Earlier this month at Macworld Expo in New York FileMaker Inc. President Dominique Goupil used his time on the keynote stage to unveil a new version of FileMaker Server for Mac OS X. Today the company announced that FileMaker Server 5.5 is now shipping for Mac OS X, Windows 2000 and Red Hat Linux.
The new version of FileMaker Server — a worldwide English language release — has been built using Cocoa, and runs natively in Mac OS X. A separate version is also available for Mac OS 8.6 or later. The software provides database hosting for up to 250 FileMaker Pro 5 and 5.5 database clients and 125 open FileMaker Pro 5 and 5.5 files.
New features in FileMaker Server 5.5 include the ability to automatically update and deploy FileMaker Pro plug-ins to FileMaker Pro 5.5 clients across a TCP/IP network. FileMaker Server 5.5 also supports lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP), to enable admins to coordinate user login for the FileMaker Server through an LDAP server. FileMaker Server can be set to automatically host files accessed in single-user mode, and also manage centralized database backups and auto disconnect of idle users.
FileMaker Server 5.5 costs US$999. Users of previous versions can upgrade for $499, and volume pricing is also available. Users interested in purchasing the software are encouraged to either call 800.725.2747 or to visit the FileMaker Store. General information about FileMaker Server is available from the FileMaker Web site.