Profit Tools for Trucking General System Requirements. Requirements For Hardware, Network, Software and Communications

Transcription

1 Revised 01/02/14 Profit Tools for Trucking General System Requirements Requirements For Hardware, Network, Software and Communications Hardware and Network Requirements: CLIENTS 1. Practical Minimum Client PC Requirements: Low-end workstation (See Notes 8, 11) A. CPU processor running at 1.6 Ghz or higher B. Memory 1 GB or more RAM C. Video 32 MB PCI or AGP capable of 1024 x 768 resolution at 256 color or better D. CD ROM drive E. Fast Ethernet (100BASE-X) 100 Mbit/s 12.5 MB/s or faster Network connection for LAN installations (see note 3) F. 20GB or larger hard drive ATA 133 or better G. All Windows Professional Operating systems (see note 3) H. Suitable battery backup power supply (UPS) 650 VA or higher J. (Optional) Scanner with USB interface card and cable for Document Imaging (see note 4) 2. Recommended Client PC Requirements: Mid-Range Workstation (See Notes 8, 11) A. CPU Dual Core 2.6Ghz or faster B. Memory 2 GB or more RAM C. Video 32 MB PCI or AGP capable of 1024 x 768 resolution at 256 color or better D. CD ROM or CD RW E. Fast Ethernet (100BASE-X) 100 Mbit/s 12.5 MB/s or faster Network connection with full duplex for LAN F. 160GB or larger hard drive ATA 133 or SATA G. All Windows Professional Operating systems (see note 3) H. Suitable battery backup power supply (UPS) 650VA or higher J. (Optional) ISIS Scanner with USB interface card and cable for Document Imaging (see note 4) 3. Recommended Client PC Requirements: Heavily Utilized System (See Notes 8, 11) A. CPU Quad Core 2.6Ghz or faster B. Memory 4 GB or more RAM C. Video 32 MB PCI or AGP capable of 1024 x 768 resolution at 256 color or better D. CD ROM or CD RW E. Fast Ethernet (100BASE-X) 100 Mbit/s 12.5 MB/s or faster Network connection with full duplex for LAN F. 200GB or larger hard drive ATA 133, SATA, or SAS G. All Windows Professional Operating systems (see note 3) H. Suitable battery backup power supply (UPS) 650VA or higher (Optional) ISIS Scanner with USB interface card and cable for Document Imaging (see note 4) Hardware and Network Requirements: SERVERS 4. Practical Minimum Server PC Requirements: Low-end Server (See Note 8) From 1 to 6 Client workstation connections A. CPU Quad Core 2.6Ghz or faster Profit Tools, Inc., 249 Calef Highway, Lee, NH Page 1 of 6

