Filemaker Pro 6 / Server 5.5 error

[Retrograde Orbit]

Hi,

I am working on creating a VM for one of my clients, so that the old Windows 2000 server running their Filemaker Server v5.5 can be retired.

To that end, I first virtualised the physical server and added it on my VMWare Workstation Pro 15 server. I then created a Windows XP Professional VM and installed Filemaker Pro 6 to that.

Ran FM Pro and as I have these VMs in bridged mode, they have "real" IP addresses as per my internal network and they can see one another on the network.

I opened up the Filemaker database on the XP Pro VM and it loaded without issue.

However, the database is set to require a login and there is a button within said database that says "Log in". The problem is that when I click it, the following error crops up.

ERROR: -69 TDP.

Please report this error code to your systems administrator.

I click "ok" and the whole program closes.

The weird thing is if I run the software again and open the database, then go to "Scripts > 1 Main menu" (along the top bar) it seems as if I bypass the login and can see the database as intended as if I had logged in. But I am sure there are a several options missing.

Please don't tell me about how old this software is, I know! An upgrade is up for discussion in the New Year, but right now I need to get it all working and accessible within a virtual environment.

 

I have done a lot of Googling on the error I am seeing and have turned up nothing.

In case it is a network related issue, I have actually copied all of the relevant database files to the XP Pro VM. Installed Filemaker Server 5.5 and tried loading it all from the one VM. Still getting the same error.

 

Getting to the point where I want to give up but I 'd rather not...

Does anyone have any ideas?

Many thanks.

[Hexhamkeith]

I’m desperate for a disc image of server 5.5 to reinstall a very old solution on a server that died. I tried Claris but they could not help even though I have a registered install key as they have deleted this as it’s so old. 

[Hexhamkeith]

I am stuck in a timewarp with FileMaker 5.5 and am pretty conversant with coding and scripting it. If you send me a copy I’ll try and sort it for you. 
kind Regards 

 

Keith

[AHunter3]

What I can say is that the error message you're seeing isn't native to FileMaker 5 or 6 so it is a *scripted* operation comparing the credentials (abstracted or otherwise) to some table or elements within the script itself.  It makes sense because the security architecture in the FmPro 5/6 era was dismally out of date and lots of us developers wrote our own homegrown security architecture instead of using the one that FileMaker came with.  

 

Review:  FileMaker at that time did not have username & password; it had password ONLY. And you could not make modifications to hosted files' security, you had to take them offline to make any changes.  FileMaker 5.5 gave record-level security (essentially CASE () statements at the per-table security level) but aside from that it was virtually unchanged since the FileMaker 1.0 era.

[Retrograde Orbit]

Hi AHunter3,

That makes a lot of sense, thank you for this.

What do you suggest I try? Take the database offline and alter the file security permissions?

[Retrograde Orbit]

Never mind, I re-read what you posted and that is not what I think you were saying...

This database can be successfully opened and logged into by some users running an older OS. So if I logged on from there as an admin user within that FileMaker DB, what sort of changes do I need to make in order to enable this to work on new installs of FileMaker Pro?

[Hexhamkeith]

Hi retrograde

do you have an install cd or image for Server 5.5?

regards

keith

[Retrograde Orbit]

I have an ISO image

[Retrograde Orbit]

Actually I think that I have found out why this error is occurring when the login button is pressed.

There is a script which checks the FileMaker version and if a certain plug-in is available.

If the plug-in is NOT available then the message "ERROR: -69 TDP. Please report this error code to your systems administrator." is displayed and the application exits.

So, all I should need to do is to find out where that damned plug-in is on the original server and copy it over to my test server.

Or is it that the plug-in is a client thing?

Anyone have any idea please?

[Retrograde Orbit]

Right then...

The (lack of) FileMaker plug-in is called "Troi Dialog Plug-in" and I cannot find it anywhere on the original FileMaker 5.5 server or on one of the client PC's where they have FileMaker Pro 6 installed and it is able to successfully login to the database hosted through that server.

A lot of Internet hunting ensued, and I managed to find a version of the Troi Dialog Plug-in that is compatible with FileMaker Pro 6. After finding out where to deposit the FMX file, I again ran my virtual pc which has both the FileMaker server and client software installed.

This time when I pressed the login button, I was asked for a username and password. Luckily I had something and can now get at the information contained in all those FP5 files!

Of course, it looks like the client is going to have to pay out for a license for the plugin... But at least they can have the software on more PCs...

My thanks to all that posted.

[AHunter3]

Great detective work!

[AHunter3]

On 10/26/2020 at 2:57 AM, Hexhamkeith said:

I’m desperate for a disc image of server 5.5 to reinstall a very old solution on a server that died. I tried Claris but they could not help even though I have a registered install key as they have deleted this as it’s so old. 

Hey Hexhamkeith, do you still need the disc image for FmServer 5.5?     

[Hexhamkeith]

Hi

Yes I do. Not sure if Xmas came late on 2020 or early in 2021

 

keith@sherwins.org.uk

Thanks

[AHunter3]

Check your email!