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I am installing Full Blown Method Integration for use with Quickbooks Enterprise V10 and I would like to know the best way to configure the Method Synch Engine with respect to the Quickbooks company file, servers, and network.

The QB Enterprise V10 company file will reside on a Win Server 2003.  The Server will have a QB V10 Client available through the two TS sessions enabled on the server, but mostly be dedicated as a "QB Fileserver".

If I install the Method Integration Synch Engine on the Server, do I need to install Method Synch Engines on the PC clients that will be running the QB Client and Method Browser sessions?

Can the Method Synch engine be installed as a Service on the Server?

Can the Method Synch engine on the server listen and update the QB Company file without a QB client open on the server?

I would like to have all synch activity occuring on the server to improve performance monitoring and some crude QOS measures.  We can easily maintain an Admin session of QB and/or Method Listener to provide a dedicated synching machine if one listener can support multiple QB and Web Sessions on multiple machines.

What port does the Synch engine use for access to the Method web server?

We are using a DSL connection and I want to make sure the Method synch engine and browser sessions get priority access to the available bandwidth.  I think this will be possible with QOS functionality on small business routers.

Regards,

James

 Hey,

In order to get the real time syncing between Method and QB, you will need to install the listener onto every pc that will open QB. Also, the Method Sync Engine cannot be run as a service.

You do not need to have the updating computer as the server. The company file can be located on any pc in the business, as long as you have network access to the file. The file must be open in order to receive/send updates between Method and QB.

The default port Method uses changes every time you connect, if your IT manager would like to only allow Method to use a specific port range, please follow the steps below:

a. Navigate to the Engine Log folder.

If you are using Windows XP, the Engine Log folder is typically “C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\MethodIntegration”.

If you are using Vista or later, the Engine Log folder is typically “C:\ProgramData\MethodIntegration”.
Note: If you are using Vista or later and do not see this folder, you must edit your computer settings to show hidden folders:

b. Create an empty text file called “MethodPush.config”.

c. Edit the MethodPush.config file.

d. Put the following into the contents of the file, where 3000 is an example for the lowest port number in your IT manager’s desired range, and 3100 is an example of the highest port number in your IT manager’s acceptable range.

<LocalPortMin>3000</LocalPortMin>
<LocalPortMax>3100</LocalPortMax>

e. Save and close the file.

In the Method Integration Engine click Disconnect, and then Connect

Thanks Ryan.  I guess that's really the only way to keep Method and QB synch'd in Real Time for users who might be working from both sessions.

I assume that users who are only using a Web session in Method will get their work synch'd as soon as a user opens the QB file with a Method listener open.

James

I'm updating this post for anyone who might be installing Method in a muliple user environment.  Contrary to some of the advice being given about the Synch Engine install, I think very good performance can be had by consolidating your synching activitiy to one server or even one PC client in your environment.

I have Quickbooks Enterprise V10 and the Method Synch Engine installed on a Windows 2003 Server. Win 2003 server will support up to two Remote Desktop or also called Terminal Server sessions on the Server.  We use one session to keep a QB Session open under user Method and one session of the Method Synch Engine also configured to connect to Quickbooks with the QB Method Account.  The Method Synch Engine can use any Admin enabled account to Synch to the Method Company Database, I believe.

We used several local PC clients and remote clients to connect to QB and the Method website, and the one Method Synch Engine keeps everything in synchronized in real time.

The real time synch is also called "Method PUSH" and you'll see this in your Method Synch engine control panel.

Although I have not been able to get the Method business consultants to verify this configuration, my local Method consultant recommended this installion confirming my initial hunch about proper configuration and the Method Welcome Tab says a few things about the Method PUSH service which I believe confirms it's intended installation as a single instance process for keeping all clients synched to the QB database.

Copied from the Method Welcome Screen.

Method Push^TM should make you say WOW!  It is the technology that syncs your QuickBooks with your Method in real time.  Changes made in QuickBooks will instantly show in Method, and vice-versa!  To ensure this is enabled, make sure QuickBooks is open to the correct company file on the main computer, and that the Method Integration Engine is running and connected on that computer.  The best part is: the computer(s) you use Method on, and the computer(s) you use QuickBooks on can be totally different machines.  Any Method user can make changes to your QuickBooks from wherever they are, anywhere in the world, in real time!

I think this has some really good implications for installing method in a QB hosted environment.  As long as the QB host using MSoft Terminal Services or Citrix Metaframe keeps one paired session of a QB Client and Method Synch Engine open on the server, you should be able to provide synchronized QB and Method instances to all your remote clients, whether web browser only, or Remote Desktop session served by Win Terminal Services or Citrix. 

I am thinking there are going to be performance advantages having the Method Synch Engine so close to the QB Database file and keeping the QB session used for synching isolated as a "synch only" session.  When doing large imports, and leaving the Method PUSH running, the QB session becomes useless as it shadows the Synch engine changes.  My guess is that attempting to spread this out amongst more clients hitting the same QB database is not a good strategy.

I hope this helps anyone considering installation of Method for hosted QB environments.  This is not verified or sanctioned advice, but I have tested several scenario's against this configuration and it is holding up well.  I am recommending Method to some other small business owners who have hosted QB environments and I want to make sure this will work for them.

Please share your experiences.

James