Preparing Windows PCs Reference Guide

Transcription

1 Preparing Windows PCs Reference Guide Preparing Windows PCs 3 Index

2 Copyright 2001 Jenazabar, Inc. You may print any part or the whole of this documentation to support installations of Jenzabar software. Where the documentation is available in an electronic format such as PDF or online help, you may store copies with your Jenzabar software. You may also modify the documentation to reflect your institution's usage and standards. Permission to print, store, or modify copies in no way affects ownership of the documentation; however, Jenzabar, Inc. assumes no responsibility for any changes you make. Filename: pcprep Distribution date: 10/29/2001 Contact us at Jenzabar CX, and QuickMate are trademarks of Jenzabar, Inc. INFORMIX, PERFORM, and ACE are registered trademarks of the IBM Corporation Impromptu, PowerPlay, Scenario, and Cognos are registered trademarks of the Cognos Corporation UNIX is a registered trademark in the USA and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company Limited Windows is a registered trademark of the Microsoft Corporation All other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective companies

3 JENZABAR, INC. PREPARING WINDOWS PCS REFERENCE GUIDE TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction... 1 Jenzabar CX Considerations... 1 Purpose of This Guide... 1 Intended Audience... 1 Hardware Requirements... 3 Key Factors... 3 Random Access Memory... 3 Hard Disk Space... 3 Processor (CPU)... 3 Video Hardware... 3 Specifications Summary... 4 Introduction... 4 PC Hardware Requirements... 4 Windows Requirements... 5 Introduction... 5 Microsoft Windows Operating System - Version Verification... 5 Microsoft Windows 95 Required Updates... 6 Possible Requirements... 6 Service Pak... 6 Verifying Your Version of Windows OADIST (OLE Automation update)... 6 Application Compatibility... 7 Introduction... 7 Compatibility Testing and Support... 7 INDEX... 9 i

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5 Introduction Jenzabar CX Considerations Client/server applications developed by Jenzabar, Inc. (Jenzabar) with MS Visual Basic require specific Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0, 2000, or ME configurations to run correctly and with adequate speed. These considerations are a combination of hardware requirements, operating system component version-compatibility issues and compatibility with other user applications on the same PC. To ensure the successful distribution and deployment of Jenzabar PC applications, the client institution is required to maintain one PC, the Jenzabar CX PC which exactly meets specifications outlined in this document. A successful distribution by Jenzabar is thus defined as demonstration of the application being fully functional on the Jenzabar CX PC. It is the client s responsibility to then deploy the application to other PCs on their campus. Purpose of This Guide This guide provides specifications for the Jenzabar CX PC hardware/software environment as well as instructions for installing required system components. Intended Audience This guide is for use by computer services personnel and anyone else responsible for configuring PCs and installing Jenzabar CX PC applications. Preparing Windows PCs 1 Introduction

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7 Hardware Requirements Key Factors Jenzabar client/server software products are 32-bit applications placing significant demands on the PC. To experience acceptable performance, the following four key factors (in order of importance) must be considered: 1. Random Access Memory (RAM) 2. Hard Disk Space 3. Processor (CPU) 4. Video Hardware Random Access Memory The amount of active memory you have installed on a PC has the greatest impact on application performance. When Windows runs low on memory, empty hard disk space is used as virtual memory to keep processes running. When this happens, an application will slow down by as much as 400%. The more RAM you have, the less often virtual memory is used and the application runs faster. Hard Disk Space Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0, 2000, and ME maintain a swap file which is essentially a container for virtual memory. This file will increase and decrease in size as the need for virtual memory fluctuates. To ensure adequate performance regardless of the version of Windows on the PC, at least 150MB of empty hard disk space should be available for this swap file. When determining required space for an application, 150MB is the minimum space that should be left after installing the application. Processor (CPU) The faster MHz and more powerful the processor, the better application and OS performance will usually be obtained. These performance gains; however, can be totally offset by inadequate RAM and/or Hard Disk Space. Video Hardware Screen draws/redraws in Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0, 2000, and ME applications place great demands on the video processing power of a PC. The more powerful the video chip and the greater the amount of video RAM, the faster screen draws will occur. Jenzabar client/server applications require SVGA video hardware with at least 1MB video RAM. A minimum setting of 256 colors and resolution of 600 x 800 are also required. Preparing Windows PCs 3 Hardware Requirements

