GENIE HARDWARE SPECIFICATIONS

Transcription

1 GENIE HARDWARE SPECIFICATIONS This document identifies the current system requirements for Genie. It is intended only as a guide to assist practices in identifying and planning for the upgrade and purchase of equipment required to run Genie in their practice. Practices should always seek independent advice from a suitably qualified IT consultant, due to the individual nature of business networks and the importance of computer and network reliability. The recommended specifications are required for Genie to perform at its best. You should always consult a computer technician if you are unsure about the specifications of your existing hardware or requirements of other programs running on your system. Please refer to the Notes section at the end of this document for further information about hardware requirements. HARDWARE PHILOSOPHY Genie is not aligned with any one hardware supplier or particular brand of hardware. We believe this enables you to negotiate the best possible deal with the supplier of your choice and to have the confidence of non-biased recommendations. However, we can assist by helping to define what your hardware requirements are likely to be, and to offer suitable recommendations. We strongly recommend quality hardware supplied by a local supplier who can provide after sales service. Where using Genie in a networked environment; ensure that the hardware supplier will be carrying out, or is involved with, the network configuration or upgrade. Genie Solutions is not able to recommend or endorse any particular brand of computer hardware, printers, scanners or other peripheral hardware. BACKUP SYSTEM A working backup system is mandatory. It is solely your responsibility to ensure that the backup process is occuring, that the data is valid, and that the backup data can be restored to a working state. Backup systems may include removable media such as a CD/DVD, portable hard drive, or other electronic device. This backup media must be kept off-site. In the event of a major hardware failure or physical damage to the premises, the data can then be recovered from the backup media. It is not the responsibility of Genie Solutions to ensure that the correct files are being backed up, that the backup media is capable of retaining data, or that regular backups are being performed. Page 1

2 GENIE SOFTWARE Genie is written using 4th Dimension, allowing cross-platform development and deployment on Windows or Macintosh, or a mixture of both. Genie can run as a standalone ( Single User ) application or as a true client-server with multiple connected users. The Genie application and database are fully self-contained there are no dependencies on third party server products or requirements for purchase of additional software. RECOMMENDED OPERATING SYSTEMS Genie Solutions defines a recommended operating system as one which has satisfactorily passed our in-house testing for consistent and reliable performance with the Genie software applications. While it is possible to run Genie on an operating system outside of the recommendations outlined in this document, in doing so you may encounter issues specific to that environment which cannot be resolved by Genie Support. Where possible, it is strongly advised that you perform your own testing to confirm that Genie will perform sufficiently before upgrading to an operating system outside of our recommendations. See also the Unsupported Operating Systems subheading in the Notes section of this guide. Page 2

3 SERVER COMPUTER ( WINDOWS) SERVER COMPUTER ( MACINTOSH) Operating System* RECOMMENDED SPECIFICATIONS Windows 7 SP1 or above Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 or above [1] RECOMMENDED SPECIFICATIONS Mac OS X (Yosemite) Mac OS X (El Capitan) macos (Sierra) Processor Intel Core i5 (or equivalent) or above Intel Core i5 (or equivalent) or above RAM 4GB on a 32-Bit operating system 8GB or more recommended on a 64-Bit operating system 4GB on a 32-Bit operating system 8GB or more recommended on a 64-Bit operating system CD ROM High performance (32 x speed or more) (Optional) SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW) (Optional) Monitor Printer SVGA graphics card and 15 monitor, running a resolution of at least 1024 x 768 at 16 bit colour (or better). Not recommended on a dedicated database server. If a printer is required it may be shared over the network. Built in monitor or Apple compatible display running at a resolution of 1024 x 768 or better. Not recommended on a dedicated database server. If a printer is required, it may be shared over the network. Backup Media CD-R/RW, DVD-R/RW or removable hard disk drives. CD-R/RW, DVD-R/RW or removable hard disk drives. Network Modem/Internet Support for TCP/IP protocol and network card rated at 10/100 Mbps CAT 5 cabling (100Mbps). Gigabit ethernet recommended. Wi-Fi network connectivity for client server connections not recommended. Broadband internet connection for pathology, radiology downloads and software updates. Pathology and radiology downloading applications should not be run on the server. Medicare Online cannot be run from a dedicated database server. Support for TCP/IP protocol and network card rated at 10/100 Mbps CAT 5 cabling (100Mbps). Gigabit ethernet recommended. Wi-Fi network connectivity for client server connections not recommended. Broadband internet connection for pathology, radiology downloads and software updates. Pathology and radiology downloading applications should not be run on the server. Medicare Online cannot be run from a dedicated database server. Scanner Scanner cannot be used on a dedicated database server. Scanner cannot be used on a dedicated database server. Note: The server machine must be a dedicated server. The server cannot be used as a workstation or terminal server. *Genie is not certified to run on operating systems other than those listed above, including future releases of Macintosh and Windows operating systems. If you are purchasing new hardware with a newer version [1] 4D products are not compatible with the Server Core option on Windows Server of Mac or Windows, you should enquire about downgrading to one of the above operating systems. Page 3

