How to share a database between laptop and desktop

[richard1458]

I have connected my laptop to my desktop using a simple network card and an RJ45 crossover cable (and a couple of hours tinkering with the configuration in Network Neighbourhood).
I can now open, from my desktop, my database 'front-end' which resides on the laptop, but the database with tables this is linked to refer to "C:\my documents\data" etc. This of course opened an old copy of the data residing on the hard drive of my desktop from before I was able to network the two. (Yes I had entered quite a bit of data before I realised!)
Is there any way I can redefine the links between the front-end and the tables database so that both laptop and desktop can access them.
I would never want to open the database from both laptop and desktop at the same time.
I have Access 97 (and Windows 98) on both machines.
- Richard

 

[link9]

Well, if the two computers are talking to each other, then each computer must have a name, yes??

if so, then you need to map a network drive

First, you need to share your resources as some alias on the laptop. You might want to right click on the c:\ drive and go to the sharing tab. Share it as Z or some other alias.

On your desktop, right click on 'My Computer', and select 'Map Network Drive' -- from there, you need to enter something following this:

\\computerName\sharedFolderName

and select a drive letter for it. From then on, you will refer to your laptop's hard drive by that drive letter on your desktop, and that's how it will know you are talking about your laptop.

hope it helps!
Paul Prewett

 

[ghubbell]

Hi Richard,
I might suggest looking into "Replication" and it's advantages for situations as this. Could save you tons of effort.. Gord
ghubbell@total.net

 

[richard1458]

Many thanks for these suggestions. I will check out 'Replication' - can you point me towards a good introduction?
In the meantime, going back to the previous suggestion, after mapping the network, how do I link the tables using the assigned letter - previously I simply used the File/Get external data/Link tables option on the menu. Will this method still work?
- Richard

 

[ghubbell]

Sure Richard, Access database window "F1" type in Replication, Search. Pick "Choose a tool for replication" as a topic. A fair start and there's lots to choose from! Gord
ghubbell@total.net

 

[link9]

Any method you previously used will work just fine --

A network drive will act exactly as any other drive would that might be inside your desktop (or laptop)

Where you might have found the file before in:
c:\mydocuments\data\db.mdb

it's now in:
z:\mydocuments\data\db.mdb

or whatever letter you decided to assign to the remote hard drive (the network drive). The only difference is that you have security settings and such on the network drives, but as long as you give yourself full permissions (Read,Write,Delete) -- then you will be just fine. It's all in the options where you share. You'll see what I'm talking about. very simple.

 

[link9]

it's now in:
z:\mydocuments\data\db.mdb

should be qualified by saying that that is the path when you are on the other machine. it's still in c:\ on the machine that it's physically stored on--

 

[richard1458]

I tried the 'mapping network drive' suggestion on the desktop. It worked a treat. The desktop copy of the 'front-end now accesses the data on the laptop. So far so good.
I then went to modify the laptop copy of the front-end, with the ultimate aim of only having one copy of this, residing on the laptop, which I will run from the desktop through a shortcut. I think I need to do this so that the one copy will always refer to linked tables by the mapped drive letter.
However, I cannot seem to map anything on my laptop's hard drive using the 'map network drive' option. I've tried using the sharename, the actual path C:\, the name that the desktop knows the laptop by, with and without assorted backslashes and colons. I always get the same message - cannot access the drive.
Am I missing something obvious here?
- Richard

 

[richard1458]

Here I am answering my own question, as I managed to find the answer on the Microsoft Knowledge Base. It turns out that you can only map a network drive on the computer you are actually using if you connect to it by its IP address, NOT its \\computername\sharename. (I first went to Network Neighbourhood/Find Computer, then typed in the IP address of my laptop, and when it was found, clicked on it and then right-clicked to map the network drive.)
More details about this can be found on the Microsoft Knowledge Base, article Q238021.
- Richard