CMS System Requirements - Revision history

Russ horton: /* Servers */

2020-12-04T18:06:08Z

Servers

Russ horton: /* Servers */

2020-05-04T16:56:07Z

Servers

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:56, 4 May 2020
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	'''Database Server - Additional Recommendations'''		'''Database Server - Additional Recommendations'''
	Server enhancements to consider as your server demands increase (higher volume, more workstation connections, larger/multiple databases)		Server enhancements to consider as your server demands increase (higher volume, more workstation connections, larger/multiple databases)
	#The best things you can do to improve the performance and capability of your CMS server is to maximize your RAM, purchase fast hard drives, and ensure adequate available disk space. The speed and number of processors ~~has~~ less to do with CMS performance than does I/O (disk read/write speed) and being able to cache some or all of the database into RAM. This should be your first goal when purchasing a new server or optimizing ~~and~~ existing server~~. Read more about [http://wiki.newhavensoftware.com/index.php/CMS_System_Requirements#What_is_.22database_caching.22.3F database caching] options below to make the most of your available RAM~~.		#The best things you can do to improve the performance and capability of your CMS server is to maximize your RAM, purchase fast hard drives, and ensure adequate available disk space. The speed and number of processors have less to do with CMS performance than does I/O (disk read/write speed) and being able to cache some or all of the database into RAM. This should be your first goal when purchasing a new server or optimizing an existing server.
	#Solid State Drives (SSD) can be an attractive option/addition to your server. They are essentially RAM and are extremely fast.		#Solid State Drives (SSD) can be an attractive option/addition to your server. They are essentially RAM and are extremely fast.
	#Isolate your CMS database onto its own drive so it is not sharing a drive with your operating system or other server files.		#Isolate your CMS database onto its own drive so it is not sharing a drive with your operating system or other server files.
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	#Check your Power Options (Control Panel>Hardware>Power Options) and select High Performance (not necessary to do this and running in Balanced mode may be fine but consider this if experiencing performance issues)		#Check your Power Options (Control Panel>Hardware>Power Options) and select High Performance (not necessary to do this and running in Balanced mode may be fine but consider this if experiencing performance issues)
	#The CMS database server (Sybase) can make use of dual processors but, as a rule, processing speed does not play a huge role in performance. Consider this nice to have but not a necessity and lower in priority than the RAM and fast drive recommendations above.		#The CMS database server (Sybase) can make use of dual processors but, as a rule, processing speed does not play a huge role in performance. Consider this nice to have but not a necessity and lower in priority than the RAM and fast drive recommendations above.
	#Fast network cards - Especially useful if you run a lot of reports from your workstations. In conjunction, evaluate speed and age of switches (replace hubs) and network cabling.		#Fast network cards - Especially useful if you run a lot of reports from your workstations. In conjunction, evaluate the speed and age of switches (replace hubs) and network cabling.
	#[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAID RAID] 6 or other drive ~~array~~. ~~Priority of~~ redundancy over striping if going with a different RAID configuration. Your server is at the heart of your company's operation and you need to make sure you can keep it going. Redundancy will help you sleep at night.		#[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAID RAID] 6 or other drive arrays. Prioritize redundancy over striping if going with a different RAID configuration. Your server is at the heart of your company's operation and you need to make sure you can keep it going. Redundancy will help you sleep at night.
	#Backups - While not a performance issue, this is an important consideration for a new server. You'll want to have an automated system in place to move the nightly CMS backup (must be turned on and configured) to other storage locations. Ideally you'd have a rolling backup routine that allows you to store backups for each night without overwriting the previous backups and then move the last backup of the week off-site (DVD, tape or online backup location). This way even if your place of business was in a natural disaster or your server was stolen, you would reasonably be able to recover. We unfortunately ~~had~~ a customer of ours go out of business because they were unable to recover when their server was lost in a fire. ~~Protect~~ yourself from the same fate.		#Backups - While not a performance issue, this is an important consideration for a new server. You'll want to have an automated system in place to move the nightly CMS backup (must be turned on and configured in CMS) to other storage locations. Ideally, you'd have a rolling backup routine that allows you to store backups for each night without overwriting the previous backups and then move the last backup of the week off-site (DVD, tape, or online backup location). This way even if your place of business was in a natural disaster or your server was stolen, you would reasonably be able to recover. We had, unfortunately, a customer of ours go out of business because they were unable to recover when their server was lost in a fire. Please protect yourself from the same fate.