2 B. Memory 4 GB or more RAM C. Video 8 MB PCI or AGP capable of 1024 x 768 resolution at 256 color or better D. DVD drive E. Fast Ethernet (100BASE-X) 100 Mbit/s 12.5 MB/s or faster Network connection with full duplex for LAN F. 200GB or larger ATA 133, SATA, or SAS hard drive RAID 5 suggested (see note 1) G. All Windows Server operating systems (see note 2,3) H. Digital tape backup system or other software capable of unattended backup of critical data stores. I. Suitable battery backup power supply (UPS) 1800 VA or higher J. Monitor 17 diagonal capable of 1024 x 768 display at 16 bit color or better (see note 10) 5. Recommended Server PC Requirements: Mid-Range Server (See Note 8) For up to 20 Client workstation connections A. CPU Quad Core Xeon X3320 or higher B. Memory 8 GB or more RAM C. Video 8 MB PCI or AGP capable of 1024 x 768 resolution at 256 color or better D. DVD Drive E. Fast Ethernet (1000BASE-X) 1 Gbit/s 12.5 MB/s or faster Network connection with full duplex for LAN F GB or larger SATA, SCSI, or SAS hard drives RAID 5 suggested (see note 1) G. All Windows Server operating systems (see note 3) H. Digital tape backup system or other software capable of unattended backup of critical data stores. I. Suitable battery backup power supply (UPS) 2000 VA or higher J. Monitor 17 diagonal capable of 1024 x 768 display at 16 bit color or better (see note 10) 6. Recommended Server PC Requirements: High-End Server (See Note 8) For over 20 Client workstation connections For remote access, one db server and one terminal server for each 15 remote users with A. CPU Quad Core Xeon X3320 or higher B. Memory 12 GB or more RAM C. Video 8 MB PCI or AGP capable of 1024 x 768 resolution at 256 color or better D. DVD Drive E. Fast Ethernet (1000BASE-X) 1 Gbit/s 12.5 MB/s or faster Network connection with full duplex for LAN F GB or larger SATA, SAS, or SCSI hard drives RAID 6 suggested (see note 1) G. All Windows Server operating systems (see note 3) K. Digital tape backup system or other software capable of unattended backup of critical data stores. (May require auto-loader device.) H. Suitable battery backup power supply (UPS) 2000 VA or higher Hardware and Network Requirements: NOTES 1. Storage Requirements Additional storage capacity may be necessary to store imaged documents. Enough hard drive space for 36 months of anticipated scanning volume is recommended. 1GB of storage space equals approximately 20,000 scanned documents. Thus, a scanning volume of 500 documents per week, 26,000 per year, would require approximately 3GB to store 36 months of work. We do not recommend that Exchange Server be installed on the Profit Tool server. We do not recommend that disk compression is turned enabled on the Profit Tools server. 2. Server Requirements Profit Tools, Inc., 249 Calef Highway, Lee, NH (603) Page 2 of 6

3 Please note that all Windows Server operating systems will support a maximum of 10 inbound network connections by default. Novell network operating system is not supported. Currently supported version of Windows Server are 2003, 2008, 2011-SBS. We do not support Windows Server Profit Tools is currently not "certified" to run on Windows 8 or Server Networking Requirements TCP/IP is required network protocol. Computers acting as the Profit Tools database server require a static IP address. Wide Area Networks must provide a full T1 (128kbs) or greater IP connection that is Windows compatible with remote users accessing the Profit Tools application via Terminal Services. Local Area Networks should be 1GB or faster Ethernet connected through UPS protected hubs or switches. Profit Tools supports peer-to-peer networking provided the Profit Tools database server is running Windows Server operating system or Small Business Server, and required data backup and battery backup is in place. Clustering on the server has not been certified. On very small networks (3 or less users) Windows 7 Professional, Windows 8 Professional or greater versions can be used as a server. Citrix is supported and recommended for Published Application scenarios; however, if the remote users do not have a desktop, troubleshooting remote access becomes problematic. Profit Tools may require a special Citrix connection with a desktop to help troubleshoot possible application issues. 4. Document Imaging Requirements Scanner: ISIS compatible with bin feed of 10ppm or greater, plus flatbed for torn, wrinkled or non-standard size documents. Multiple units may be necessary for high volume installations and for backup in case of breakdown. For a suggested list of ISIS compatible scanners go to: Scanning of documents directly into Profit Tools is not compatible with Thin Clients. If an ISIS compatible scanner is not available, the user can scan documents into a shared folder on the network, then assign the documents within Profit Tools. Image Storage: Recommend separate hard drive (or RAID array for high volume installations) for scanned documents with automatic file backup system and UPS backup. Enough hard drive space for 36 months of anticipated scanning volume is recommended. (1GB of storage space equals about 20,000 scanned documents. A scanning volume of 500 documents per week, 26,000 per year, would require 3GB to store 36 months of work). Profit Tools uses embedded Pegasus software for scanning and image file handling. A Pegasus core license provides viewing and one scanning license. Additional scanning licenses are required if additional scanners are to be used concurrently. Periodic upgrades may be required from Pegasus at additional cost. Remote Scanning in a Terminal Services environment may require the use of the a third party utility such as RemoteScan. Older scanners may not be compatible with newer operating systems. Check with support before upgrading your operating system. We do not recommend Kodak scanners.. 5. Internet access at 768 Kbit/sec or faster is strongly recommended to enable remote system access for support and upgrade purposes. 6. Server disaster recovery may be facilitated by using a non-ntfs file system on the boot partition, discus this with your IT professional. 7. Home editions of the Microsoft operating systems are not supported due to their inability to fully support network sharing and security. Profit Tools, Inc., 249 Calef Highway, Lee, NH (603) Page 3 of 6

