INPS Warranted Environment

In order to run Vision successfully, the local IT infrastructure must meet minimum standards, and these are laid out below.

Vision Fileserver

Not all practices will have a local Vision file server, but these are the requirements for those that do:

For those practices running only “FAT Clients” (see glossary below)

  • Processor: If single core – at least 2.4 GHz Xeon; all Dual and Quad core Intel Xeon processors will be acceptable.
  • Windows Server 2003 SP2 preferred and recommended.
  • Memory: 2GB minimum, 4GB recommended.
  • Hard Disks: Minimum 73GB, ideally 146 GB, in either RAID 1 or RAID 5 configuration.
  • Additional Hard disk for System Page File and Encryption Work File.
  • Network Card: Gigabit strongly recommended.
  • Backup Device: Capable of storing the full hard disk contents – INPS recommends the Ultrium LT range (LT-02 stores 200 GB of data, compressed it can hold 400 GB). INPS will install Backup Exec v12.5 and encrypt the tape output.

For “Thin Client” practices – as above, except:

  • Processor – minimum of 2 single core Xeons (of at least 2.4 GHz), or at least one Dual core or Quad core Xeon.
  • No more than 18-20 thin client connections per server.
  • Always 4 GB RAM.

Your INPS account manager can discuss the options for large numbers of Thin Client users.

It must be noted that these are for an average practice.

  • Practices with large datasets (either a list size of around 10,000 or more, or maybe smaller but with 15+ years of data) will require 146 GB hard disks; 73 GB disks will be inadequate. 

Network Connectivity

Switch:

  • 100 Mbps for “thin client”.
  • 1 Gigabit for “fat client” highly recommended.

 Workstation 

  • Processor: Minimum 2.4 GHz single core Processor, or any dual or quad core processor; dual core (or quad core) recommended for scanning and GPC machines.
  • Network Card: 100 Mbps; 1 gigabit for “fat client” highly recommended.
  • Operating System: Windows XP Professional SP3.
  • Internet Explorer 7.
  • Memory: 1 GB RAM recommended; 2 GB mandatory for scanning PCs, and highly recommended for GPC machines.
  • Hard Disk: 80GB minimum.
  • Monitor: 17” TFT minimum.
  • Card Reader: In England an approved smart card reader (see separate list on the INPS web site).
  • Printers: see the separate “Accredited Printer List” on this web site.

 Glossary 

  • Thin Client – running Terminal Services, either at a branch or locally. Vision runs on the server, not on the workstation as with Fat Client.
  • Fat Client – running with a local server and connected directly to that server, with Vision running on the local workstation.

 

Notes

In setting a minimum and recommended level, INPS is not saying that their products will not run on a lesser specification; they are setting levels at which they consider that performance will be acceptable in day to day use, and local factors may further influence the performance.
 
Windows 2000 has been withdrawn as an approved operating system (as of early 2010); Microsoft is withdrawing support for this product on 13/07/2010. The withdrawal of approval does not signify that the product will not support Vision, but that INPS recommends the use of later products (Windows XP Professional SP3 and Windows Server 2003 SP2) for security reasons. Likewise, the use of Internet Explorer 6 is not recommended, with Internet Explorer 7 being the preferred option.