June 5, 2018 TECH NOTES

Transcription

1 June 5, 2018 TECH NOTES

2 Overview Dedicated Server(s) B2W Software products require dedicated physical or virtual servers to host SQL Server databases, application services and reporting services. There are several reasons for this: When troubleshooting an issue with a B2W Software product or Microsoft SQL Server, rebooting the server may be a necessary step. Rebooting a non-dedicated server is not always feasible. Troubleshooting certain issues may require that a B2W Software support rep be granted access to your server, a privilege we would prefer not to have on a non-dedicated server. B2W Software products may require specific levels of Windows,.NET, and/or SQL Server Service Packs. Applying these products may conflict with existing applications on a nondedicated server. The sheer volume of retail software products on the market today makes it difficult for B2W Software to test a product s interaction with all but the most common and prolific applications. A dedicated server ensures that you will have the best experience possible, free of unexpected results from interactions with other untested programs. Since we cannot predict the load that other applications will place on the server, we are unable to guarantee performance on a non-dedicated server. If there is an issue with another application that brings your server down, your B2W Software product goes down as well. B2W Software products are mission-critical applications. An adequate server running only B2W Software products is the way to ensure exceptional performance and reliability. Windows Small Business, Foundation, & Essentials Servers B2W Software products cannot be installed on a Windows Small Business Server, Windows Server Foundation, or Windows Server Essentials These environments are not dedicated servers and all B2W Software products require a dedicated server. For example, many of these installations act as a domain controller, an server, or even a web server. B2W Software does not certify their software on unsupported platforms. 32-bit and 64-bit Operating Systems B2W Estimate is certified on both 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems. B2W Operational Suite requires 64-bit operating systems. Citrix and Terminal Servers B2W Estimate is certified in Citrix and Terminal Server environments. Your B2W Client Services rep will work with you to verify the hardware specifications of your Citrix or Terminal Server. Virtual Servers All B2W Software products can be installed on a virtual server provided the server meets or exceeds the hardware and software requirements outlined in this document. 2

3 Microsoft SQL Server Licensing & Considerations All B2W Software products require Microsoft SQL Server as their database engine. B2W Software products require an English instance of SQL Server using the default collation setting named: SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS Installations with 5 or fewer total users across all B2W Software products may use Express, Standard or Enterprise editions of SQL Server. SQL Server Express, a free edition of SQL Server, is recommended only for clients with a total of 5 or fewer users across all B2W Software products, and has the following limitations: Limited maximum database size. SQL Server Express editions have a maximum database size of 10 GB. Once your database reaches the maximum size, SQL Server Express will not allow you to save additional data of any sort. 1 CPU and 1 GB RAM. Microsoft Reporting Services Limitations. SQL Server Express editions of SQL Server Reporting Services do not support reporting services subscriptions, and do not support Report Builder. For these reasons, SQL Server Express Edition is not recommended for clients with more than 5 users. For example, if your company owns 5 B2W Estimate licenses and 8 licenses for the B2W Operational Suite, you will notice much better performance with a full edition of SQL Server. To support more than 5 users of B2W Software products, you will need a full edition of SQL Server. Standard and Enterprise editions of SQL Server require additional licensing. For information about purchasing SQL Server, please visit the Microsoft SQL Server page at: If your company uses B2W Maintain and/or Schedule, choose Microsoft SQL Server Standard or Enterprise editions. The Express edition does not support all functionality available in B2W Maintain or Schedule. SQL Server Reporting Services SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) generates the reports available in the B2W Operational Suite and B2W Estimate Management Reporting. While moderate use of reports has little effect on performance, heavy reporting can have an adverse effect on performance. To ensure you get the best performance, talk with your B2W Client Services rep to determine your server requirements. 3

4 Server Hardware Requirements (under 100 Users) Processors Server-class processors are required for all installations of Operational Suite and/or Estimate. Intel Xeon processors are recommended (examples listed below). Estimate or Operational Suite For single server installations of the Operational Suite or Estimate with less than 100 users, the minimum hardware requirements are: Users Processor(s) Disk Memory Cache Cores Threads Example CPU Min. Speed/Bus MB 4 8 Intel Xeon E3-1230, 2.5 GHz v6 or newer 12 GB 75 GB 6 Gbps MB 8 16 Intel Xeon E3-2620, 2.1 GHz 16 GB 100 GB MB Intel Xeon E3-2640, 2.4 GHz 24 GB 150 GB Estimate and Operational Suite For single server installations of the Operational Suite and Estimate with less than 100 total users, the minimum hardware requirements are: Users Processor(s) Disk Memory Cache Cores Threads Example CPU Min. Speed/Bus MB 4 8 Intel Xeon E3-1280, 3.7 GHz v5 or newer 16 GB 150 GB 6 Gbps MB Intel Xeon E5-2640, 2.4 GHz 24 GB 250 GB MB Intel Xeon E5-2660, 2.0 GHz 32 GB 400 GB 4

