Home Forums Discussions Problems Installation on a server

I just read VRoberts thread and saw the advice about not installing the program on the server. I am very new to this, and would like to hear some thoughts about this. I need really simple discussion here about what happens, what the pitfalls are and so forth. I use thin clients on three nurses stations and we all log onto the server from home. Do I have the option of NOT having AC installed on the server. Do most of you log on with something like 'GoToMyPC' or what?

Hi Martin,
From what I can tell it is best to have the AC exe file on your C drive and your mdb (access database file) on your server so everyone is using the same version.
I am only 3 weeks into this--What is a thin client?
Good luck with everything-esp the outcome oriented medical record! So critical to ebm and p4p.
vr

Thin client is what I always thought was called a 'dumb terminal'. It looks like a cigar box, has the necessary jacks to plug in all the cables, and gives you a point where you can work the programs running on the server. There is no CD-ROM or hard drive, just the necessary stuff to allow the monitor and keyboard to work in a remote location.
South East Missouri = you will be at Branson?

Hi guys,
DocMartin: What is suggested is to install AC on all of your clients. However do not install it or run AC on your server. Just keep a shared "AC" folder on the server. Keep your databases in this folder. Never actually run AC on the server.

A thin client is just what you described. It is a computer with very little processing capacity and does not run any major programs on it. The programs run on the server. This is fine if you have a superfast/powerful server. If you have a small business type server, the performance hit could be rather large.

So.... Sometime I sit down at the servor, (as it is always on) or I log on from home and run AC as a remote host. Most of the backups are done by logging on at the server or the PC at my desk or from home as remote host. Is there an issue with this?

Doc
If I understand you correctly, this is Perfect!
Manipulate your data, run your backups, run Amazing utilities....do any of these things that you want from your server or remote access to your server. Just don't need to run the main program AC.exe

We are going to Branson-can't wait-never have been there.
We live in Cape Girardeau-my practice is in Sikeston, MO.
"Cape" is on the Mississippi-we are about halfway between St. Louis and Memphis.

AC has been a great addition to my practice. The support from the program and the community has been great. Thanks for getting me up to speed on the thin client. vr

OK. Here is my take on the subject. First, when you get some cash flow, get rid of the thin clients and get workstations. Dell has some good deals right now or you can get them on eBay, although I am not a big fan of that, but many on here are.

There is nothing inherently wrong with installing Amazing Charts on the server. You can and then access the AC database from within that folder. More about that later as to the problems with that.

I am not sure if you are using a bonafide server on a domain (I doubt it from what you are saying but could be wrong) or are still running a peer to peer with thin clients accessing the server. If you are using a Client/Server setup with a domain with the server acting as the gateway to the Internet via your modem and router/firewall and/or switch, then the following applies as it does somewhat anyway.

Best practices for the server is to NEVER use it as a workstation. This is far less secure and not only takes up resources but makes the chance of a reboot due to a freeze up at least one hundred times higher. In other words, if you aren't using it, it isn't going to crash. You also are better off remoting into a client rather than the server and using AC on that. Remote connections directly to a severe are not a good idea. You should never use a browser on the server for browsing the Internet. In a true network environment where one really wants to be safe, the username of the server should be changed from Administrator to another name which cannot be guessed. The password should be extremely difficult and one can log on the server with a different account. A server should be a server and that is all.

As to installs. One can run AC from the server, but it is SIGNIFICANTLY slower to run as you are now running the program from your hard drive. In an experiment I just did opening a chart was 3 seconds vs 8 seconds and that's being generous. Of course, the 3 seconds is slow but that's for a whole different day.

Amazing Charts is not built to be a true client/server app, but it does run better with the database on the server and the application on the workstation. I, like Adam, prefer to put only the AC folder on the server WITHOUT the executable file in it. This keeps users from deciding to run the program on the server. The problem with installing it on the server (which is perfectly fine logistically), is that most programs by default are installed to the C: drive. On a server, most IT people will install apps to the system drive (C: drive) and ALL data to the D: drive. This makes backups easy plus allows one to restore a system drive easily without screwing around with the data. So, if one installs to the C: drive and moves the folder to the D: drive, you run the risk of accessing the wrong database by mistake.

As to connections from home, this is a topic that has been kicked around ad nauseum. There are the commercial products such as LogMeIn free and Pro, GoToMyPC along with VNC and VPN solutions. Windows XP Pro comes with Remote Desktop which I use, but it is less secure than the above. Remote Web Workplace which comes with SBS 2003 is probably the most secure but that is debatable. If you are asking, then I would go with LogMeIn.

If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask. My email address is in my profile. I check it all day.