4 Operating System* WORKSTATION (WINDOWS) RECOMMENDED SPECIFICATIONS Windows 7 SP1 or above Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 or above if running Genie Client on a Terminal Server WORKSTATION (MAC) RECOMMENDED SPECIFICATIONS Mac OS X (Yosemite) Mac OS X (El Capitan) macos (Sierra) Genie will run in 32-Bit mode on 64-Bit Windows operating systems Processor Intel Core i5 (or equivalent) or above Intel Core i5 (or equivalent) or above RAM 4GB on a 32-Bit operating system 4GB on a 32-Bit operating system 8GB or more recommended on a 64-Bit operating system 8GB or more recommended on a 64-Bit operating system QuickTime Version 7 or later - CD ROM High performance (32 x speed or above) (Optional) SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW) (Optional) Monitor Good quality graphics card with Direct3D Support (NVIDIA GeForce 400 Series or ATI Radeon TM HD 5x series or equivalent) and 17 monitor, running at a resolution of at least 1280 x 960 or better. Built in monitor or Apple compatible display running at a resolution of 1280 X 960 or better. Printer Any Windows supported printer. If a printer is required, it may be shared over the network. Printer specifications must state Postscript Level 3 emulation printer language support. If a printer is required, it may be shared over the network. Label Printer Dymo Label Writer, network shared. Dymo Label Writer, network shared. Backup Media CD-R/RW, DVD-R/RW or removable hard disk drives. CD-R/RW, DVD-R/RW or removable hard disk drives. Network (Workstation only) Support for TCP/IP protocol and network card rated at 10/100 Mbps CAT 5 cabling (100Mbps) or equivalent wireless network adapter. Gigabit ethernet recommended. Wi-Fi network connectivity for client server connections not recommended. Support for TCP/IP protocol and network card rated at 10/100 Mbps CAT 5 cabling (100Mbps) or equivalent wireless network adapter. Gigabit ethernet recommended. Wi-Fi network connectivity for client server connections not recommended. Note: The server machine must be a dedicated server. The server cannot be used as a workstation or terminal server. *Genie is not certified to run on operating systems other than those listed above, including future releases of Macintosh and Windows operating systems. If you are purchasing new hardware with a newer version of Mac or Windows, you should enquire about downgrading to one of the above operating systems. Page 4

