MEMO : M020B

MEMO : XO003

ORIG DATE : 04/03/2000

LAST REV :10/26/2011

TO : Windows Users with third party system vendors

FROM : Jason A Buetow

SUBJECT : Hardware Memo (System Vendor and System Requirements for RCC Software)

If you are reading this on a piece of paper, please get the latest version from http://www.rccbi.com/general/hardware.htm

PLEASE NOTE: You are not just purchasing hardware. You are “hiring” a systems vendor. Your systems vendor will be the person responsible for the installation, configuration, security, and upgrades of all hardware and software in your office.

In order to use the RCC software in your office there are minimum system requirements you must meet. Please review these guidelines with your system vendor and have the computer system set up completed before calling RCC support to install RCC’s software.

Please be certain your systems vendor is able to properly perform all responsibilities that are necessary for both the initial set up of the system as well as your future expansion needs. Your office may have immediate or future need to utilize many Internet applications. Firewalls, VPNs, Terminal Services, web based database inquiry and other applications are becoming common in our customers offices. There are other areas we are exploring, and no doubt many technologies that do not exist that will be very useful for RCC software in the future. Your systems vendor should have the knowledge and ability to implement the system updates necessary to meet your current and future needs. In summary, your systems vendor is responsible for the installation, configuration, security and upgrades of all hardware and software in your office, except for the RCC software itself.

Network Basic Requirements

1. The computers must be networked together.

2. The Ethernet LAN should be setup to use the TCP/IP protocol. 100mbps or faster wired network required. Gigabyte networking is recommended. RCC does not support wireless LAN networking with our software.[1]

3. The workstations must have a mapped drive pointed at the drive on the server where the RCC data and programs are located. The root level of the drive where RCC is installed should be shared, and this is the share that should be mapped from the workstations.

4. The RCC program is very network intensive and requires high quality networking hardware and software in order to function properly.

5. Trend Micro, Mcafee, and Symantec/Norton products adversely affect the RCC software and should not be used.

6. A licensed version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is suggested for use with RCC. [2]

7. Avast Professional with proper exclusions also works with RCC well. We do not recommend using Avast Free or Home versions as properly exclusions cannot be setup.[3]

8. Please exclude network scanning, the \rcc folder and subfolders, and the dbr.exe process from your virus scanning software on all of the computers running RCC. Also exclude the \SynergyDE folder.[4] For customers using ArchiveXpress, please exclude the C:\Users\xxUSERxx\AppData\Roaming\Archive Software Development\ArchiveXpress folder. [5]

The Server (or single user system).

We suggest using a standalone server for RCC if you have more than 5 users running RCC.[6]

1. Windows Server 2003 and 2008 (R2 included) Standard or Enterprise Editions, Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise or Ultimate Edition, and Windows Vista Business. Windows Server Small Business Server is not supported. (*See below for more info on Windows Small Business Server issues) Both 32 and 64 bit versions of Windows are supported.[7]

2. RCC software no longer supports Window XP [8], Windows 2000, ME, 98, 95, 3.1 or older

3. RCC supports Terminal Servers and Citrix servers. [9]

4. Pentium Core 2 Duo better processor. (Xeon preferred)

5. 4gb or more memory. Please meet or exceed Microsoft’s recommendations for memory.[10]

6. All the latest Service Pack and Windows Updates must be installed on all systems.[11]

7. Minimum 5 GB free hard drive space for RCC’s programs on the system drive, usually c:\.

8. Recommend 5GB to 80 GB+ of additional free hard drive space for data, varies by company. If RCC Imaging is installed, the hard drive requirement will be substantially larger.

9. Hard disks/arrays containing RCC data must be formatted with NTFS.

10. For optimal performance, RCC recommends RAID 10 or RAID 0 for use with RCC data servers.[12]

11. Backup device. (We strongly recommend using a tape drive. For more information on the backup device and setup, please refer to RCC’s memo XO002 on backups. If you need a copy of this memo please request one from RCC.) Please turn on Shadow Copies in Windows on Windows 2003/2008/Vista. If using ArchiveXpress II or later, you will need to have a backup system capable of backing up SQLExpress or SQL Server.