4 8. System Requirements Servers, Client workstations and applications are required to be running in a stable and error free manner. We do not recommend or support Servers configured in a Cluster environment. On servers it is recommended by Microsoft to set the virtual memory to 1.5 times the physical memory on the server. Also, it is not recommended to have the swap file reside on the RAID cluster. Although we recommend Windows Terminal Services for remote connectivity, we highly recommend that the Profit Tools database server is a standalone server with no other applications or services running including terminal services. Remote desktop settings should be set to at least high color 15bit or higher Microsoft Terminal Server Published Application mode is not recommended due to screen refresh issues with several PT lookup screens that access DB information to populate these dialogues. Profit Tools is a 32bit application, but we are compatible to run on 64bit Windows 7, 8 or greater Operating Systems. Profit Tools requires/suggests the following configuration please make sure your IT staff is familiar with these configurations. Profit Tools will not operate on compressed files or folders. When installing a new server or workstation make sure Data Execution Prevention (DEP) is set on for essential windows programs and services only. When installing a new workstation we recommend turning off User Access Controls (UAC). Configure anti-virus applications to exclude the Profit Tools folder on the network and the Sybase folder on the local c drive on the workstation. 9. Printer Requirements We do not recommend printers that will only accept/operate with GDI drivers. We recommend printers that will accept/operate with PCL or PostScript drivers. It is recommended that network printers be configured as a local port pointing to the UNC (i.e. \\server\network printer share) path to the network printer. This will significantly increase a speed issue in XP Service Pack 2. Also note that some multifunction printers have problems working in a Terminal Server environment, such as the Canon Ic Series 800 please check with the manufacturer before purchasing a multifunction printer if it is to be used in a Terminal Server environment. Remote printing on Window 2008 R1 server may require a third party product. Call our technical support group. 10. Monitor Requirements We highly recommend that all client monitors be set to 1024x768 to insure full functionality and screen visibility is available. 11. Client Requirements Clients such as those that will be used for simple data entry or lookup will be examples of low-end clients. Clients such as those that will be used for simple dispatch would be an example of a medium-range client. Clients such as those that will be used for complex dispatch, billing (accounts receivable) or driver s pay (accounts payable) would be an example of a high-end client. Additional Operating System Notes User Access Control in Server 2008 and Windows 7 operating systems may be required to be off for proper performance. It is not recommended to install into the c:\program files directory in some instances. We do not recommend wireless network connectivity if hardwiring is possible. Important: In order for the client workstations to effectively communicate with the server via TCP/IP traffic you must have port number 2638 excluded if you have the windows firewall turned on the server or other firewall software. If you have a Windows 7 or Server 2008 billing computer, you will need to update to a newer version of the QuickBooks interface. Please call technical support for more information. QuickBooks 2013 R4 and QuickBooks Enterprise 13.0 R4 are supported on the new Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 operating systems. Notes: Windows Small Business Server does not support Terminal Server. It is highly recommended that the database server and the terminal server ARE NOT installed on the same server. Profit Tools, Inc., 249 Calef Highway, Lee, NH (603) Page 4 of 6