5 PRINTERS DOCUMENT PRINTER Laser printers are recommended for all printed material. Only good quality printers from major brands should be used. Genie can print to envelopes, prescription paper, plain A4 and pre-printed A4. We recommend having at least one printer with multiple paper trays. Printing from a Mac will only work with a PostScript 3 TM compatible printer. The printer specifications must state Postscript Level 3 emulation printer language support. Graphical Device Interface (GDI) or Host Based printing is not a suitable emulation for printing from a Mac. LABEL PRINTER Labels can be printed either as a sheet (Avery 7 X 2) or individually using a Dymo LabelWriter. COLOUR PRINTERS Colour laser printers should not be used for purposes where a fast printing response is required eg. printing receipts at reception, as most colour printer laser printers have a slow 'first page response' time. Replacement of consumables will also be significantly more expensive than black only printers. SCANNERS A dedicated document scanner is recommended rather than a scanner integrated with a photocopier or Multi Function Centre (MFC). If one component of the MFC should fail, the remaining functions will be compromised if the device has to be repaired or replaced. Suggested scanner specifications: Fully TWAIN compliant scanner driver Up to 40 pages per minute (simplex), 20 pages per minute duplex Resolution dpi Recommended file size 30Kb 100Kb per page Feeder Holds 50 sheets, A5 & A4 size, Duplex and colour capable. USB or network connection (where supported). Genie Solutions cannot make recommendations regarding a particular make or model of scanner. A scanner may not work with Genie if the scanner software changes or is not TWAIN compliant. In the event that the scanner is not accessible from within Genie, the recommendation is to scan outside of Genie and batch process the scanned documents. The Genie Manual outlines the batch processing option in detail. GRAPHICS CARD Genie requires a good quality graphics card on all workstations running Genie Client. A workstation with integrated or on-board graphics may result in poor performance or limited functionality in Genie. A graphics card with Direct3D Support (NVIDIA GeForce 400 Series or ATI Radeon TM HD 5x series or equivalent) is recommended. Page 5

6 OTHER PERIPHERAL DEVICES Magnetic card readers may be used with Genie for swiping Medicare cards. USB magnetic card readers are available from Point of Sale suppliers. Genie allows direct integration with the Tyro EFTPOS terminal as of version v Genie does not interface with HICAPS or a cash drawer. The amounts from these devices will need to be entered into Genie manually. Genie does not interface directly with external instruments eg. Spirometer, ECG, Ultrasound or Ophthalmoscope devices. Dynamic exchange of simple demographic data is possible via file transfer in ASCII, HL7 and XML formats. NOTES 1. The specifications above may need to be increased if other software is running simultaneously or additional peripheral devices are installed. Anti-virus programs increase memory usage. Consideration should be given to additional RAM requirements for voice recognition software, backup software, digital transcription and other peripheral devices. 2. Notebook computers should have similar specifications to the 'Standalone' computer. 3. Power Management features that will automatically put the computer into 'System standby' or 'Hibernation' mode must be disabled. Also disable the power saving function on the network card. 4. Hard disk size depends on the number of patient records, digital images, scanned documents and other unrelated data to be stored. Extra storage capability should be allowed for. 5. Hard disk speed of 7200 rpm is normally adequate but speeds of 10,000 rpm (or faster) improve retrieval of data for functions involving a lot of disk searching. 6. Network protocols not being used should be removed. TCP/IP is the only protocol required. 7. Turn off all non-essential graphical features e.g. Aero interface, transition effects and fast user switching. 8. High quality virus checking and 'Anti-Spyware' software should be used and the associated definition updates installed as they become available. Please seek advice from your nominated IT support representative before installing any third party software. 9. We strongly recommend that the only software installed on a computer should be that which is directly required for the functioning of the computer or the running of your practice. 10. Mail servers such as Microsoft Exchange and any other hosted applications should be installed onto a separate computer; the Genie Server computer should only be used to run the Genie Server application. 11. The Genie Server application cannot be run as more than one instance on one physical server computer. Running more than one instance of Genie Server on the same computer with the same IP address is not supported. 12. Genie Solutions has very limited experience with Virtual Machine (VM) environments and we cannot comfortably say that running Genie in a virtual environment will work or that program performance will not be affected. The decision to run Genie in a VM environment is entirely up to the practice and their nominated IT representative. Genie Solutions cannot provide any guarantee that our program will run and that ongoing stability and reliability of the program will not be affected. Genie can only offer support as far as the operating system is concerned and cannot offer any support as far as configuration of the VM software is concerned. BACKUPS 13. Backup hardware and software is normally installed on the server but can be on any computer on the network as long as the backup hardware is shared to all workstations. Your nominated IT support representative should install and check that the backups are working successfully and validate the restore process on a scheduled basis. It is recommended that backups be done on a daily basis, run overnight and a check put in place for successful completion. Genie Solutions will not implement automated backup procedures on your computer network. This is because we cannot physically check that these procedures continue to work correctly. If you want to automate backups you must learn how to do it yourself so that you can recognise and fix it when it breaks. Page 6

