Servers are not like stand-alone computers or workstations. They boot up and work with no user logged in to the local console. In fact, that's the best and most secure server protocol - simply don't allow anyone to log on.

However, any user coming to your Web, or Intranet, host machine will be logged on as a remote user. In most cases, this will be an "anonymous" user. The anonymous user allows all those strangers, accessing your Web site, to access this server with whatever privileges and policies you assign to the Anonymous user.

Because Windows computers support "profiles", you have to be very careful how you install dBASE Plus on your Web Server. If you install in the wrong profile, users may not even see dBASE Plus, let alone be able to run Web applications that require the dBASE Plus login. To help simplify the installation process, us one of the following options:

Anonymous Install

Log onto your server console as the Anonymous User, and Install dBASE Plus from the CD-ROM (or install a custom application with a dBASE Plus Installshield Express deployment).

Warning: Installing dBASE Plus on your server probably constitutes a new dBASE Plus user, which means you need an additional license to run it, on the server and  your development machine, simultaneously. You do not need a license to deploy the runtime anywhere. Please respect the terms of the dBASE Plus License Agreement.

Runtime Install

Copy the following files to the same folder from which you plan to run you dBASE Plus executables:

PLUSrun.exe

PLUSr_xx.dll (where "xx" is your local dBASE Plus language code)

The BDE must be installed in order for this "runtime" installation to work. One legal way of installing manually would be to install dBASE Plus on your server, then do an Uninstall. When asked about removing the shared BDE folders, click No. That will leave a BDE install on your machine without requiring another dBASE Plus license.

Of course, there's a much simpler method of deploying the BDE without going through the contortions of installing and uninstalling. Write your own little InstallShield Express deployment, but don't include program files. Just be aware that it will probably copy PLUSrun.exe into your \Windows\System (or WinNT\System32) folder. You'll want to move this back to your deployment folder before running your Web apps.

Future versions of dBASE Plus will have a Web Runtime installer available on the dBASE Plus CD.