RedBlack Software Hardware and Software Requirements for Rebalance Express RedBlack Software, LLC Published: January 2018
Contents Important Changes... 3 Installation Types... 3 Server... 3 Controller... 3 Stand-alone... 4 Client... 4 Hardware Requirements... 4 Database Server... 4 Client Computers... 5 Software Requirements... 6 Database Server... 6 Client Computers... 7
Important Changes Microsoft has announced that extended support for all editions of SQL Server 2008 will end on 7/9/2019. Mainstream support for SQL Server 2008 ended on 8/1/2014. For more details, see: https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/sqlreleaseservices/end-of-mainstream-support-for-sql-server- 2008-and-sql-server-2008-r2/. As of 7/1/2018, RedBlack will no longer support any edition of SQL Server 2008. From this date onwards, the minimum requirement for SQL Server will be 2012. As of 7/1/2018, RedBlack will require version 4.7 or higher of the Microsoft.NET framework to be installed. For new customers, these are the new minimum requirements as of 1/1/2018. For existing customers, SQL Server 2008 and.net Framework 4.6 will be supported until 7/1/2018. Any Rebalance Express updates released after 7/1/2018 will only work if these minimum requirements are met. Contact support@redblacksoftware.com for questions or assistance. Installation Types You have a choice of four configurations (installation types) when installing Rebalance Express. 1. Server 2. Controller 3. Stand-alone 4. Client Server A Server installation is required for a multi-user environment; it requires that Microsoft SQL Server and an instance of Rebalance Express be installed on the same server. SQL Server is used by Rebalance Express for data storage and retrieval. A server installation allows Rebalance Express client installations on other computers to connect to the SQL Server database on this computer and share data. The instance of Rebalance Express installed on this server is responsible for upgrading the database when new versions of the software are released. Controller A Controller installation is required for an environment where SQL Server runs on a dedicated database server where it is not possible or permitted to install other applications. The instance of 3
Rebalance Express on this computer is responsible for upgrading the database on the database server when new versions of the software are released. Stand-alone A Stand-alone installation also requires that Microsoft SQL Server be installed on the same computer as Rebalance Express. This configuration is a single-user environment, where Rebalance Express is only used on this computer. No Rebalance Express instance on another computer is expected to connect to it. Client A Client installation does not require that Microsoft SQL Server be installed on the same computer. A client installation always requires connectivity to the computer that runs the Microsoft SQL Server instance that hosts the Rebalance Express database. Hardware Requirements The following sections outline the hardware requirements for the various installation types of Rebalance Express. Database Server The following table shows the hardware requirements for the server that will run the Microsoft SQL Server instance for the Rebalance Express database. For Server installations, an instance of Rebalance Express will also be installed on this server. The requirements below include the requirements for the Microsoft SQL Server instance. IMPORTANT For Server installations, it is highly suggested to follow the recommended requirements to ensure acceptable performance. Typically, the recommended requirements become a must when frequently performing global actions on more than 2500 accounts or households. Intensive usage profiles, such as multiple concurrent users running global actions or reports against very large numbers of accounts or households, may dictate even greater hardware requirements to achieve optimal performance. For Stand-alone installations, the minimum requirements will usually be ample. Component Minimum Requirement Recommended Requirement Processor Speed 2.0 GHz 3.0 GHz or faster Processor Type x64 Processor x64 Processor Memory 8 GB of RAM 16 GB or more recommended. If additional SQL Server 4
Component Minimum Requirement Recommended Requirement instances, databases or other services are hosted on this server, the memory should be increased accordingly to ensure optimal performance. Hard disk Display Other 8 GB of available hard disk space. Additional hard disk space may be required depending on how much data is stored in the Rebalance Express database. VGA or higher-resolution monitor set to 1280 x 1024 pixels. Network adapter card, and Microsoft mouse or compatible pointing device 32 GB of available hard disk space. Same as minimum Same as minimum Notes: Follow Microsoft s recommended requirements for the operation system installation and the Microsoft SQL Server installation. Running Microsoft SQL Server on a virtual machine will be slower than running natively because of the overhead of virtualization. Client Computers The following table shows the minimum hardware requirements for the client computers that will run an instance of the Rebalance Express software. This applies to Controller and Client installations. Component Minimum Requirement Recommended Requirement Processor 1 GHz or faster x86- or x64-bit processor. 2 GHz or faster x86- or x64- bit processor. Memory 8 GB of RAM (x86) Same as minimum unless user is running multiple memory-intensive applications in parallel. In that case, 16 GB is recommended. Hard disk 1 GB of available hard disk space. 4 GB of available hard disk space. 5
Component Minimum Requirement Recommended Requirement Display Other VGA or higher-resolution monitor set to a minimum resolution of 1280 x 1024 pixels. Network adapter card, and Microsoft mouse or compatible pointing device VGA or higher-resolution monitor set to 1920x1080 pixels. For power users, dual monitors are recommended. Same as minimum Software Requirements Database Server The following table shows the minimum software requirements for the server that will run the Microsoft SQL Server instance for the Rebalance Express database. For Server installations, an instance of Rebalance Express will also be installed on this server. Product Operating System Requirement Windows 2012 or higher (any edition).net Framework Version 4.7 You can download this from here: https://www.microsoft.com/enus/download/details.aspx?id=55170 Microsoft SQL Server SQL Server versions prior to 2012 are not supported. 2012 (Any edition, including Express) 2014 (Any edition, including Express) 2016 (Any edition, including Express) 2017 (Any edition, including Express) Notes: Follow Microsoft s recommended requirements for the operation system installation. Running Microsoft SQL Server on a virtual machine will be slower than running natively because of the overhead of virtualization. 6
Client Computers The following table shows the minimum software requirements for computer that will run an instance of the Rebalance Express application. This applies to Controller, Stand-alone, and Client installations. Product Operating System Requirement Windows 7 (any edition) Windows 8 (any edition) Windows 10 (any edition) Windows 2012 Server or higher (any edition).net Framework Version 4.7 You can download this from here: https://www.microsoft.com/enus/download/details.aspx?id=55170 For Stand-alone installations only: Microsoft SQL Server 2012 (Any edition) 2014 (Any edition) 2016 (Any edition) 2017 (Any edition) 7