Can FileMaker Server natively run on a Linode?

In my experience I have only seen FileMaker Server used in Windows and Mac environments. As Linodes natively run Linux distributions, there is a huge chance that FileMaker Server will not be compatible to natively run on Linux.

Checking the system requirements for FileMaker Server 17, I see that this is correct:

Certified Operating Systems

Windows Server 2016 Standard Edition (with Desktop Experience)
Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard Edition with Update (see Microsoft KB 2919355)
macOS Mojave 10.14
macOS High Sierra 10.13
macOS Sierra 10.12

FileMaker Server 17 - Technical Specifications

Their documentation additionally states that

Operating systems not listed in the table above may also work but have not been tested and are not supported.

So in theory you could try to install Windows Server on your Linode, which many customers have done with success. Please advised however that Linode Support would not be able to provide support for a custom server distribution like Windows Server on a Linode.

Taking a deeper look at other FileMaker offerings however, I do see that they have another product called FileMaker Cloud which does natively run on Linux:

Operating system

CentOS Linux 7.4

Note: Linux is only supported on FileMaker Cloud. FileMaker Server is compatible with Windows and Mac operating systems.

FileMaker Cloud - Technical Specifications

It looks like FileMaker Cloud will only work with the following clients, so that is additionally important to note here:

FileMaker Cloud 1.17 supports the following clients:

FileMaker Pro 17 Advanced
FileMaker Go 17
Apps created using iOS App SDK 17
FileMaker WebDirect

So if it's feasible for you, it would definitely be worth checking out FileMaker Cloud for your infrastructure on Linode! Please be sure to write back and let us know how this goes for you.

FileMaker Server for Linux was released a couple of years ago. I am myself running FileMaker Servers under Ubuntu with Linode, with very good results.