IIS on xp linking to mdb on mapped 98 drive

[Offroad]

My question seems to be just about answered several places, but not quite.

I am getting the error...

Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC Drivers (0x80004005)
[Microsoft][ODBC Microsoft Access Driver] Could not use '(unknown)'; file already in use.

I believe my problem is the security settings for the mapped drive "z:"

I don't seem to be able to figure out how to set more than the read only setting.

If I copy the file to my local system I have no problem, unfortunatly this is not practical for anything other than development.

Arch Angel seemed suggested in one post that I use User DNS rather than System, I have tried that. In a different forum someone was advised to unset "allow IIS to control Password", this didn't seem to help either.

[Arch_Angel]

You're linking to a database on a Windows 98 machine from an IIS server running on an XP machine? Don't know if it is possible. never heard of that configuration.

Basically I would suggest you to make sure the permissions on the database and the folder the database is in, has read/write access. But Windows 98 does not have that kind of permission system.

Your problem is a permission problem though. You can also make sure no other program is using the database, like MS Access. Make sure no .lockfile is in the folder.

[Arch_Angel]

The User DSN wouldn't apply to you. You can't use a User DSN in this case. Have you tried using a File DSN? A File DSN only requires that you have the MS ODBC drivers installed on the system that contains the files. Make sure you are using the latest version on ODBC.

[Offroad]

Thanks Arch Angel,

I tryed setting up the File DSN, but I don't really know how to use that in ASP. Normally I just use the DSN name and MM Dreamweaver does the rest, I have used connection strings a bit, but I have no Idea how I would use one to connect to a .dsn file. Also I am unsure whether the file should be on my web server or the 98 computer that has the .mdb file on it.

It seems to me that the File DSN just contains the connection string info. This would be done to make the connection easy to copy from computer to computer with a batch file or some other automated system, but have no further advantages. If this is the case it wouldn't really bypass the security problems. Is this correct?

Offroad

[Arch_Angel]

Oii. Ok, it seems you're not so sure what a DSN is and how it is used.

A little background info before we continue.

DSN, is short for Data Source Name. Data Source Name provides connectivity to a database through an ODBC driver. The DSN contains database name, directory, database driver, UserID, password, and other information. Once you create a DSN for a particular database, you can use the DSN in an application to call information from the database.

There are three types of DSNs:
(1) System DSN -- can be used by anyone who has access to the machine. DSN info is stored in the registry.
(2) User DSN -- created for a specific user. Also stored in the registry.
(3) File DSN -- DSN info is stored in a text file with .DSN extension.

DSN is often used by Active Server Pages (ASP) and Visual Basic programs when a query to a database is necessary to retrieve information.

There is also what is known as a "DSN-less connection." Instead of using a DSN to connect to a database, the developer specifies the necessary information right in the application. With a DSN-less connection the developer is free to use connection standards other than ODBC, such as OLE DB.

Source: What is DSN?

Now that we have gotten that info aside, lets continue.
From personal experience connecting to a MS Access database, I would prefer using a DSN-less connection. A DSN connection tends to be slower and have more problems that a DSN-less connection. Also you have more control over the connection to your database with a DSN-less connection.

If you are running your own web server, a file dsn would allow you to connect to the database that is on another computer (your windows 98 computer). Although i have never used a File DSN in your scenario before. But it seems it should work.

If you have your website hosted by a hosting provider, you need to have your database on the webserver.

This site provides a list of DSN-less connection examples that you can use: http://www.able-consulting.com/ADO_Conn.htm

[Offroad]

I knew most of that but I did not know when to, or when not you use one DSN type over another, nor did I realize that DSN less connections were better. It is just as easy to go DSN less however, so I will stick with them from now on. Here is my new error message:

Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC Drivers (0x80004005)
[Microsoft][ODBC Microsoft Access Driver]General error Unable to open registry key 'Temporary (volatile) Jet DSN for process 0xa6c Thread 0xc58 DBC 0x135d424 Jet'.

I don't have a user id and password on the database. Here is where I use the string:

MWInventory.ActiveConnection = "Driver={Microsoft Access Driver (*.mdb)};Dbq=\\Ws1\C\GCSData\Inventory.mdb";

I think I might just have to payup and buy another XP upgrade for that server. Right now I am not too worried because running a web server over the 28.8 lines that we have now is not to smart. Soon we will have high speed, then it will matter more.

Offroad

[Arch_Angel]

Can you tell me more about the server setup?

Or you on a hosting server or are you running your own server?

[Offroad]

My laptop is a good computer, that is where I would like to host any of my database pages when we get high speed, the rest would be on a real web server elsewhere. The 98 computer is an old computer that is the server for our nursery and garden centre. It has the database with all the plants, that we have in stock, on order and so forth. We are runnning on a wireless network. My server is at 192.168.0.1 so that I can share (haha) our 28.8k modem line so we don't tie up both lines, though I don't seem to be able to get the other XP laptop to connect, just the other two 98 computers. I believe both 98 computers are 98SE.

I really don't know if I have told you anything that might help appart from all of the computers involved being on site.

[Arch_Angel]

Why not keep the database on the real web server?
It seems this will be a personal web site? A pet project? Not expecting many persons?

Using your laptop to hold the database to your online site, or to host your site, is not the wisest solution. It would be better to move the web site and database to a reliable server, so that your users will be able to access it anytime. Wouldn't consider Windows 98 as server.

But recommendation is, try and keep both database and web site on the same server.

[Offroad]

The database's primary purpose is for a POS system for our store. That system wouldn't work accross the internet and was never really designed to be used on the intenet. I am building an ASP driven MM Flash page, for the store. Most info is going to be on one database on the our ISP, but our inventory database is updated several times an hour and we would like the website to be up to date if possible. Plus if I had to upload the database every night it would become a pain in the neck. Especially if I still have a 28.8 k connection. The upload would take about 3 hours every night.

Our website is difinitely not a busy one but we can get up to a couple dozen hits a day in the spring. This will jump up once we have our stock lists availible on line.

Since the database has to remain on the 98, would your recomendation then be to use PWS on the 98? That might me a better idea, except that, that would expose our server more directly to damage by viruses and other forms of attack from the internet.