Access shutting itself down

[clmarks]

We are running Access 2003 over a thin client. There are up to eight users, each have their own front end. Yesterday Access started periodically displaying an error message that said it had encountered a problem and was shutting itself down.

My thinking is that the problem has to be with the back end since it was occurring for two different users, each having their own front end. I have checked the back end and find no problems. The database was compacted and repaired yesterday morning and again during the day when the problems cropped up.

I suspect that the problem may be having all eight people in the database and running over the thin client. This problem never occurred while we were on a local network. And, since the move to thin clients, Access frequently bogs down when Internet traffic is high.

I'm no IT wizard, so my question is... Am I on the right track with regard to the error messages? Does anyone have suggestions on how to address the problem? Would moving the back end to SQL help?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Cherry

 

[HiTechCoach]

We are running Access 2003 over a thin client. There are up to eight users, each have their own front end. Yesterday Access started periodically displaying an error message that said it had encountered a problem and was shutting itself down.

My thinking is that the problem has to be with the back end since it was occurring for two different users, each having their own front end. I have checked the back end and find no problems. The database was compacted and repaired yesterday morning and again during the day when the problems cropped up.

I suspect that the problem may be having all eight people in the database and running over the thin client. This problem never occurred while we were on a local network. And, since the move to thin clients, Access frequently bogs down when Internet traffic is high.

I'm no IT wizard, so my question is... Am I on the right track with regard to the error messages? Does anyone have suggestions on how to address the problem? Would moving the back end to SQL help?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Cherry

Cherry,

A little more details about your thin client set up would help.

Are you using Citrix or Terminal Serivices?

Are all eight users logging to the same server?

Where is the back end?
Is is on the "server" on the same LAN as the Citrix/TS server?
Or is it on the Citrix/TS server?

Sounds like you are having network issues. When the front end drops the network connection to the back end, it does what you are describing.

Have you looked in the .ldb file for the back end for issues?

See: Microsoft Jet Utilities Available in Download Center

You might want to read this by fellow Access MVP Albert D. Kallal:

Using a wan with ms-access? How fast, how far?

PS: I work in a RDP session over 95% of the time. I have a client with over 600 Thin Client users logging onto a TS farm of 6 servers. The run Access apps in this environment without any issues.

 

[shadow9449]

Boyd:

I have a client with over 600 Thin Client users logging onto a TS farm of 6 servers. The run Access apps in this environment without any issues.

What back end are you using? With 600 users, I'm assuming SQL Server or MySQL...?

SHADOW

 

[HiTechCoach]

Boyd:

I have a client with over 600 Thin Client users logging onto a TS farm of 6 servers. The run Access apps in this environment without any issues.

What back end are you using? With 600 users, I'm assuming SQL Server or MySQL...?

SHADOW

That is correct. MS SQL Server for most.

There are a few apps with less that 50 users that do have JET4 (Access 2003) back ends.

 

[shadow9449]

There are a few apps with less that 50 users that do have JET4 (Access 2003) back ends.

I have one application with just over 50 users in 12 locations and I've never changed the back end from Jet. I sometimes wonder where the breaking point is that will require a different back end...

SHADOW

 

[HiTechCoach]

I have one application with just over 50 users in 12 locations and I've never changed the back end from Jet. I sometimes wonder where the breaking point is that will require a different back end...

SHADOW

The technical limit for JET is a maximum of 255 concurrent users.

IMHO, a lot depends on the design of the database. A poorly design database could easily hit a breaking point with less than 10 users. I do also think that the complexity of the database will also determine how many users can be concurrent before hitting a breaking point.

I believe the skills of the developer definitely are the major determining factor to the breaking point for the number of concurrent users.