given a small number(maybe 4-5) of simulataneous remote users, can an
app be run to provide "live" snapshot reports to snapviewer?

If so,

1. Does the app have to run continuously? (I would think not. I
would assume that the application object for access would open and
close the app on demand.)

2. Is it hazardous to run an Access app on the web server? Risk of
crashing web server?

3. I have load-balancing across two non-mirrored servers. Would this
present any problems?

Thanks,

Bob

[bcanavan]

Additional information:

I would be calling the app from code in an asp.net page, or an .ascx or
a .dll.

Bob

[MacDermott]

How about just using the mdb to store data, and retrieving and formatting it
using ADO.NET and your ASP.NET page?

<bc******@bmghomes.com> wrote in message
news:11**********************@z14g2000cwz.googlegr oups.com...

Additional information:

I would be calling the app from code in an asp.net page, or an .ascx or
a .dll.

Bob

[bcanavan]

Data storage is not an issue.

Reporting is the issue. The report defs are in mdb's. In fact, Access
is only needed on the client for its reporting capability. I'd like to
lose Access from the clients altogether, but I'm trying to avoid
rebuilding a ton of reports, either manually or with a report writer.
I would settle for life with Access if I could make it see the report
data (which may be possible with xml and the ImportXML method.)

Meanwhile, I was just wondering what the pros and cons may be to making
the MSAccess application available on the server to kick out snapshot
reports readable by the viewer.

Thanks,

Bob

[Ananda Sim]

I think you can already guess at the answers to this one - you're
already asking the right questions.

Running a desktop app (whether Access, Excel etc...) on the webserver
worries web server admins -

Off the cuff:

1. There is the internal account issue - the webserver isn't a person -
it runs in a certain web account and uses this account profile to
launch Access - that account needs to have priviledges to run an app,
access data and folders etc... Thinks: Do you do anonymous
authentication or do you do NTLM authentication so that you can run the
app as the person account? Thinks: Have you thought of Remote Terminal
Services or Citrix which are process managed environments?

2. There is the process forking - running an app isn't a "properly
threaded" animal and isn't shared (AFAIK). Meaning every user will fork
off an Access process and so on - this could quite quickly bring down
the server.

3. There is the overhead of interop - .net forking off an unmanaged
desktop app - via automation.

If you have a play web server, you can try what you like but a
production server usually has several "mission critical" production
websites and few server managers would be happy with running desktop
apps as server processes. It's worse than CGI.

bc******@bmghomes.com wrote:

Additional information:

I would be calling the app from code in an asp.net page, or an .ascx or
a .dll.

Bob

[Saintor]

There are many ways to do this.

Terminal Services is your friend. ASP with Frontpage or something else is
another.

Another unusual way that might do well for you is to send a command line to
your app on your server, which will react by saving a report in snapshot /
pdf. Then it can be downloaded.

<bc******@bmghomes.com> wrote in message
news:11**********************@z14g2000cwz.googlegr oups.com...

Given a small number(maybe 4-5) of simulataneous remote users, can an
app be run to provide "live" snapshot reports to snapviewer?

If so,

1. Does the app have to run continuously? (I would think not. I
would assume that the application object for access would open and
close the app on demand.)

2. Is it hazardous to run an Access app on the web server? Risk of
crashing web server?

3. I have load-balancing across two non-mirrored servers. Would this
present any problems?

Thanks,

Bob

[bcanavan]

Good information, all. Thanks.