5 Server Hardware Requirements (over 100 Users) Servers & Processors For installations of Operational Suite and/or Estimate for over 100 users at least two dedicated servers, one for the web application and one for the Microsoft SQL database, are required. A third server may be required for SQL Server Reporting Services if a high volume of report use is expected. Server-class processors are required for all installations of Operational Suite and/or Estimate. Intel Xeon processors are recommended (examples listed below). Either Estimate or Operational Suite Server Processor(s) Disk Memory Cache Cores Threads Example CPU Min. Speed/Bus Application 25 MB Intel Xeon E5-2640, 2.4 GHz 32 GB 150 GB Database 25 MB Intel Xeon E5-2640, 2.4 GHz 32 GB 150 GB Qty: 2 Reporting (Optional) 25 MB Intel Xeon E5-2640, 2.4 GHz 32 GB 150 GB Both Estimate and Operational Suite Server Processor(s) Disk Memory Cache Cores Threads Example CPU Min. Speed/Bus Application 35 MB Intel Xeon E5-2660, 2.0 GHz 48 GB 400 GB Database 35 MB Intel Xeon E5-2660, 2.0 GHz 64 GB 400 GB Qty: 2 Reporting (Optional) 35 MB Intel Xeon E5-2660, 2.0 GHz 48 GB 400 GB Network Configuration Kerberos Authentication is required for any multiple server installations. Database Configuration The Microsoft SQL database should be configured to store data and log files on separate drives (preferably separate physical drives). Database performance is significantly enhanced with this configuration since read I/O for database files is typically random and I/O for the transaction log is typically sequential. Additionally, if the database is using FULL recovery mode the transaction log can still be used for recovery if the drive for the database files is lost but the drive for the transaction log is still available. 5

6 Server Software Requirements The following software requirements have been certified for use with the Operational Suite and/or Estimate on a dedicated server or multiple server configuration. Versions not listed or included for a product are currently not certified. Estimate Operational Suite Operating System Windows Server Microsoft.NET Framework Internet Information Services (IIS) Microsoft SQL Server & SQL Server Reporting Services Express 4, Standard, or Enterprise 5 Edition: 2008 (SP2) 2016 Microsoft Excel Not Required 1 Microsoft.NET 3.5 is a prerequisite for all installations. 2 FTP Services 7.5 is required on this operating system to use the Estimate Auto-Update feature. Estimate's Management Reporting also requires IIS. 3 Estimate requires SSRS for Management Reporting only. 4 Express SQL editions have a max database size of 10 GB and do not support all functionality available in B2W Maintain and/or Schedule. 5 Standard and Enterprise SQL editions have several options for licensing (see page on Microsoft SQL Server Licensing). 6 If you intend to use B2W Estimate s embedded Excel workbooks or DOT Item Database add-ins, Microsoft Excel must be installed. 6

7 Client Workstation Requirements The following are minimum requirements for the use of Operational Suite and/or Estimate on a client workstation. Estimate Operational Suite Minimum Example Clock Cores CPU Processor/Cores Intel Core i3 7 th Gen or newer Intel Core i5 7 th Gen or newer Intel Core i GHz 2 Intel Core i GHz 4 Memory (RAM) 4 GB Hard Disk 10 GB Operating System Windows 7 7 Windows 8, Windows 10 9 Microsoft.NET Framework Display Min. SVGA 1024 x 768, 256 Colors Simple Mail Transport Protocol (SMTP) configuration and connection is required. Microsoft Excel Not Required Internet Browser Internet Explorer 11 (32-bit) Compatibility Mode 11 Edge Firefox Chrome Internet Explorer 11 (required for Track & Dispatch) 7 Excluding Home and Starter editions 8 Excluding RT and Metro editions 9 Excluding Home editions 10 Required for B2W Estimate s embedded workbooks feature 11 Required for B2W Estimate Enterprise Edition s Custom Properties feature 7

8 Stand-alone, Single-user Additional Requirements The following additional requirements to the above Client Workstation set have been certified for use with the Operational Suite and/or Estimate being used as a stand-alone, single-user workstation. Estimate Operational Suite Additional Hard Disk 100 GB Internet Information Services Microsoft SQL Server & SQL Server Reporting Services 2008 (SP2) 2016 Express Edition (Reporting Services included at no charge with Express with Advanced Services Edition) Mobile Tablet Device Requirements Minimum Capacity RAM Operating System Min. Screen Resolution 16 GB 2 GB ios Android x 768 or greater Synchronization Requirements High-speed Internet connection A VPN connection is required to support secure synchronization with the B2W server when not in the office Users can set up a publicly accessible URL to support synchronization, but this method may create additional security vulnerabilities. 8