	'''Configuration'''		'''Configuration'''

Russ horton: /* CMS workstations */

2020-05-04T16:52:45Z

CMS workstations

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:52, 4 May 2020
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	'''Minimum Requirements'''		'''Minimum Requirements'''
	* Pentium III 500 MHz or faster		* Pentium III 500 MHz or faster
	* 1 GB RAM		* 2 GB RAM
	* CD-ROM Drive
	* 20GB Hard Drive with 2GB available		* 20GB Hard Drive with 2GB available
	* SVGA Monitor
	* 10Mbps Network Card(s) or faster		* 10Mbps Network Card(s) or faster

	'''CMS Workstation Recommendations'''		'''CMS Workstation Recommendations'''

	Very little processing, disk space or hardware is required to run CMS on a workstation. Most everything takes place on the server or in memory so your workstation requirements are reasonably small. Our only recommendation, beyond the above minimums, is to upgrade your RAM to 16 Gig.		Very little processing, disk space, or hardware is required to run CMS on a workstation. Most everything takes place on the server or in memory so your workstation requirements are reasonably small. Our only recommendation, beyond the above minimums, is to upgrade your RAM to 8+ Gig to support operations on large sets of data (e.g. mail list filtering, reporting, exporting).

	==[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peripheral Peripherals]==		==[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peripheral Peripherals]==

Russ horton: /* CMS workstations */

2020-05-04T16:51:19Z

CMS workstations

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:51, 4 May 2020
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	'''CMS Workstation Recommendations'''		'''CMS Workstation Recommendations'''

	Very little processing, disk space or hardware is required to run CMS on a workstation. Most everything takes place on the server or in memory so your workstation requirements are reasonably small. Our only recommendation, beyond the above minimums, is to upgrade your RAM to 4 Gig.		Very little processing, disk space or hardware is required to run CMS on a workstation. Most everything takes place on the server or in memory so your workstation requirements are reasonably small. Our only recommendation, beyond the above minimums, is to upgrade your RAM to 16 Gig.

	==[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peripheral Peripherals]==		==[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peripheral Peripherals]==

Russ horton: /* Servers */

2020-05-04T16:50:50Z

Servers

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:50, 4 May 2020
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	For small volume companies with one or few workstations		For small volume companies with one or few workstations
	* Pentium 4 - 1.8 GHz or faster CPU		* Pentium 4 - 1.8 GHz or faster CPU
	* 1 Gigabyte RAM		* 2 Gigabyte RAM
	* 128 GB Hard Drive with '''at least''' 2x your CMS database size always available in disk space		* 128 GB Hard Drive with '''at least''' 2x your CMS database size always available in disk space
	* CD-ROM or CD-R/RW Drive
	* SVGA Monitor

	'''Database Server - Additional Recommendations'''		'''Database Server - Additional Recommendations'''

Russ horton: /* Servers */

2020-05-04T16:49:25Z

Servers

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:49, 4 May 2020
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	*Windows Server 2012 (CMS v9.0.9 or later)		*Windows Server 2012 (CMS v9.0.9 or later)
	**Server 2012 R2 Editions supported - Essentials, Standard		**Server 2012 R2 Editions supported - Essentials, Standard
			NOTE: Our experience has been that the server OS has never presented an issue for CMS or Sybase (our database server software.) Newer versions of Windows Server would be expected to work equally as well for editions corresponding to those listed above.

	==Workstations or CMS Solo (i.e. single-user)==		==Workstations or CMS Solo (i.e. single-user)==

Russ horton: /* PCI Compliance */

2020-05-01T20:37:09Z

PCI Compliance

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:37, 1 May 2020
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	===PCI Compliance===		===PCI Compliance===
	There are PCI implications when moving your CMS database (which stores credit card data) to the cloud. It will add risk and corresponding cost/effort to mitigate that risk in order to remain PCI compliant. Here is a document from the PCI Council for guidance - https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/pdfs/PCI_DSS_v2_Cloud_Guidelines.pdf		There are PCI implications when moving your CMS database (which stores credit card data) to the cloud. It will add risk and corresponding cost/effort to mitigate that risk in order to remain PCI compliant. Here is a document from the PCI Council for guidance - https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/pdfs/PCI_DSS_v2_Cloud_Guidelines.pdf

	Another helpful article from TechTarget detailing some of the cloud deployment challenges stemming from the recent PCI-DSS 3.0 spec - http://searchcloudsecurity.techtarget.com/tip/PCI-DSS-30-Three-key-requirements-to-maintain-cloud-compliance

	From the security experts, Coalfire Systems who validated CMS for PA-DSS, comes this [https://www.coalfire.com/Resources/White-Papers/Cloud-Security-Intelligence-Report Cloud Deployment Intelligence report] which provided valuable insight to consider before launching in the cloud.		From the security experts, Coalfire Systems who validated CMS for PA-DSS, comes this [https://www.coalfire.com/Resources/White-Papers/Cloud-Security-Intelligence-Report Cloud Deployment Intelligence report] which provided valuable insight to consider before launching in the cloud.