8 Specifications Summary Introduction This section provides a summary of the specifications required to run Jenzabar client/server applications. PC Hardware Requirements IBM-compatible PC The PC must have the following processor specifications: Memory Minimum: Pentium 75 MHz or greater Recommended: Pentium 266 MHz or greater The following Random Access Memory (RAM) configuration for the PC is: Minimum: 64 MB Recommended: 128 MB Hard-disk Storage Requirements Minimum: 150 MB or greater of free disk space Recommended: 300 MB or greater of free disk space Video Card Requirements Minimum: 1 MB video memory SVGA video card capable of handling 256 colors Recommended: 2 MB or more video memory Monitor Requirements Minimum: SVGA monitor capable of 600 x 800 resolution Hardware Requirements 4 Preparing Windows PCs

9 Windows Requirements Introduction The Windows environment provides broad compatibility with a wide variety of applications built with a wide variety of development tools. New system components are being released into the marketplace all the time, both by Microsoft and as part of the distribution of applications. To ensure a successful installation and operation of a new application, it is imperative that a PC have a compatible set of system files and that these files are equal to or newer than those required by the applications installed on that PC. To achieve this compatibility with Jenzabar CX 32-bit PC applications, each client site is required to set up a Jenzabar CX PC, a PC configured to run Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0, or It is then the client s responsibility to replicate this compatible environment on other PCs across their campus. The procedure for configuring the WIN95 Jenzabar CX PC is outlined below. A similar configuration is required for other versions of Windows. Microsoft Windows Operating System - Version Verification Before installing any updates to Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0, 2000, and ME, you must first verify the current version. Click on Start-Settings-Control Panel and double-click on the System icon. This will return the system properties form. A version number without any ending letters is an original build of Windows 95. If the number above were a, you would have original Windows 95 with Service Pak 1 installed. WIN95OSR2 and OSR2.1 releases are indicated by b. Preparing Windows PCs 5 Windows Requirements

10 Microsoft Windows 95 Required Updates Possible Requirements Service Pak The Microsoft updates WIN95 Service Pak1 and OADIST may be required. Service Pak 1 must be installed first on any original build of WIN95. In addition to checking the Windows version number, a prior installation of Service Pak1 will be listed in the Add/Remove Programs applet under the Install/Uninstall tab. The Add/Remove Programs applet is accessible in the Control Panel. Do not install Service Pak1 on the WIN95OSR2 environment. Run the file WIN95svpk1.exe to install this update. Windows NT a minimum of Service Pak 3 is required. Windows 98 No known Service Paks are required at this time. Verifying Your Version of Windows 95 When running Windows 95, follow these steps to verify your current version before you install any updates: 1. Click Start. 2. Click Settings. 3. Click Control Panel. 4. Double click the System icon. The System Properties window appears with the General tab selected. Your version of Windows 95 is listed on this tab under System. Note: An original build of Windows 95 will have a version number without any ending letters. If the version number is a, it is an original build with Service Pack 1 already installed. Version b indicates that you have the WIN95OSR2 and OSR2.1 releases. Version c indicates you have the WIN950SR2 and OSR2.5 releases. OADIST (OLE Automation update) The OLE Automation update must be installed on all versions of Windows 95. On original WIN95, be sure to install Service Pak1 first. On OSR2 and OSR2.1, this is the only update to install. Run the file WIN95oadist.exe to install this update. Windows Requirements 6 Preparing Windows PCs

11 Application Compatibility Introduction Jenzabar WIN95, 98, and NT 4.0 applications should run side by side with most commercially available 32-bit Windows products. Compatibility Testing and Support Jenzabar has tested and certifies its applications to be compatible with the following products: MS Office 95 (standard and professional editions) MS Office 97 (standard and professional editions) MS Internet Explorer 3.0 or above Symantec PC Anywhere, version 8.0 for WIN95 Jenzabar CX ODBC Driver 1.5x INFORMIX ODBC Driver (Version 3.32 or later) QuickMate Preparing Windows PCs 7 Application Compatibility

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13 INDEX A application compatibility, 7 testing and support, 7 C client/server software, 3 considerations, 1 cpu, 3 H hard disk space, 3 hardware requirements, 4 O OADIST, OLE Automation update, 6 P processor, 3 R random access memory, 3 requirements hardware, 4 windows, 5 S service pak, 6 specifications, 4 U updates, 6 V version verification, 5 video hardware, 3 W windows requirements, 5 Preparing Windows PCs 9 Index