7 14. Backup software, including LiveState and Time Machine backup systems must not include the current Genie data file on the server. The Genie data file can only be safely backed up using the internal backup program in the Genie Server application. Alternatively, the Genie Server program must be scheduled not to run when the full system backup occurs. 15. Backup media should be taken off-site. USING GENIE REMOTELY (TERMINAL SERVER, REMOTE HOSTING AND CLOUD HOSTING) 16. If you have a requirement to run Genie from a remote location to allow real-time access to your database, Remote Desktop (Terminal Services) is the recommended option. The terminal server computer must be dedicated to the purpose of serving thin client connections. The Genie Server application must NOT be installed on the Terminal Server. For more information refer to the Using Genie Remotely section. 17. The Terminal Server computer should be running Windows Server 2008 or later. Slow performance may be encountered if running earlier versions of Windows Server. 18. A 'Virtual Private Network' (VPN) and 'Firewall' should be established to secure the Remote Desktop connection over the Internet or a wide area network (WAN). The installation and configuration of any VPN, firewall or anti-virus software is the responsibility of the customer in consultation with the nominated IT support representative. 19. The Terminal Server Group Policy may need to be modified if slow performance is experienced when running Genie Client on a Terminal Server: Do not allow clipboard redirection (set to enable) Limit maximum color depth (set to enable and set the desired color depth) Please refer to the following Microsoft TechNet documents for further information: Genie Solutions cannot assist with Terminal Server administration or modification of group policies; please liaise with your network administrator for further assistance. 20. Client-Server connections over an Internet connection other than via a Terminal Server are not supported, regardless of whether the Internet connection between client and server is VPN secured. 21. The computer/server that is hosting the database cannot be used as a workstation. This can have a detrimental effect on the speed of the retrieval and delivery of data to the other clients on the network and may result in data corruption. UNSUPPORTED OPERATING SYSTEMS 22. The following operating systems are not supported. Windows XP or earlier Windows 2000 Windows Server 2003 Windows Server 2008 SP2 Windows RT Home Edition variant of any Windows operating system version Mac OSX 10.9 (Mavericks) and earlier Linux derived operating system This guide is not designed to replace formal user training. For more information, please consider your support options: Genie Manual Special > Online Manual Group Training Courses Visit: Genie Support or support@geniesolutions.com.au Customised On-site Training Visit: Page 7

8 APPENDIX: USING GENIE REMOTELY This document outlines the available options for using Genie in Offsite Logging mode (Genie Single User) or remotely in real-time via a remote desktop (terminal services) connection. The remote desktop server environment is only available on the Microsoft Windows operating system; Apple remote desktop and other remote control programs are not supported or intended for use in the manner described in this document. OPTION 1 OFFSITE LOGGING The Genie application can be run on a remote machine, such as a laptop, without an internet connection. Changes made while Offsite Logging will be incorporated back into the main database upon connection to the Genie Server. Note: There are some limitations relating to the information that can be logged and changes that can be made using Offsite Logging. Invoices cannot be raised or images & attachments added while in Offsite Logging mode. Refer to the Offsite Logging limitations in the Genie Manual. If you require full update access to your database, consider Option 2 or 3 below. IN ROOMS AWAY FROM ROOMS Genie Server Genie Single User (Offsite Logging Mode) Genie Client connected to Genie Server (Offsite logs imported on reconnection) Page 8

9 OPTION 2 REMOTE DESKTOP (SINGLE USER ACCESS) Remote Desktop enables you to connect to your computer across the Internet from virtually any computer. Once connected, Remote Desktop gives you mouse and keyboard control over your computer while showing you everything that's happening on the screen. Remote Desktop allows you to leave your computer at the office and use Genie in real-time from another location. To use Remote Desktop, the following requirements must be met: The host computer: Must be running a support version of Windows per the Genie Hardware Requirements. Must be a separate machine to the Genie Server. Must have Genie Client installed. Must be connected to the internet through a VPN connection. Must be part of a corporate network in which remote desktop connections are permitted. The remote computer: Can be running Windows or Mac. Must have remote desktop connection client software installed. Must be connected to the internet through a VPN connection. Does not require Genie Client to be installed. Note: The host computer will allow one person to connect remotely. The computer will be locked while the remote connection is active. IN ROOMS AWAY FROM ROOMS Connection via Remote Desktop Genie Server INTERNET Windows Workstation Mac or Windows remote computer with Remote Desktop client Page 9

