“ReadMe (Networks)” contains additional and up-to-date information about sharing Fetch catalogs on a network. It is essential that anyone working with Fetch catalogs intended for multi-user access read and follow the guidelines described in this file.
The information in this file is divided into four sections:
- Managing catalog access privileges
- Managing source file access privileges
- Using a shared catalog
- Maintaining a shared catalog
For additional information about using Fetch on a network, see also:
- the “Network Issues” card (included in the retail version).
- pages 74-75 of the Aldus Fetch User Guide (included in the retail version).
We also recommend that you read (or reread):
- the chapter on networks in your Macintosh reference or owner’s guide
- the Macintosh network guide provided with your network operating software
NOTE: For items that need not be shared, you and your co-workers might want to create and use personal catalogs on your own hard drives to reduce the need to access shared catalogs. (The source files for your personal catalog can reside on your hard drive or on a network server.)
Depending on the number of users who will share any given catalog, you might want to password-protect the catalog within Fetch as described on page 72 of the User Guide. For information about levels of control appropriate to different sizes of work groups, see also the Network Issues card.
To protect yourself from inadvertent deletion of the catalog, we recommend that you back it up frequently.
If you need to manipulate or change the source file, you will need read and/or write privileges for the source file. Viewing previews of the source files, however, requires at least read privileges; viewing thumbnails requires no privileges.
It is a good idea for multiple users of a shared catalog to be aware of conditions that exercise (and can occasionally crash) the catalog and to follow certain “rules of the road” for optimal performance and minimal downtime.
If you want to change a catalog from single-user to shared, do not change the catalog while it is open in Fetch. This may cause potential problems with user privileges.
Be patient when more than a few people are using the same catalog. As noted on the Network Issues card, a number of factors can affect performance once multiple users have the catalog open — including network load and capacity, the number of AppleTalk zones on the network, the size of the catalog, the number of users who have it open, and so forth.
If more than one user of a catalog is allowed to make changes to the catalog, some cautions and restrictions apply.
All users should keep in mind that Fetch locks a catalog temporarily whenever any one user is editing keywords or descriptions, adding or updating items, or deleting or purging items. Normally, the locking time is undetectable to other users, but if a large number of changes are being made, the stop time may be more noticeable. Fetch normally displays a message if one person tries to modify the catalog while another user is in the middle of doing so.
The “Recover…” and “Verify…” commands should not be used at the same time by two users with the same catalog open. Unfortunately, Fetch is unable to prevent this from happening and can crash if it happens.