Russ horton: /* Remote Desktop and Terminal Server */

2020-04-03T16:23:03Z

Remote Desktop and Terminal Server

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:23, 3 April 2020
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	==[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_Desktop_Services Remote Desktop and Terminal Server]==		==[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_Desktop_Services Remote Desktop and Terminal Server]==
	*Our preferred method is to use Windows' built-in remote access options. Remote Desktop (RDP) allows you to connect to your work machine with CMS on it and control it remotely. To do this you must first establish a [~~virtual private network (VPN) connection~~ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_private_network].		*Our preferred method is to use Windows' built-in remote access options. Remote Desktop (RDP) allows you to connect to your work machine with CMS on it and control it remotely. To do this you must first establish a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_private_network virtual private network (VPN) connection].
	*[http://www.emazzanti.net/the-12-advantages-of-terminal-services/ Terminal Services] or Remote Desktop Services (RDS) is also an option that will allow you to VPN into your server and create/run a remote session right on the server and without the need for a dedicated workstation. This is also a popular option but does require purchasing Windows client access licenses (CALs). Note: Running CMS 8.0 or later on terminal services will require that you enable Windows themes (usually off or not installed with Windows Server OS's). Also note that when running CMS in terminal services, all users share the same 'Workstation Specific' settings (In CMS see Setup>General>Workstation Specific to review these settings and assess if this trade-off is acceptable.)		*[http://www.emazzanti.net/the-12-advantages-of-terminal-services/ Terminal Services] or Remote Desktop Services (RDS) is also an option that will allow you to VPN into your server and create/run a remote session right on the server and without the need for a dedicated workstation. This is also a popular option but does require purchasing Windows client access licenses (CALs). Note: Running CMS 8.0 or later on terminal services will require that you enable Windows themes (usually off or not installed with Windows Server OS's). Also note that when running CMS in terminal services, all users share the same 'Workstation Specific' settings (In CMS see Setup>General>Workstation Specific to review these settings and assess if this trade-off is acceptable.)
	*We've written a separate article on configuration recommendations for RDP - http://wiki.newhavensoftware.com/index.php/CMS_over_Microsoft_Remote_Desktop		*We've written a separate article on configuration recommendations for RDP - http://wiki.newhavensoftware.com/index.php/CMS_over_Microsoft_Remote_Desktop

Russ horton: /* Remote Connections */

2020-04-03T16:22:20Z

Remote Connections

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:22, 3 April 2020
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	==[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_Desktop_Services Remote Desktop and Terminal Server]==		==[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_Desktop_Services Remote Desktop and Terminal Server]==
	*Our preferred method is to use Windows' built-in remote access options. Remote Desktop (RDP) allows you to connect to your work machine with CMS on it and control it remotely. To do this you must first establish a virtual private network (VPN) connection.		*Our preferred method is to use Windows' built-in remote access options. Remote Desktop (RDP) allows you to connect to your work machine with CMS on it and control it remotely. To do this you must first establish a [virtual private network (VPN) connection https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_private_network].
	*[http://www.emazzanti.net/the-12-advantages-of-terminal-services/ Terminal Services] or Remote Desktop Services (RDS) is also an option that will allow you to VPN into your server and create/run a remote session right on the server and without the need for a dedicated workstation. This is also a popular option but does require purchasing Windows client access licenses (CALs). Note: Running CMS 8.0 or later on terminal services will require that you enable Windows themes (usually off or not installed with Windows Server OS's). Also note that when running CMS in terminal services, all users share the same 'Workstation Specific' settings (In CMS see Setup>General>Workstation Specific to review these settings and assess if this trade-off is acceptable.)		*[http://www.emazzanti.net/the-12-advantages-of-terminal-services/ Terminal Services] or Remote Desktop Services (RDS) is also an option that will allow you to VPN into your server and create/run a remote session right on the server and without the need for a dedicated workstation. This is also a popular option but does require purchasing Windows client access licenses (CALs). Note: Running CMS 8.0 or later on terminal services will require that you enable Windows themes (usually off or not installed with Windows Server OS's). Also note that when running CMS in terminal services, all users share the same 'Workstation Specific' settings (In CMS see Setup>General>Workstation Specific to review these settings and assess if this trade-off is acceptable.)
	*We've written a separate article on configuration recommendations for RDP - http://wiki.newhavensoftware.com/index.php/CMS_over_Microsoft_Remote_Desktop		*We've written a separate article on configuration recommendations for RDP - http://wiki.newhavensoftware.com/index.php/CMS_over_Microsoft_Remote_Desktop

