Changing network "Master" computers

In a networked setup, you may occasionally need to change which computer is being used as the Master -- for instance if the previous Master computer isn't working.  This is easy to do, but it's also easy to cause problems if it's not done correctly.  Follow these steps for a clean switch over.

1. At the computer you're going to use as the new Master, do a "Request full database refresh" under the Network functions, to make sure it's fully in sync.  Actually it's a good idea to do this on all workstations, just don't do them all at once (wait for one to finish and refresh the screen before moving to the next).

2. Make a note of the workstation ID of the one that will be the new Master (See "This workstation's ID" under Network Functions / Network Setup)  This will be the new Master workstation ID.  Also make a note of its IP address (Network Functions / Show IP address(es) for this workstation).  You will need to enter these numbers into all of the other local workstations.

3. Now you're ready to make the switch, which should only be done when nobody else is using the system.  This should only take a couple minutes, not counting any router configuration that might be needed for a remote connection.  Starting with the new Master that you just looked at in step 2, go into Network Setup and change the "Master (server) workstation ID" to the ID # noted in step 2.  Now that the "Master" ID is the same as "This" workstation's ID, that computer is a Master.  At the moment, that means there are 2 computers operating as a Master (and thus they are operating independently -- that's why this needs to be done when nobody is using any of the computers.

4. Now in each of the other workstations (including the old Master, if it's functional), go into Network Setup, change the "Master (server) workstation ID" to that same number, and also enter the IP address of the new Master computer (also from step 2).  They should immediately connect to the new Master when you click OK to save the changes.

Remote computers -- Once all local workstations are reconfigured as above, any remote computers to be reconfigured the same way as the local workstations (change the master workstation ID #).  If the new Master is still in the same location (internet IP) as the old one, then that setting won't change -- but you'll need to reconfigure the router to forward port 6010 to the new Master computer's IP address.  However if you have changed the Master from being at one location to another location (on the internet), then of course the IP address will be different because the "internet" IP address is different.  If you don't know the internet IP address of the new Master, you can get this through WhatIsMyIP.com.   You'll also need to make sure the router(s) in the new Master's location are configured properly to port forward port 6010 to the new Master.

Reminder -- At no time is the "This workstation's ID" number changed on any workstation.  This should never be changed (except for when installing a new computer), because it can cause synchronization problems.