Installing on a Network
Contents
Overview
We don't officially support Morning Flight for use on a network but find that most installations are run that way. The program has proven very robust in a networking environment. We've had no reports of broken files or problems with data integrity.
There are some caveats: No record locking. As the number of users grows, the lack of record locking may become an issue. Without record locking, two users could have the same customer record open at the same time, and both could make changes. Whoever updates the customer last gets the final change, overwriting any changes made by the other.
Another factor will be speed. Performance is likely to deteriorate as more and more users share the program on a wireless network. Before you buy, please download a free demo. If the speed of the demo works for you, that of any paid version will too. There's little chance the end product will ever feel like an industrial strength network, but it's bound to enhance productivity in a small shop.
The Case for using an external drive
If you're going to use Morning Flight on a network, we recommend installing it in a folder on a dedicated external drive, not in the Program Files folder on your C:\ drive. The benefits of that are twofold:
First, it shields Morning Flight from UAC virtualization. UAC (short for User Account Control) is a Windows security feature that helps prevent unauthorized changes to the operating system. It does that by making sure certain changes are made only with with the approval of the administrator. But there's a catch. When UAC is enabled, the folder where some files are stored is now selected by Windows and no longer under the control of the application. That's rarely a problem when that application is used in standalone mode. The OS keeps pretty good track of where it put things.
The same can't be said for networks. But there is a workaround. Regardless of whether UAC is on or off, when a program is installed outside the Program Files folder, it's once again up to the application to decide where to put its data files. Morning Flight can now store them in the same folder as its .exe file. That makes it easier for the network to find them. Moreover, when you share a folder, every file in that folder will be shared automatically.
The second benefit is that it makes backing up your data so ridiculously easy, there's no longer an excuse not to. When Morning Flight is installed on an external disk or flash drive, all the files that need backing up are located in the same folder as the application. Back up that single folder and you're done.
UAC can be turned off but we strongly caution against it. The only thing worse is flipping it on and off. You could be adding a new customer in one folder with UAC enabled, then disable UAC a week later and not find that customer because Windows is looking in a different folder. Best to leave UAC turned on all the time.
Step 1 for Windows 10
•Install the program in a newly created folder on an external drive (not in the customary Program Files folder on your C:\ drive). Name the folder anything you like (F:\morningflight in the example).
•Launch the program and make sure it runs properly in that folder.
Step 2
From your desktop, click the network icon in the taskbar pointed to by the lower arrow, then click Network & Internet settings pointed to by the upper arrow.
Step 3
Click on Change Connection Properties
Step 4
Set the Network Profile to Private
Next, go back to the previous window and click on Sharing Options
Step 5
In the window that opens, make sure network discovery and file and printer sharing are turned on in your private (current) network profile.
In the same window, expand "All networks" by clicking on the arrow on the right. Select how you want to grant access to network users, then save the changes.
If you run into problems with permissions, try turning off password protected sharing for now.
Step 6
In your Windows File Explorer, click on Network to verify that all live computers on your network have been discovered. Live means the computers are turned on and running.
While still in File Explorer, select the folder into which you've installed Morning Flight, then click the Share tab in the menu on top and select Specific people.
Choose the people who will have access to Morning Flight, then click on Share. Most will need Read/Write privileges.
When you're setting up Morning Flight on your network, we suggest to share with "Everyone." Once the program is running on the network, you can easily come back to decide who will have access. Note that when you share a folder, all files in that folder will be shared as well.
Step 7
•On each networked computer, create a shortcut to the Morning Flight program by right-clicking on any blank place on the Desktop.
•Select New > Shortcut.
•Navigate to the folder on the external drive into which you installed your Morning Flight program (the .exe file).
•Select the appropriate file name (MFlightG.exe for the Gold Edition, MFlightP.exe for the Passport, as listed below).
Morning Flight .exe File Names
Free |
MFlightF.exe |
•Click Next.
•Give the shortcut a name (any short but memorable name you like), and click Finish to create the shortcut.
Step 8
Right-click on the new shortcut and select Properties to review the information you just entered. Use the screen below as a guide. The two leading backslashes in the Target and Start in boxes are mandatory. If you're going to make a spelling error, this should be the last place for it. Sloppy typing here will sink the ship.
In the Target box, the HAL-2014-HP\morningflight example should have been replaced by the wizard with the name of your computer and the folder into which you installed the program. If the Start in box came up empty, copy and paste the contents of the Target box but leave off the final backslash and the name of the program file (\MFlightG.exe in the example).
Some features of file sharing over a network have recently changed, including the removal of HomeGroup in the latest Windows 10 update. For the most current instructions on sharing, visit the Microsoft Support website. The screen below was copied from the Microsoft site on August 28, 2018:
If you elected to turn on password protected sharing in Step 5, users of the network will need to log on with their network credentials.
