Microsoft Dynamics NAV can be installed in several different configurations. The various program properties can then be used to determine the way the different types of installations perform. However, the program properties do not all apply to the different configurations and their effect can vary.
Dynamics NAV can be configured to run as multiuser installations or as single-user installations.
Multiuser In a multiuser installation, many users use common information that is stored in one or more databases on a server. The computers that work with the data are called clients, and the way the server and the computers work together is called client/server.
There are, however, two different types of multiuser installation:
• A classic client/server installation, where the server is installed on one computer and the clients are installed on other computers in the network.
• A multiuser installation, where both the server and the client programs are installed on a file server and the clients are run remotely from other computers in the network.
Single-User In single-user installations, all the work is done on one computer and all the information (the database) is stored on this computer. Even if you purchase several single-user installations and run each on its own computer, the entire installation is still called single-user because the information is stored on each individual computer and not in one centrally located database.
Single-user installations are the easiest to set up and maintain.
The Setup File
Dynamics NAV is able to remember the various settings that are used by different clients and single-users. This includes the server the client was connected to and the database and company the client was working with. It does this by saving these settings in a setup file. This setup file is called a zup file in Dynamics NAV. The different clients can all share the same zup file and thereby use the same settings, or they can all have individual zup files and thereby use their own customized settings.
If the network administrator has decided to implement roaming users, you will not have to utilize setup IDs. With roaming users, Windows will save the personal settings of each individual user on the server, including their zup file. This file will be called fin.zup and will contain Dynamics NAV information that is specific to that user.
If the network administrator has decided to implement local users, the zup file of each user will be saved on their local hard disk. Several users can also use the same
computer and have their own zup files stored on the hard disk as long as they have individual Windows accounts. The zup file of each individual user is stored in
C:\Documents and Settings\User Name\Application Data. All of these zup files will be called fin.zup unless you create individual setup IDs.
You only have to implement setup IDs if the users are using the same Windows account.
If you do not enter a setup ID, the program will use the setup file called fin.zup when you start the program. You will be prompted to save any modifications that you have made during the session when you close the program. These changes will be saved as fin.zup and will be recreated the next time the program is started.
When several users are using the same zup file they will each be prompted to save the changes they have made in the fin.zup file when they close the program. The fin.zup file that was saved by the previous user who quit the program will be replaced.
If you delete the zup file on a client or single-user installation Dynamics NAV will recreate the default zup file the next time the program is started.
You can also make a standard setup created for a particular type of user available to other users with similar needs. To do this, copy the appropriate setup file to the folder from which the user starts the program, and enter the setup ID (file name) in the Target field (see page 54).
Alternatively, you can store the setup file on a common drive in the network (but here it can be overwritten by other users). If you choose to place the setup file in a folder other than the one containing the program files, you must remember to specify the entire path name after id=.
The setup ID is not the same as the user IDs in Dynamics NAV, but you can use the same names. In fact, it can be an advantage to do so because although you cannot see the name of the setup file in the program, you can always see the user ID on the status bar at the bottom of the program window.
The following table lists the different program properties and the type of installation to which they apply:
DB Read-Only X page 44
DBMS Cache X X page 45
Stoptime X page 46
Sessions X page 47
Install As Service X page 48
Uninstall As Service X page 49
Property Client Server Described on