5 Older scanners may not be compatible with newer operating systems. Check with support before upgrading your operating system. Additional Software Notes: Database Software: Profit Tools uses embedded Sybase Adaptive Server Anywhere (ASA) for database purposes. A Sybase license is required for each user (each Operations license), plus one for the server. One Sybase license is also required for each scheduler workstation. A scheduler workstation will be running the Profit Tools scheduler, which controls the automatic process, such as Auto Notification, EDI, and Mobile Communications. Periodic upgrades may be required from Sybase at additional cost. Customer will purchase this software and licensing through Profit Tools and not off the shelf software. For billing setup purposes, clients should have an electronic version of their company logo (.BMP or.wmf format). If you do not already have one, please consult a Profit Tools technical representative for assistance. The server should be configured with data backup software capable of performing unattended data backups at pre-determined times (see Server Requirements, above). Profit Tools strongly recommends the use of anti virus software such as Norton, McAfee, NOD32 etc.. Profit Tools recommends regular use of spyware removal tools such as Microsoft Security Essentials, AdAware, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, or SpyBot Search and Destroy to remove parasitic internet spyware programs from each computer. For a total EDI solution. FREDI Development tools are required and in some instances WS_FTP PRO may be required. We highly recommend having at least one workstation with Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel installed. This is to insure that you can export information out of Profit Tools into a media format that is readable by most other businesses. If you do not have Microsoft Office you can download a free compatible products called OpenOffice by Sun Microsystems available at We do not support Word We highly recommend Microsoft Office 2012, or at least Microsoft Word, is installed on all workstations that will be accessing reports/invoices/delivery receipts, etc. We do not support Word 2002 and are not compatible yet on Microsoft Office 2013 products New versions of Microsoft Office will require that prior Microsoft Office file extensions are recognized. Click and run (virtualized) versions of Microsoft Office/Word are not supported for direct DOC / XLS export. Intuit the maker of Quickbooks has published an article on their web site regarding compatibility with Windows 7. See this web link The Profit Tools to Quickbooks direct interface method is adversely impacted by this incompatibility. The Profit Tools to Quickbooks direct interface is not supported on the Windows 7 operating system on Quickbooks Versions 2009 and earlier. This does not impact the Quickbooks direct interface method on other versions of Windows. QuickBooks 2013 R4 and QuickBooks Enterprise 13.0 R4 are supported on the new Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 operating systems. PCMiler Fuel Tax is not supported on Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 operating systems. PCMiler 26 and previous versions is not supported on Windows 8 operating systems, compatibility for Server 2012 and Window 8 will not be available until PCMiler 27 For more information on Profit Tools compatibility, see this page on our web site Automated Notification Requirements and other Scheduled Automated Processes Software requirements: Windows Professional operating system, Profit Tools, Sybase license, the latest version of Microsoft Word (we do not recommend Word XP on the machine that will be run the auto service, nor do we support Word 2002) must be on all computers that will be used to send Auto as well as the computer that will act as the server. Profit Tools, Inc., 249 Calef Highway, Lee, NH (603) Page 5 of 6

6 Hardware requirements: One computer on your network will act as the automated scheduler workstation. Ideally, we recommend that this workstation be a dedicated workstation. This workstation can be shared with other automated processes such as EDI and Track & Trace. Automatic processes happen at relatively short intervals, but may require significant processing power at these times and would interfere with a user s ability to perform other tasks concurrently. If a dedicated workstation is not an option, we recommend using a workstation that receives light or intermittent usage perhaps a scanner workstation. Microsoft Word is used to populate both manual and automatic templates, and must be installed on all machines that will send from Profit Tools, and on the workstation that will be running the Profit Tools scheduler. For most application involving system generated s, the scheduler workstation must have a supported version of Microsoft Word installed. The Auto application uses SMTP and does not support SSL or encrypted . You will need to notify your hosting company or your IT professional to enable SMTP forwarding on the server with a valid account on the server. servers used for automation ( Notification, Invoice Transfer, Document Delivery, etc) should not be restricted to the quantities of s that may be sent per account, or if limited (such as GoDaddy) the limit should be high enough to insure the limit is not reached by the automated systems. Profit Tools, Inc., 249 Calef Highway, Lee, NH (603) Page 6 of 6