Migrating from RAD to FCAS
Migrating your RAD applications to the new FCAS is a multi-step process.
First, some background:
FCRAD
FirstClass RAD (the last version is version 2.6) is a Windows DLL that runs on your FirstClass Server and thus is a Windows Server only option.
FCAS (FirstClass Applications Services)
FCAS is a Firstclass module that sits on your FirstClass server similar to Internet Services and Voice Services. It provides features and functionality identical to FirstClass RAD 2.6 and can run in a distributed environment. This allows you to run FCAS on a dedicated computer or as a clustered service, as required for high load sites. With FCAS, you can run FCAS on a PC or Mac Platform and have it connect to your FirstClass Server that can be running on Mac, Linux or Windows.
A note about legacy FCRAD Applications
As FCRAD was a Windows only application, a large majority of the commercial and shareware applications that are available which connect to an ODBC Data source, connect to a Microsoft ACCESS database. Though MS ACCESS is not necessarily installed on the FirstClass Server, the MS ACCESS ODBC Driver is, and it is this driver that facilitates the communication between the RAD application and the back end database. So, even though you can run FCAS on a Macintosh system, if the application talks to a MS ACCESS database, you will be out of luck as there is no MS ACCESS driver for the Macintosh that will connect through FCAS. Remember however, that you can run FCAS on a Windows based computer and have it connect to a Macintosh Server just fine.
Migrating your Applications
FCRAD and FCAS can run concurrently so there is no need to use one or the other exclusively. This document assumes that RAD is currently installed and running some applications and that you have also installed FCAS and want to migrate the RAD applications over to FCAS.
Step 1. Unload your RAD Application
The first thing you need to do is UNLOAD your current RAD Application. To do this, open  . This folder is normally located on the Administrator's desktop. Inside that folder you will find  . Open this folder and you will see all of your running RAD applications.
You must first UNLOAD the application that you want to migrate over to FCAS. Make sure that there are no Sessions in use (no one is using the application) and then click on the application and click on Unload button. This will turn the Green Ball into a Red ball to show that it is unloaded > 
Now that it is Unloaded you can move it over to your FCAS Application
Step 2 - Remove the Application from FCRAD
Now that the application has been unloaded, you need to remove it from the RAD storage location. All compiled applications have the extension .fcx and can be located in the \FCNS\FCRAD\ folder at root level of your FirstClass Server drive. In the above example, we unloaded an application called TOCBOOKINGS so the compiled application will be called TOCBOOKINGS.FCX. You want to remove this file from the above location, but not delete it as you will need to UPLOAD it to the proper location for FCAS.
Step 3 - Upload the Application to the Online Applications folder for FCAS
You now need to UPLOAD your application to the location that will be recognized by FCAS. This is the Online Applications folder. This folder can be found inside the Clustered Services folder located on the Admin Desktop so you must be logged in to your FirstClass server to complete this task.
Open the Online Applications folder and Upload your fcx file to this folder.
Step 4 - Move any related DATA files
If the application connects to a file based ODBC data source such as a Microsoft Access Database then you should also move this data source out of the FCRAD folder and into the corresponding location for FCAS. This is really only necessary if you have installed FCAS on a different computer from your FirstClass Server, though I would recommend that you complete this step as well so that you will know which of your data sources are associated with FCRAD applications and which ones are associated with FCAS.
Most data sources for FirstClass RAD are stored in the \FCNS\FCRAD\DATA folder. The application developer will have to tell you the name of the data source file as it may not resemble application name.
Remove the data source file from the \FCNS\FCRAD\DATA folder and move it to any location that is accessible from your FCAS application. (Remember, FCAS may be installed on a separate computer.) I recommend that you move it to the \FCAS\FCRAD\DATA folder.
Note: for a list of all CreaTECH RAD Application Data sources see DSN
Step 5 - Recreate the ODBC DSN
Unless your application developer embedded the ODBC Data Source connection within the application itself, there will be an ODBC DSN (Data Source Name) associated with any application that communicates with a data source. Like the data source itself, you will have to get the name of the Data Source Name (DSN) from your application developer.
Note: for a list of all CreaTECH RAD Application Data Source Names (DSNs) see DSN
If this is a Microsoft Access DSN, the process is as follows:
On the server that is hosting the FCAS application, open the  application. This can be found under Administrative Tools in your Windows Control Panels folder.
Click on the System DSN Tab and click on 
At the next screen, select the Microsoft Access Driver (*.mdb) and click on Finish
Enter the Data Source name as instructed by your RAD application developer and click on Select....
Locate the data source that corresponds to this DSN then click on OK
The path will now be embedded in the setup form so click on OK.
Note: Your RAD application could be communicating with a different ODBC Data Source such as MySQL, SQLServer, FileMaker Pro etc. Please ask your application developer for specific instructions on how to recreate the DSN for his application.
Step 6 - Load the Application under FCAS
In step 3 you uploaded the application and in steps 5 and 6 you moved the data source and recreated the DSN. Now you are able to Load your application.
Open the FCAS Application Monitor
Click on the Application (it will be designated as unloaded) and click on Load
Step 7 - Change the Application Extension
FCRAD applications use the RAD.DLL extension on installed modules while FCAS use the name of the gateway used (normally FCAS in single clustered implementations). If you are running both FCAS and RAD concurrently, you will need to change the extension name for all of your installed stationery documents that launch your applications so you need to follow Option 1 below for each of your installed application launch documents. If you are migrating ALL of your RAD applications to FCAS, you can have the change made globally so refer to Option 2 below.
Option 1 - Mixing RAD with FCAS
If you are running both FCAS and RAD concurrently, you will need to change the extension name for all of your installed stationery documents that launch your applications.
Locate the Stationery document(s) on your FirstClass system that correspond to the application that you have just migrated. Click on the document and choose File > Properties (Get Info on a Mac). Uncheck the Read-Only checkbox on the properties form and close the form.
Double-click on the form once again to open it and the Rapid Application Installer form will appear.
Change the name of the extension from rad.dll to FCAS and click on OK
Now Choose the Properties of the document again and click back on Read Only
NOTE: In earlier versions of the FirstClass Server, RAD applications had to be Protected. With FirstClass version 8, that was changed to READ Only. Make sure that all of your RAD applications have the Read Only bit set. Your RAD applications do not have to be protected.
Option 2 - Running all applications under FCAS
If you have migrated all of your applications to FCAS and have no applications running under FCRAD, you can use the FCAS configuration to emulate RAD.DLL This means that you can bypass the steps described in Option 1 here and have FCAS replace the extension name on application launch.
To do this, open the FCAS configuration file
and click on Emulate RAD.DLL
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