Remote Access For Support
Insula Software strongly recommends implementing a remote support solution. Remote support is the most efficient method of obtaining assistance and can result in less downtime in the event of problems occurring.
Please have your hardware/network support team implement the most appropriate solution for your environment. Examples of remote access solutions include:
- Microsoft Windows Remote Desktop
- Citrix
- Support
- VNC
- Symantec PC Anywhere
- TeamViewer
To supply your remote access details, contact Insula Software.
Group Policy Installations
Group policy gives administrative control over users and computers in the network. By using group policy, administrators can define the state of a user's work environment that is continually enforced using Microsoft Windows Server. Consequently, group policy can be used to deploy the The Finance Shop Product Suite.
Note:
- The Microsoft SQL Server database engine needs to be installed manually.
- The ODBC DSN setting needs to be setup and working correctly.
- Insula Software recommends that this is to be setup by domain administrators only.
- The following procedures are based on Microsoft Windows Server 2003. For information on group policy installations using other Microsoft Windows Server versions, please consult your Microsoft documentation.
To Install A TFS Package
- On the Primary Domain Controller, open Active Directory Users and Computers.
- Depending on your Organisation Unit (OU) setup, click on the OU that contains only local computers.
- Right-click on local computers OU and select Properties. The Properties dialog will be displayed.
- Select the Group Policies tab.
- Click Open to open the policy. The Group Policy Object Editor dialog will be displayed.
- Expand: Computer Configuration > Software Setting > Software Installation
- In the right-hand panel, right-click and select New then Package. The Open dialog will be displayed.
- Select the location of the TFS MSI file (for example, TFS 10.x.x.msi).
- Click Open. The Deploy Software dialog will be displayed.
- Select Assigned.
- Click OK.
- Close any open windows.
To Upgrade A TFS Package
- On the Primary Domain Controller, open Active Directory Users and Computers.
- Depending on your Organisation Unit (OU) setup, click on the OU that contains only local computers.
- Right-click on local computers OU and select Properties. The Properties dialog will be displayed.
- Select the Group Policies tab.
- Click Open to open the policy. The Group Policy Object Editor dialog will be displayed.
- Expand: Computer Configuration > Software Setting > Software Installation
- In the right-hand panel, right-click on the The Finance Shop package most recently created and select Properties. The Properties dialog will be displayed.
- Select the Upgrades tab.
- Click Add. The Add Upgrade Package dialog will be displayed.
- Select the package(s) to upgrade.
- Click OK.
- Click OK.
- Close all open windows.
Notes On Group Policy Propagation
Group policy installations require time to propagate to workstation PCs. Allow approximately 30 minutes. After the computers have received the new group policy, it will be applied the next time the computer is switched off or rebooted.
Example: If this process is completed at 4:00 pm on a Monday, the computers that are on at this time will not be upgraded until they are rebooted. Thus, the new client will be installed when the computer is switched on Tuesday morning (if the computer is switched off at night). Any computer that is rebooted after 4:30 pm will be upgraded.
Computers that are not rebooted will not receive the update.
Test Environment
IT applications and the underlying infrastructure are becoming more and more complex with frequent changes, new technologies, virtualisation, concurrent projects and new products. The need for a managed test environment is imperative.
If your organisation has a pre-production test environment it is highly recommended that this upgrade be performed in a test environment prior to being performed on a live production server.
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Server System Requirements
The following are minimum and recommended hardware requirements for The Finance Shop server.
Note: For more information on Microsoft software requirements, see Microsoft Operating Systems and Microsoft Office Suites.
Category | Minimum Requirements | Recommended Requirements |
|---|---|---|
Brands | Insula Software recommends quality name brand server equipment that is fully tested and certified as compatible with Microsoft operating systems and associated products. Suppliers of these products (HP, Dell, etc.) offer on-site support assistance, which should also be considered. | |
Purpose | Should be a dedicated database/file server NOT responsible for PDC (Primary Domain Controller), authentication, mail, or other processor/disk/network intensive applications. | |
CPU Performance |
|
|
RAM | Minimum 1GB, 200MB permanently allocated to Microsoft SQL Server cache. Optimum cache performance is achieved when allocated RAM is equal to total data size. | Minimum 1GB, 200MB permanently allocated to Microsoft SQL Server cache. Optimum cache performance is achieved when allocated RAM is equal to total data size. |
HDD | 1GB for data, setup, and shared network files. | 1GB for data, setup, and shared network files. |
Video | VGA or higher resolution at least 1,024x768 pixel resolution. | VGA or higher resolution at least 1,024x768 pixel resolution. |
Performance | High performance hardware (BUS, HDD, etc.) is recommended as standard. | High performance hardware (BUS, HDD, etc.) is recommended as standard. |
Redundancy | Standard server redundancy techniques should also be employed, including redundant power supplies, RAID 5 (or better) HDD configurations, a UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) solution, and established on-site support contracts to ensure continuity of server availability should problems arise. | |
Workstation System Requirements
The following are minimum and recommended hardware requirements for The Finance Shop workstations.
Note: For more information on Microsoft software requirements, see Microsoft Operating Systems and Microsoft Office Suites.
