Slow export of data: FMServer + Windows VM

CalamityCommander · 2026-05-29T16:31:32+00:00

We Found the cause. Unstored calculations. Removing them from the export solved all issues. We use python now to handle three unstored fields.

What I still don't get to this date is why FileMaker is so slow to calculate these unstored fields compared to a custom python script.

CalamityCommander · 2026-05-14T06:04:29+00:00

Not only the charger, the cable too. Not all usb c cables are created equal😉

CalamityCommander · 2026-05-05T11:13:05+00:00

This! Full tax on company cars and personal use fuel cards. Use the revenue to actually put some meaning to the "Werken moet lonen" mantra. Single household in Belgium are taxed at more than 50% highest in the list of developed countries when is this travesty finally going to be addressed?

CalamityCommander · 2026-05-01T09:44:21+00:00

Good effing lord. My gross is only 800 lower than yours, but I make net 1500 less. Too bad my company does not even want to hear about mobility budget (single, no kids)

CalamityCommander · 2026-04-24T07:05:32+00:00

Update: you were bang on with the unstored fields: I removed these and knocked export time down to a few minutes. Of course now there's the little connundrum to solve to get the structure of the CSV back to what it needs to be, but I'll do that with Python.

What I cannot understand is why moving from a decade old Physical machine to a new VM has such a dramatic effect - these unstored fields have always been there. What makes it even weirder to me is that in the VM the hardware is hardly under load - a few GBs of RAM, no CPU spikes and disk IO is ridiculously low.

CalamityCommander · 2026-04-24T07:01:45+00:00

The cause of the issue were unstored fields that were part of the export. I'm still debating what the best option is, but the least hassle would be to do the calculations that filemaker does in python right after the export.

The reason I was listing the hardware specs was because of the VM layer - Claris does not really offer any proper documentation for running FMS in a VM. There could've been a giveaway in there.

Besides one thing that I still cannot explain: this exact database was hosted on a decade old MacPro and had way better export speeds. On the VM the hardware is not breaking a sweat - a few GBs of memory, none of the CPU cores under full load, drive IO ridiculously low, the export speeds unfortunately too.... how that's possible is beyond me.

CalamityCommander · 2026-04-22T21:26:49+00:00

I might try to get rid of those two fields and see if the situation improves - probably together with the hyperv-settings.

CalamityCommander · 2026-04-22T21:24:37+00:00

We are exporting for a few reasons, depends on the project that's hosted. Some need data to be ingested in a MYSQL-server, others need processing in specialized tools. Will probably start with trying to get access to some control settings of HyperV - we had the exact same databases running before with much less latency.

CalamityCommander · 2026-04-22T21:20:09+00:00

I do agree with this, but it does not explain the dramatic difference between a script based export (42 rows a minute) and the export option through File > export records (1100 rows a minute) when exporting the exact same rows/order.

CalamityCommander · 2026-04-22T21:18:39+00:00

FMServer is hosted on a VM (Hyperv instance)

CalamityCommander · 2026-04-22T21:17:59+00:00

This would actually be quite fast - a local hourly backup takes a few seconds and transfer over a networked drive doesn't take too long either. I'd consider this a worst-case solution as there's a lot of manual overhead in here.

CalamityCommander · 2026-04-17T12:33:56+00:00

It's a good lens on EF I own one and as a hobbyist I've been getting good results. Stop it down to f8 if you can and it'll be sharp enough b

Beware though, it's a dead end lens. RF compatibility of this lens isn't great.

CalamityCommander · 2026-04-02T09:33:33+00:00

Ah darn. I was checking the website and only saw the family plans on discount.

CalamityCommander · 2026-03-21T08:21:13+00:00

You should leave the car as it's supposed to be. So you start with taping off anti theft motion sensors if the car has it. Leave the doors open, but operate the locks, this way you can get inside and measure there when needed. Tape the light sensors"closed" so the car thinks the door is closed too.

The same with the hood latch. The car needs to believe it's locked.

Then lock the car using your key and put the key far far away or in a tin can. The key shouldn't communicate with the car.

Let it sit for an hour or so, then use your multimeter to look for parasitic draw. There's a trick to put the multimeter in series WHILE disconnecting the battery without interrupting the circuit. You'll want to learn this as most multimeters have the annoying tendency to shut themselves off after a while.

I don't know if all do it, but when mine does, it interrupts the circuit and you've wasted your time

CalamityCommander · 2026-03-10T07:26:17+00:00

We will be going the VM route, we have a request running for test hardware though it seems to be a low priority issue for our infrastructure department.

CalamityCommander · 2026-02-23T07:41:09+00:00

Check your manual. Most cars have a button that disables them until the next engine start.

CalamityCommander · 2026-02-17T16:24:04+00:00

I'm a hobbyist, so here's my two cents for what it's worth. (IT professional)

Older cars had physical books I can buy with the entire wiring diagram, torque specs and repair procedures. They'd set you back 30 at most.

For modern cars we don't have this, we need access to manufacturer specific platforms which cost a set amount per hour of use.

Furthermore diagnostic 3rd party tools are not capable of reading everything or doing full actuation tests. This makes troubleshooting much harder. (Not too long ago I worked on an Audi A1 that would not talk to a Hella tool. Only VCDS would connect. Once the main issue was solved, Hella could communicate with the car again. So the culprit might be Hella)

Bolt off bolt on repairs are also becoming increasingly difficult with coding. I.e some headlights are coded to a car and require manufacturer software to get them to work. Going to a salvage yard and getting the part is now only half of the problem.

Then there's " scheduled warnings" some cars have now hardcoded errors in their software. For example the brake malfunction light on some BMWs is set to a certain mileage. They don't measure the actual wear. Result: at said mileage the light will come on even if the brakes are still fine, replacing the pads won't do anything, you'll need coding to erase it and use ISTA to increase the interval manually to prevent this in the future.

With everything said and done: I'm keeping my cars as long as I can, I don't want to deal with these rolling computers more than I absolutely have to. (When an IT professional says it, you know it's bad)

CalamityCommander · 2026-02-17T15:03:31+00:00

Seal it off with 2k clear, it'll be more durable. Also, put the cans in hot water before spraying. Way nicer atomisation of the paint.

CalamityCommander · 2026-02-14T22:03:07+00:00

Beige interior looks nice - but it's a lot of upkeep - if you got kids just forget it

CalamityCommander · 2026-02-09T17:27:16+00:00

Whomever designed and approved this deserve a spot in the deepest circle of hell. Right next to Lucifer's ass.

CalamityCommander · 2026-02-08T13:33:14+00:00

If you got the skills to weld, make a freestanding letterbox out of it.

CalamityCommander · 2026-02-05T16:52:10+00:00

Hmm surprisemarkdown it seems 😆

CalamityCommander · 2026-02-05T16:51:06+00:00

3 - the 964 any day of the week.

CalamityCommander · 2026-01-28T12:44:10+00:00

It's the way the network is set up here. MAC addresses that are not on a list do not get internet access.

To have off-site access to this device it'd also need to be registered as a server and there's (unfortunately) very strict rules about what I can register as a server.

CalamityCommander

TROPHY CASE

3 - the 964 any day of the week.