>>>>If you want XP machines to access a shared config file, it'll have to be hosted on something still running SMB1. That could be an older/legacy server, a repurposed XP workstation, or some sort of Linux/Samba host. Some routers allow plugging in a USB stick to be shared via SMB so you may already have that capability in place. Otherwise something like a Raspberry Pi 3B with case and power supply can be had for less than $100.
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>>>Thanks Naoto and Al. I suspected that the XP machines might be a problem. Thanks for confirming that. I'm afraid to say that we're probably going to have to live with the risk. I guess we could use an ini file on the server that would point to a SQL Server that would have the same data in the same structure. But that would be a lot of work on our part.
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>>Tsk, tsk... just add a line copying the RO file from server to each local dir at start and access from there, Bill the big work part and send a szable percentage here ;-))
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>Kind of a chicken-and-egg situation: if SMB1 is turned off, the XP boxes can't connect to the server to download the RO DBF in the first place...

Not really. Only the vfp and the OS(read vfp)/OS-Com tools need SMBx - but HTTP, FTP, SFTP and so on can copy a small dbf easily. Just check what protocol the SMB server supports, and since using a Linux router is out, that server already supports more than basic functionality...

//upd: saw you already mentioned other protocols in sub-thread ;-)
Powershell was not something I had considered, given that there are FTP source solutions for vfp and anything HTTP is a good reason to visit Ricks site to get a sophisticated 1 or 2-liner utilizing his classes - and I have not really gotten into powershell ;-))

Good option if doable in a single line, as vfp is win only. In other languages I'd argue for a sourced soluton ;-))