1. A method for allowing one or more remote computers to execute one or more application programs and to share data files under the control of a server computer connected in a network with said one or more remote computers without modification of existing application programs which were designed to operate in a non-network environment comprising: establishing at said server computer a program matrix with entries indicating whether a program can be run while another program or group of programs are being run on the network; maintaining at said server computer a list of the programs currently being run on the network and data files currently being accessed or otherwise not availblbe for access; transmitting to said server computer from each remote computer a unique identification; recording the unique identifications of the remote computers at the server computer to provide an indication that the remote computers are authorized to use application programs and access data files; converting a data management request originating at said server computer or one of said remote computers into a file sharing and record locking protocol request message; transmitting said file sharing and record locking protocol request message originating at one of said remote computers to said server computer; checking said program matrix and said list to determine if said request message poses a conflict with a currently running program; and checking the recorded unique identifications of the remote computers to determine if the remote computer which transmitted said request message is authorized to run an application program or access a data file.