Category | Minimum Requirements | Recommended Requirements |
|---|---|---|
Brands | Insula Software recommends quality name brand equipment that is fully tested and certified as compatible with Microsoft operating systems and associated products. Suppliers of these products (HP, Dell, etc.) offer on-site support assistance, which should also be considered. | |
CPU Performance |
|
|
RAM | 512 MB | 1 GB |
HDD | 300 MB | 300 MB |
Video | 1024 x 768 Resolution, 32-Bit Colour Depth | 1024 x 768 Resolution, 32-Bit Colour Depth |
Performance | High performance hardware (BUS, HDD, etc.) is recommended as standard. | High performance hardware (BUS, HDD, etc.) is recommended as standard. |
Redundancy | Established on-site support contracts to ensure continuity of workstation availability should problems arise. No ongoing data is saved to client workstations. As a result, specific backup measures for workstations are not required. | |
Microsoft Office Suites
The The Finance Shop Product Suite is designed to be used in conjunction with Microsoft Office for a range of tasks such as:
Mail Merge (Microsoft Word)
Client Communication (Microsoft Outlook)
Integration (Microsoft Access)
Additional Support Software
The server that hosts the The Finance Shop database should also be installed with Microsoft Office (XP, 2003, or 2007). This assists with:
Remote Support (for Insula Software and your own IT Support Team). For more information about remote support, see Remote Access for Support.
Testing of all system components including mail merge and email integration.
Microsoft Office
The following Microsoft Office Suite systems are supported by the The Finance Shop Product Suite:
Microsoft Office Suite |
|---|
Office 2013 |
Office 2010 |
Office 2007 |
Office 2003 XP |
Office 2000 XP |
Open Source Support
The The Finance Shop Product Suite does not currently support open source word processing suites such as Open Office. If your organisation is interested in The Finance Shop supporting Open Office in the future, contact Insula Software (see Contact Insula Software).
Microsoft Operating Systems
The The Finance Shop Product Suite is designed to run on Microsoft based operating systems such as:
Windows Servers
Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10
Microsoft Server Operating Systems
The following server operating systems are compatible with the current version of the The Finance Shop Product Suite. Other systems may be compatible with the The Finance Shop Product Suite however no support is guaranteed for versions not listed here.
Server Operating System |
|---|
Windows Server 2016 |
Windows Server 2012 |
Windows Server 2008 R2 64-Bit |
Windows Server 2008 64-Bit |
Windows Server 2008 32-Bit |
Windows Server 2003 |
Microsoft Windows Operating Systems
The following desktop operating systems are compatible with the current version of the The Finance Shop Product Suite. Other systems may be compatible with the The Finance Shop Product Suite however no support is guaranteed for versions not listed here.
Desktop Operating System |
|---|
Windows 10 |
Windows 8 |
Windows 7 64-Bit |
Windows 7 32-Bit |
Windows Vista 64-Bit |
Windows Vista 32-Bit |
Windows XP |
Microsoft Windows 7 Installation Requirements
Microsoft Windows 7 And Enhanced Software Installation Security
Microsoft Windows 7 includes tighter security protocols that become apparent during software installations. User Account Control (UAC) is employed when installing new software that adds a level of security to those users that DO NOT have administrator privileges. Depending on the security permissions of the user, the User Account Control dialog (see image below) may appear during software installation.
Clicking Yes will allow the user to continue with a procedure.
Network Discovery
For Microsoft Windows 7 to detect and create network drives, Network Discovery must be switched on.
Open Control Panel (Start > Control Panel > Network and Internet > View Network Status and Taskbar > Change Advanced Sharing Settings). The Change sharing options for different network profiles screen will be displayed.
Expand: Domain (current profile)
Select: Turn on network discovery
Click Save Changes.
Close the Control Panel.
Database Management System Options
The Finance Shop requires a Database Management System (DBMS) as its underlying database engine.
The Finance Shop operates on a relational database management system to store all system data. The The Finance Shop Product Suite only supports Microsoft SQL Server 2008 and Microsoft SQL Server 2012.
Note: This guide refers to Microsoft SQL Server 2008.
In addition to The Finance Shop licence costs, licenses must also be held for the underlying DBMS. In understanding the licensing on database systems, please consider the following:
You may already have licences for Microsoft SQL Server (e.g., Small Business Server).
Small sites with basic server hardware and few users can be eligible to free database licences by using the Express Edition of Microsoft SQL Server (subject to the Microsoft SQL Server Version Comparison).
Larger sites should consider the correct edition of a database management system to suit the hardware infrastructure, size of data, number of users, and other factors in their environment.
In all instances, Insula Software will advise of any additional costs as a part of providing a proposal for the implementation of The Finance Shop.
Microsoft SQL Server Version Comparison
The following information was made available from Microsoft on 4/08/2009. Microsoft specifications are subject to change without notice.
Please note the following important information regarding Microsoft SQL Server, in particular the limitations on implementing the free Express Edition of SQL Server.
Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Comparison Table
For a complete feature comparison list of the different editions, please visit Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Comparison.
The following table presents a summary of the features of Microsoft SQL Server 2008 editions.
Feature | Express | Workgroup | Standard | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Number of CPUs | 1 | 2 | 4 | Operating System Maximum |
RAM | 1 GB | 4 GB | Operating System Maximum | Operating System Maximum |
64-bit Support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Database Size | 4 GB | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Sentinel Hardware Licence Key
The Sentinel Hardware Licence Key is a USB key that MUST be installed on the server or system that houses the The Finance Shop database. The key is connected to the system during the installation of The Finance Shop.
Prior to installing the The Finance Shop Product Suite, ensure your licence key has been received.
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