Russ horton: /* Scales */

2020-02-21T18:31:55Z

Scales

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:31, 21 February 2020
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	*CMS 8.0 or later - USB connections are supported for the Toledo models PS60 and PS90 (in addition to supporting serial connections for the scale models mentioned above.)		*CMS 8.0 or later - USB connections are supported for the Toledo models PS60 and PS90 (in addition to supporting serial connections for the scale models mentioned above.)
	*[http://updates.newhavensoftware.com/v9release_notes.htm#link-1-9 CMS 9.0.5] or later - Any of the above plus the Adam brand scale - CPWplus models (e.g. CPWplus 35). These scales require a serial connection with '''null modem cable''' which is not included or can be used in conjunction with a USB-serial converter if your computer has no serial port (although a $15 serial card is cheaper and better.)		*[http://updates.newhavensoftware.com/v9release_notes.htm#link-1-9 CMS 9.0.5] or later - Any of the above plus the Adam brand scale - CPWplus models (e.g. CPWplus 35). These scales require a serial connection with '''null modem cable''' which is not included or can be used in conjunction with a USB-serial converter if your computer has no serial port (although a $15 serial card is cheaper and better.)
	*CMS 10.0.11.~~244~~ adds support for the Mettler Toledo BC-30 and BC-60 models which replace the model PS60 in Mettler Toledo's lineup (both are available in CMS.)		*CMS 10.0.14.270 adds support for the Mettler Toledo BC-30 and BC-60 models which replace the model PS60 in Mettler Toledo's lineup (both are available in CMS.)

	If you are using a scale provided by UPS or FedEx, you may need to change a setting in the scale's menu to restore it to default settings (so it is no longer using a proprietary communication protocol).		If you are using a scale provided by UPS or FedEx, you may need to change a setting in the scale's menu to restore it to default settings (so it is no longer using a proprietary communication protocol).

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:06, 4 December 2020
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	For small volume companies with one or few workstations		For small volume companies with one or few workstations
	* Pentium 4 - 1.8 GHz or faster CPU		* Pentium 4 - 1.8 GHz or faster CPU
	* 2 Gigabyte RAM		* 8 Gigabyte RAM
	* ~~128~~ GB Hard Drive with '''at least''' 2x your CMS database size always available in disk space		* 500 GB Hard Drive with '''at least''' 2x your CMS database size always available in disk space

	'''Database Server - Additional Recommendations'''		'''Database Server - Additional Recommendations'''
	Server enhancements to consider as your server demands increase (higher volume, more workstation connections, larger/multiple databases)		Server enhancements to consider as your server demands increase (higher volume, more workstation connections, larger/multiple databases)
	#The best things you can do to improve the performance and capability of your CMS server is to maximize your RAM, purchase fast hard drives, and ensure adequate available disk space. The speed and number of processors have less to do with CMS performance than does I/O (disk read/write speed) and being able to cache some or all of the database into RAM. This should be your first goal when purchasing a new server or optimizing an existing server.		#The best things you can do to improve the performance and capability of your CMS server is to maximize your RAM, purchase fast hard drives, and ensure adequate available disk space. The speed and number of processors/cores have less to do with CMS performance than does I/O (disk read/write speed) and being able to cache some or all of the database into RAM. This should be your first goal when purchasing a new server or optimizing an existing server.
	#Solid State Drives (SSD) can be an attractive option/addition to your server. They are essentially RAM and are extremely fast.		#Solid State Drives (SSD) can be an attractive option/addition to your server. They are essentially RAM and are extremely fast.
	#Isolate your CMS database onto its own drive so it is not sharing a drive with your operating system or other server files.		#Isolate your CMS database onto its own drive so it is not sharing a drive with your operating system or other server files.
Line 22:		Line 22:
	#Disable Windows Themes (typically is disabled or not installed at all on server operating systems)		#Disable Windows Themes (typically is disabled or not installed at all on server operating systems)
	#Check your Power Options (Control Panel>Hardware>Power Options) and select High Performance (not necessary to do this and running in Balanced mode may be fine but consider this if experiencing performance issues)		#Check your Power Options (Control Panel>Hardware>Power Options) and select High Performance (not necessary to do this and running in Balanced mode may be fine but consider this if experiencing performance issues)
	#The CMS database server (Sybase) can make use of dual processors but, as a rule, processing speed does not play a huge role in performance. Consider this nice to have but not a necessity and lower in priority than the RAM and fast drive recommendations above.
	#Fast network cards - Especially useful if you run a lot of reports from your workstations. In conjunction, evaluate the speed and age of switches (replace hubs) and network cabling.		#Fast network cards - Especially useful if you run a lot of reports from your workstations. In conjunction, evaluate the speed and age of switches (replace hubs) and network cabling.
	#[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAID RAID] 6 or other drive arrays. Prioritize redundancy over striping if going with a different RAID configuration. Your server is at the heart of your company's operation and you need to make sure you can keep it going. Redundancy will help you sleep at night.		#[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAID RAID] 6 or other drive arrays. Prioritize redundancy over striping if going with a different RAID configuration. Your server is at the heart of your company's operation and you need to make sure you can keep it going. Redundancy will help you sleep at night.