10 OPTION 3 REMOTE DESKTOP (MULTIPLE USER ACCESS) Computers running Windows Server Edition have the option of providing multiple concurrent Remote Desktop Connections when run in a Terminal Server role. Remote access will occur in the same manner as Option 2 above. To use terminal services, the following requirements must be met: The terminal server computer must have Genie Client installed. The terminal server computer and the Genie Server computer must be separate machines. Genie Client must not be installed on the Genie Server computer. Installation and configuration of a Terminal Server and Remote Desktop Access should only be performed by a suitably qualified IT Support Representative. Please liaise with your nominated IT Support Representative for all enquiries relating to remote access to your network Suggested reference: IN ROOMS AWAY FROM ROOMS Genie Server INTERNET Connection via Remote Desktop Terminal Server running Genie Locally connected Genie Clients Mac or Windows remote computers with Remote Desktop client Page 10

11 OPTION 4 REMOTE DESKTOP (REMOTE HOSTING AND CLOUD HOSTING) Remote hosting is growing in popularity as there is no server hardware to purchase and all of your IT support is outsourced, providing you with access to your Genie database from any location with a fast and reliable internet connection. Please consider the following, which should be asked of your hosting or cloud provider: Where are the remote servers located? How do I access my data and run my practice if I lose my internet connection? How quickly can a backup be restored in a disaster recovery situation? What are the upfront costs, ongoing costs (including server rental) and IT support? Do you provide a Service Level Agreement, with a guarantee of availability to my hosted applications? Is my data hosted on a separate computer that is not shared with other customers? Can I print and scan and use all Genie functionality in the remote environment? Will I be able to download pathology and radiology results from any diagnostic provider? Can I send and receive electronic correspondence using a third-party messaging provider, e.g. Healthlink, Medical Objects or Argus? Will I be able to utilise SMS Reminders for appointments and be able to access Genie Software Updates via the remotely hosted service? Note: Genie Solutions cannot recommend or endorse any particular hosting company or cloud provider. The installation and configuration of Genie on any hosted server will be the responsibility of the hosting provider. Speed and performance of Genie in a remotely hosted environment can vary, and is outside of the control of Genie Solutions. REMOTE HOSTING COMPANY OR CLOUD PROVIDER ACCESS GENIE AT ANY LOCATION WITH INTERNET ACCESS INTERNE TERMINAL SERVER Page 11

12 OPTION 5 GENIEWEB GenieWeb is a lightweight utility for use on mobile devices, which is designed to work over low-speed internet connections. GenieWeb can be used for: Viewing and editing existing Appointments Viewing, editing and adding clinical information Viewing, editing and adding Tasks Viewing, editing and adding Address Book records To be able to use GenieWeb you will need: Genie Version or later. GenieWeb licences from Genie Solutions. A static IP address allocated by your Internet Service Provider.* Ports 8080 and 443 open on the firewall and appropriate forwarding to the web server.* An SSL certificate to encrypt data between the web server and web browser.* Please contact your IT provider for assistance with all items marked with an asterisk (*) above. GenieWeb is not intended as a replacement for Genie Client and cannot be used for any invoicing, receipting or banking. GenieWeb does not support remote printing. Please see the complete Features List in the Genie Manual for further information. IN ROOMS INTERNET AWAY FROM ROOMS USING ANY MOBILE DEVICE (ipad, iphone or ANDROID) This guide is not designed to replace formal user training. For more information, please consider your support options: Genie Manual Special > Online Manual Group Training Courses Visit: Genie Support or support@geniesolutions.com.au Customised On-site Training Visit: Page 12