How to run MYOB on a server

(This page will be expanded; for the moment, it only summarizes the concept.)

If you have a multiuser MYOB license, you might notice that you can open multiple instances (windows) of MYOB on a single computer, and log into it as many times as you have licenses. Multiuser MYOB was designed to run peer-to-peer; the problem with this is that each instance must pull a great deal of data from the company file over the network, and the instances must also communicate with each other; if one computer is busy for some reason, it can prevent other users from accessing the company file, and if any of the computers is slow or connected over a slow network, all users can experience slow-downs. If I'm correct (Abd), MYOB use is really impossible peer-to-peer over a dialup line.

(jlg: In actuality, multi-user MYOB use is nearly impossible on standard 10Mb ethernet, agonizingly slow on 100Mb ethernet, and barely tolerable on Gb ethernet. I don't like being negative, but the fact is that MYOB's network performance is best described using terms like "pathetic.")

But if a server is running a server edition of Windows, then individual users can establish Remote Desktop Client connections to that computer. The same basic thing is possible on Mac OS X using VNC...see http://www.redstonesoftware.com/products/vine/multidesktop.html. With this setup, each user runs MYOB in their own RDC/VNC session. Since every user is local to the company file, access is very fast, and all users are enjoy equal performance. In addition, only screen display information and keyboard and mouse commands are transmitted across the network; this requires much less bandwidth than MYOB's standard network configuration. Having set this up, I can now access the company file from home across the internet, using a dialup connection, at about 40 kbaud. There is a small delay in screen redraw, it does feel a little sluggish compared to sitting at any of our office computers, but, in fact, running MYOB over dialup this way is faster overall than a fast computer at the office on a 100 Mb network using the MYOB-recommended peer-to-peer configuration.

I took the fastest computer in the office (an Athlon 1600, slow by today's standards) and installed Windows 2000 Server on it (the software cost me $200 U.S., buying it on the internet). That was the only hard expense; the rest is simply the work of configuring everything. The remote computers can be just about anything, and there are Remote Desktop programs for just about every operating system. If the server is running in administration mode, there is no license requirement for the remote computers, but there is a relatively small user limit (I think it is two remote desktops) in this mode. In Terminal Services mode, each remote computer must have a Terminal Services CAL, which is not cheap. But Windows 2000 Professional and Windows XP Professional include such a CAL automatically. Otherwise, using other operating systems, and if you don't want to run in admin mode, CALs can be purchased.

(The down side of running in admin mode is that all users must have administrative privileges on the server, which can be a security risk.)

Using the VNC server method on Mac OS X would be more straightforward from a licensing standpoint (i.e. none required), though the initial hardware might be more expensive unless you're already running MYOB on a Mac, in which case you'd just be out the cost of extra memory. The VNC setup is kludgier than Terminal Services, but you don't have to sweat malware. By the time you include the cost of the various Windows licenses required for a multi-user Remote Desktop setup, the overall cost is probably a wash. It really boils down to which system — Mac or Windows — you're more comfortable configuring and supporting.

Either way, the key is to have plenty of RAM on the server. As a minimum, I'd recommend 1GB base plus 256MB per simultaneous MYOB user. More is better.

MYOB claims that they do not support server operation of the program because MYOB is a small business program and small businesses would not be interested in the complexity and expense of a server. But the fact is that the additional expense is not high and MYOB is vastly better running on a server. One issue, I'm sure, is that MYOB does not want to be dealing with all the tech support questions involved in server issues. But there is really no special risk to users running on a server; if there is a problem, it is easy enough to test to see if the problem also exists in a peer-to-peer configuration (if you have a server setup, you could also set it up so that, for test purposes, peer-to-peer access is easy.) If the problem is still there peer-to-peer, it is not a server problem.

And I have personally seen no server problems beyond the generic problems of servers, i.e., security settings must be right, routers and firewalls must be configured if you want remote access, etc. The setup work is the real expense; and with good instructions, it should not be difficult. If you are already running an office network with internet access, you've already got all of the risks.... and server operating systems are designed for security. In addition, you eliminate the hassle of installing and updating MYOB on multiple computers. One install, one set of backups, one machine to maintain and troubleshoot.

As time permits, I will expand this page with specific instructions, but others with the knowledge — which may well be more than mine — are also welcome to do so. I have a contractor who works on our network when I'm not available, and who has more server experience than I, and I've thought of offering a server setup package, a fixed-price arrangement to set up a server for MYOB use. It should not be expensive. (It is acceptable for anyone offering such a service to reference it here on this page.)

Mac OS X setup notes

I (jlg) have configured MYOB to run multi-user on Mac OS X, using the VNC setup described above. The setup is not what I'd call straightforward, and there are several "gotchas" to running MYOB in this configuration, but once it's running it seems to work well. I'm now using it on a daily basis, both in the office and remotely. I'll post more details at MultiUserMac as I have time.