12. RCC’s TeamViewer remote support software must be installed and configured for use. A link to this download can be obtained from RCC technical support department. [13]

13. The Remote Plus function of FDS requires PcAnywhere 10.5. Hosts should be disabled from running as a service.

14. All power saving should be disabled. This includes Ethernet/Network Interface Card power saving.[14] Please do not use fancy/3D screen savers.

15. RCC software should be installed on the root level of the drive you choose to install it on.

16. Microsoft .net framework 3.5 sp1 is required to be installed.[15]

Network Workstations

1. Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise or Ultimate Editions and Windows Vista Business or Ultimate Editions; Both 32 and 64 bit Windows Workstations supported[16].

a. Window 7 Home, Windows Vista Home and XP Home are not supported.

b. RCC software no longer supports Windows 2000, ME, 98 or older.[17]

2. Pentium Core 2 Duo better processor. Quad core or greater preferred.[18]

3. 4gb or more memory. 4gb or more recommended if using Vista or Windows 7.[19]

4. Minimum 500mb[20] of free hard drive space for RCC software. [21]

5. Mapped drive to RCC programs and data on server (R:\ preferred). Network should use TCP/IP protocol.

6. Each user on the network needs a unique user name when they log into Windows.

7. Each workstation needs a c:\temp folder.

8. Microsoft .net framework 3.5 sp1 is required. [22]

9. RCC Recommends using at least 1024x768 desktop resolution for best program viewing.

The Printers

1. Shared and installed so that all the computers can print to each printer. “Auto” installed printers in Windows XP/Vista/7 do not work. Auto printers should be deleted and disabled. Printers must be installed manually.

2. RCC recommends using Okidata printers if you are using continuous feed printers. Impact printers should be run in IBM compatibility mode whenever possible.

3. RCC only supports ink and laser printers that use the PCL 5e or 6 printer language. [23]

4. The Fuel Distribution System’s standard continuous feed statements require a 132-column printer.

*Microsoft Small Business Server additional information:

Microsoft Windows Small Business Server (SBS) can cause significant problems when it hosts the RCC program. While performing many useful functions, it does not work well as a file server for RCC data. The majority of users that choose to use SBS with the RCC software experience network drops and data corruptions. These errors appear to the users as I/O errors, Signal Traps, “Signal 11 …”, false record locks, “Windows Manager failure”, “… not a valid tab item”, or similar type errors. These errors may or may not leave errors in the system error logs. In the event of these types of errors, it is the system vendor’s responsibility to resolve the issue.

Windows Small Business Server is intended to meet your Microsoft BackOffice needs at a cost that is significantly less than if you purchases all the Microsoft products separately and installed those products on Window Server Standard. However, in our opinion, it is not intended to be the only server needed for all your computing needs. If you do have use for SBS in your office, the RCC software must be hosted on another server with a RCC recommended version of Windows to be supported by RCC.

Guidelines for setup and continuing support if you purchase your system from another vendor:

If your system is purchased through a third party vendor, RCC expects that vendor to do all installation, configuration, maintenance and upgrades. If, as a last resource, RCC is needed to setup, configure and/or upgrade the system, the following charges will apply:

Server(s) : Minimum 4 hours at double standard support rate^*

Workstation(s) : Minimum 2 hours at double standard support rate*per workstation

Additional time and material is billed at double standard support rate. If there is travel involved, you will be billed double standard support rate plus travel expenses.

^* Note: this rate is for system support of third party systems purchases only. Third party systems purchases do not affect your RCC software support rate. Please call RCC for a current rate schedule.

Please feel free to contact our sales department for any additional information at 800/ RCC-ONLY (800/ 722-6659).

[2] Updated 11-17-11. Added 8-4-2010 Malwarebytes officially says they are not an antivirus software per se. But they do say they will defend against viruses, and virus like programs. We have found that Malwarebytes does block viruses well. So you may want to try running Malwarebytes Pro alone on your computers. That is what RCC currently does on our computers.

[9] Updated 2-15-2010. UNC paths for RCC installs not currently supported. However, UNC path installs can be configured manually with RCC Tech support.

[22] Added 10-28-2009

PSI/Web2b support note removed 5-2-11 as they are no longer able to process transactions.