I recently imported a text file (csv) of my outlook contacts into Now Contact to see how it works. It seemed fine, so I decided to set up a server so that everyone in the company could access the same contacts. A clear overview of how this works seems to be missing from the manual, but I pieced it together.

Once I had set up the server, I couldn't figure out how it accessed the data, but once you connect your master Now Contacts to the server, and create public categories on the server, and then move the imported contacts which come in as private over into your public contacts, then the server gets updated and you can see all the contacts from the other machines? Well - Not until you have gone onto each computer and selected those new public categories as ones you want to view. Wink

So: Does the machine that is also the server connect to itself through 127.0.0.1? Or is there another better way??

And: Why do some of my clients lock up the processor to 100% when I use the "Update Now" button on the Server Connections dialog. My network is otherwise working, and I can explore the server PC over the network, but I get the message "Loooking for ....Server" and the cpu goes to 100% and stay there. Even the host machine does it. Some sort of deadlock? It seems to happen after I have made a change to the database, and want to force one of the other clients to update - it updates and then the CPU locks up at 100%. Crying or Very sad

Is your server a PC?

Have you got keywords running? I believe that Keywords were disabled for PC's when they would no longer work Mac <> PC.

We run 5.3.2 for Macs with a Mac server (just a mini Mac) on OS10.4 and all PC's talk to the Mac server very nicely (sans Keywords for PC's) direct or via the internet. As you say it does lock up occasionally, even after restarting several times and then next time all is inexplicably OK.

I do agree with the instructions - you really need to trawl the FAQ and then some - Now seem to assume that some of us know all and leave out the vital ingredient but Now Help seems to be very good.