How to Setup FileMaker Server for Remote Access

There are two sets of IP addresses to think about when setting up FileMaker Server to allow remote clients to login.

The first IP address is the WAN (Wide Area Network) IP address, think of this as the phone number for the company or organization. This is how the router is called from the outside. It is the IP address that whatsmyipaddress.com obtains, and is usually assigned by an Internet Service Provider, cable or telephone company.

Internally, there are IP addresses assigned to each computer and router on the internal network. Think of these as local extensions, similar to what a telephone system might use. Each computer gets, what is known as an internal IP address, one that only lives within the network. These IP addresses are often something like: 192.168.1.100, or 192.168.0.101 etc. These addresses are assigned automatically by the network router. This process is called DHCP or Dynamic Host Control Protocol.

Port Forwarding is a bit like the voice mail equivalent of ‘Press 101 to speak with Jim Brown’. It allows a computer application to directly address a specific computer within a network and behind a firewall. FileMaker Server uses Port 5003 for remote access. For a complete list of FileMaker Server ports, check out FileMaker’s Knowledge Base here.

Four things have to line up to allow Remote Access to FileMaker Server when it is behind a network router firewall.

1) The External IP (WAN) address ( obtained from www.whatismyipaddress.com)
2) The computer’s internally assigned (by the router) IP address
3) Port Forwarding has to be turned on in the Router/Firewall and pointing to the server computer.
4) Setup ‘Using DHCP with manual address’ if available on the server computer.

To obtain the router’s IP address, open a web browser on the FileMaker Server computer and go to www.whatismyipaddress.com. A map and a message with the external IP address should be listed.

Under the Apple Menu, select About this Mac. Then click ‘More Info..’. Windows computers list their local IP address in the Control Panel, Network and Internet panel. More details from Microsoft are here.

The IP address of will be displayed under the Built-in Ethernet, or Airport Network, whichever is in use by server computer.

The web site Portforward.com has an extensive list of router manufacturers and models as well as specific instructions for different applications that require port forwarding.

Select a Manufacturer and then the router model in the popup list. Click ‘Search’ for the detailed view of the model.

Scroll down to the ‘F’s’ for FileMaker

Port 5003 is fairly standard for FileMaker Server sharing, but portforward.com has a separate manual for each most versions of FileMaker Pro and FileMaker Server

There is a detailed description of setting up port forwarding for FileMaker Pro or FileMaker Server for each model of router listed.

Sample entry of a port forwarding entry in a network router web admin screen.

Now that the two important IP addresses, the Internal IP address and the external IP address have been obtained, it is time to use this information in the setup of the Router.

Where the two IP addresses (the Router’s and the Computer’s) are important, is when using a Firewall. Most modern routers have firewalls built-in to protect the interntal network from outside attacks by hackers. It is necessary to open a Port (or access channels through the router) used by FileMaker Server or FileMaker Pro to the computer in order to allow Remote Access to FileMaker databases.

To set up Port Forwarding, log into the router. It is usually at the address 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1, but may be something else. Check the network router’s documentation.

The login screen may look a little different depending on the router being employed.

Sample screenshot from a Linksys router.

The screen may look different than this, but the fundamentals should apply.

In this case, with an older Linksys router, it is in the Advanced area, look for something like ‘Port Forwarding’ or ‘Forwarding’ or ‘Applications and Gaming’.

• Name the Application ‘FileMaker’, so that it will be obvious to anyone who is reviewing the settings.
• Click both TCP and UDP protocols
• Target the IP address of the FileMaker Server computer using its local IP address.
• Click the ‘Enable’ button
• Cick the ‘Apply’ button

If the router is using DHCP, it may be necessary to setup the Server computer to a manual address, to avoid the Router loosing track of which computer to route the external FileMaker Remote Access requests to. That way, whenever the server machine gets turned on, it will have this address and the address will not interfere with other dynamically assigned IP addresses of other computers on the network.

In the System Preferences, under Network, Built-in Ethernet, there may be a settings screen that allows the option of ‘Using DHCP with manual address’. Enter an IP address outside the normal range of dynamically assigned IP addresses.

For example, the normal range might be 192.168.1.100 through 192.168.1.124. Assign the Server to the IP address 192.168.1.125, above this range.

Note: Not all routers support this function, so it may be necessary to use the dynamic IP address, and periodically update the Port Forwarding table as seen in the previous screen.

Simple enough…?

Back in FileMaker Pro, when working offsite, select ‘File’ menu and ‘Open Remote’ option.

Click the ‘Add’ button to add a new remote FileMaker server.

Give the remote address a Nickname and click ‘Save’. If all goes well, the databases on the remote FileMaker Server should show up in the next screen.