PointForce iTopia Hardware & Software Requirements

Important Note: You may require further consultation on the content of this document. You may not have the in-house expertise or the time to apply the instructions included with this document. Either way, Tecsys can help: just contact our support team at SMBSupport@Tecsys.com with a brief description of your issue(s) and one of our technical specialists will contact you directly.

This document is designed for the following versions of PointForce Enterprise/iTopia:

  • PointForce Enterprise version 6.2 with iTopia 8.1 p.1

  • PointForce Enterprise version 6.3 with iTopia 8.4

Hardware

  • Processor:
      Quad-Core Pentium 4 Xeon class server or better

  • RAM: 8 GB or higher

  • Storage System:
    • Controller: U320 SCSI
    • Drives:
      • Minimum of 2 x 15K U320 SCSI Drives
      • Technical Footnotes:
        • actual size & number depending on required data foot print (measure your data nodes, multiple by at least 4) – if controller is configured other than a simple mirror (RAID 1) then strip size should be configured as 8kb)
        • the OS is to be installed on an independent mirrored volume set - not on the same volume/array as the SQL Server databases – that volume should be a minimum of 40 GB.
        • Expect an iBIS database for a 50-user PointForce Enterprise installation to grow to 10 Gb within three years; disk capacity should be five times that (e.g., 50 Gb minimum)

  • Back Up System:
    • DAT 72 (estimated performance: 10 minutes per GB) Recommended for small installations only
      OR
    • DLT or Ultrium LTO (estimated performance: 5 minutes per GB)
    • See requirements for Symantec Backup Exec under Software below

  • UPS: Required with monitored shutdown

  • 100 mbps Network Interface Card/Switched Network (Gigabit system recommended for larger installations)

Software

  • Microsoft Windows 2008 R2

  • Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Standard Edition

  • 1, Single User, ProvideX eCommerce Bundle License
    • Acts as the SQL Server Replication Client for iBIS

  • Symantec Backup Exec for Windows Servers (formerly Veritas)
    • Symantec Backup Exec (url=http://www.symantec.com/business/products/overview.jsp?pcid=2244&pvid=57_1)

  • Symantec Backup Exec Agent for Microsoft SQL Server
    • to backup the iBIS SQL Server

  • Remote Console Support Software:
    • If your VPN is stable enough, TECSYS SMB may be able to use Windows Server's built in Remote Desktop (RDP) to administrate the server console – this may also require the installation of an FTP Server for file transfer.
    • However, if RPD is unstable, you will be required to install pcAnyWhere 12.1 or higher on the console

  • Internet Explorer 6 or greater, IE 7 preferred

  • Microsoft Excel required for Export to Excel features

Network

  • VPN access to all installation for support

  • VPN must be compatible with the Microsoft Vista VPN client – which will only function if the VPN server supports MS-CHAP v2

Other Requirements

  • VPN accessible for remote support of the SQL Server unit

  • Optional: SSL access to iBIS:
    • if you would like to be able to access your iBIS installation across the Internet, you will require a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificate for the "host" name you wish you access your installation at. E.g., for our https://ibis.tecsys.com/ibis671/portal/home installation, we have a VeriSign SSL certificate in the name of ibis.tecsys.com
    • Technical Footnotes related to the use of SSL:
      • The PointForce iTopia iBIS application is hosted by a Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) web server
      • The PointForce iTopia SQL Server Replication Client is hosted by a ProvideX Web Server (similar to an Apache Web Server)
      • IIS & Apache require differently formatted a versions of the same SSL certificate
      • For Internal Use Only: if iBIS will only be accessed internally a local Certificate Authority (CA) can issue the certificate.
      • For External Use: for access over the Internet, the certificate will need to be issued by a trusted Certificate Authority (e.g., VeriSign)
      • An SSL certificate is required if you wish to provide access to the solution externally, over the Internet. If you wish to secure the data replication (recommended, required with remote hosting) the same SSL certificate will be required in two formats – one for Microsoft IIS, the other for Apache (contact our ). Internally generated SSL Certificates may not function well outside of the network they were issued in.

  • Internet Connection*:
    • Minimum recommended connection for a web server based application is a dedicated 1 Mb/s connection (e.g., a T1).
    • * A special footnote on the Internet Connection recommendations:
      • Many so-called 'high speed internet connections' are in fact capable of performing faster than the old standard of a dedicated T1 connection. You can use whatever kind of Internet connection you like at your organization, such as DSL, Cable or a dedicated connection such as a T1. As we cannot control the performance of any shared Internet connection, especially if it is not designed for a significant amount of output traffic, we are only able to suggest that if our applications have access to a dedicated T1 connection, a connection that no other applications were using, they would perform well.

Existing PointForce Enterprise Server Hard Drive Requirements:

  • There may be a need to increase the available disk space for the PointForce Enterprise server to accommodate the new Report Archive and PO History files which will begin accumulating on the PFE side (for Replication) once iTopia is activated and licensed

  • During the iTopia update/activation process we will analyze your current system and advise as such

  • If disk capacity is not sufficient, the iTopia activation will be pushed off until capacity is increased.

 
Back