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Here's what you need to serve Clients & Profits For Clients & Profits Classic X, Clients & Profits Pro X, and Job Tracker X, you need a stand-alone file server to store your Clients & Profits database. Only Windows Sever and OS X server are currently support for sharing the Clients & Profits database. Check below for actually server reccomendations.
Clients & Profits X: Enterprise Edition requires the Clients & Profits Database to be stored on a Microsoft SQL Server. Microsoft SQL Server is a more efficent and secure way to store your database. Users will benfit from faster tranaction speeds. DBA's will benefit from excellent backup utilities, more data tranparency and better security features provided by MS SQL Server. You can expect to spend $3,000-$6,000 on a file server for Clients & Profits X: Enterprise Edition.
My Clients & Profits! (Optional Add-On)/Web Access/Jobr: all you need is a Mac or PC with enough RAM to run Clients & Profits and a full-time LAN connection to the file server. These products can be installed on Windows and Machintosh server and non server operating systems.
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Mac OS X Server or Windows Server? In general terms, both file servers are about the same in terms of speed and reliability. In the past, OS X Server was not cross-platform compatible, but as of OS X Server 10.4.4, that issue was resolved. System managers can now choose whichever server they are more comfortable administering.
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The tables below feature typical configurations for running Clients & Profits Classic X, Clients & Profits Pro X, Job Tracker X, Clients & Profits X: Enterprise Edition, and the My Clients & Profits! X web server:
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C&P Classic X/C&P Pro X/Job Tracker X
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Specifications:
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Computer model (minimum)
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PPC G5/Intel
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Pentium 4 or later
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Processor speed (minimum)
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1GHz
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2.5GHz
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RAM (minimum)
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1GB
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1GB
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Operating system
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Mac OS Server 10.4.4+ (for cross-platform access)
**OS X 10.7 Lion Server (Mac Sharing Only)
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Windows 2000,2003 Server, *Windows 2008, 2012 Server
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Free hard disk space
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2GB
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2GB
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Ethernet network (minimum)
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100
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100
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* Windows 2008 and 2012 Server notes: For cross platform environments OS X 10.5 or later is required on client machines. Windows 2008/2012 Server does not includes SFM (Services for Macintosh) as in previous version of Windows Server.
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** OS X 10.7 Lion Server: Lion Server is only supported for connecting with Mac workstation when using the Built-in Database format. Presently Windows machine are not able to connect to this database type when shared on Lion Server.
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Performance notes: It is highly recommended use a server dedicated for Clients & Profits X. The Clients & Profits Database Guide has detailed technical information for managing and troubleshooting databases. The Installation Guide has step-by-step instructions for configuring your server for Clients & Profits X.
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C&P Pro X/Job Tracker (MySQL)
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Specifications:
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Computer model (minimum)
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PPC G5/Intel
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Pentium 4 or later
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Processor speed (minimum)
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1GHz
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2.5GHz
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RAM (minimum)
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1GB
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1GB
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Operating system
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Mac OS Server 10.4+
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Windows 2000,2003,2008,2012 Server
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Free hard disk space
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2GB
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2GB
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Ethernet network (minimum)
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100
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100
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MySQL note: MySQL Server 5.1 - 5.6 can be used to host a C&P database.MySQL Enterprise is not necessary. The Installation Guide has step-by-step instructions for configuring MySQL for Clients & Profits X.
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Clients & Profits X: Enterprise Edition X
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Specifications:
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SQL Server 2005, SQL Server 2008, SQL Server 2012*
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Computer model (minimum)
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Pentium 4
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Processor speed (minimum)
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2.5GHz
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RAM (minimum)
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1GB
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Operating system (minimum)
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Windows 2000, 2003, 2008, 2012 Server
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Ethernet network (minimum)
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100
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Performance notes: Since Clients & Profits X: Enterprise Edition X utilizes Microsoft SQL Server 2005, 2008 or 2012 that database system will dictate how your server should be configured. It may require faster processors, more RAM, and more storage to support more concurrent users. The specifications listed above should adequate handle the work load from a typical 25-user Clients & Profits X: Enterprise Edition system. An experienced DBA should determined the appropriate hardware/software configuration based on your shop's realistic needs and expectations. Check the Microsoft SQL Server web site for specific hardware requirements.
* Mac OS X users can only access SQL Server 2005 or 2008 or 2012 using the Actual Technologies ODBC driver (not included; available for $29.95 per user from www.actualtechnologies.com). The actual technologies 2.8 driver is recomended for use with Clients & Profits X. The Installation Guide has step-by-step instructions for configuring MySQL for Clients & Profits X.
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My Clients & Profits! X web server
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Specifications:
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Computer model(minmum)
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iMac, Mac Mini, MacBook, Mac Pro
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Pentium 4 and later
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Processor speed (minimum)
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1GHz
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2.5GHz
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RAM (minimum)
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1GB
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1GB
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Operating system
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OS X 10.4 or later
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Windows XP or later
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Free hard disk space
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120mb
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120mb
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Ethernet network (minimum)
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100
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100
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Note: Use of the My C&P! X server requires a monitor.
Performance notes: My Clients & Profits! X is a self-contained web server, so no special hardware or system software is required. It does not need server software (e.g. OS X Server, Windows Server). Since My C&P! X isn't multi-threaded (i.e., it handles only one user request at a time), the web server computer does not need to be especially fast; however, a faster computer will handle more remote users that need access to the C&P database at the same time. The My C&P! X web server stores no data locally; that's why it requires a full-time connection to the Clients & Profits file server. The web server also needs a fixed IP address. My Clients & Profits! X can be available 24 hours a day except during the nightly backup, when it will shut itself down with Clients & Profits automatically.
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These general recommendations are only suggestions. Your performance will vary based on number of concurrent users, the availability and speed of your network, the file server's work load, and the capabilities and limits of your computer hardware. Hardware configurations should be researched and evaluated by an experienced computer professional, who should make buying decisions on your particular needs, environment, and resources. Clients & Profits, Inc. can not be responsible for how well Clients & Profits performs in your environment.
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Special notes:
 For better performance, use TCP/IP instead of AppleTalk, IPX, or other network protocols.
UNIX/Linux-based file servers and network-attached storage (NAS) devices, such as Snap servers, are not recommended for hosting your database.
Fast Ethernet (i.e., 100baseT) is recommended for improved throughput over the older 10BaseT and is preferable to wireless connections as well.
Clients & Profits should not be accessed using Personal File Sharing, since it can't handle the volume for more than a few concurrent users. It is also particularly vulnerable to system problems that cause data corruption.
Be sure to incorporate a backup solution which allows for restoration of any copy within two weeks and take copies offsite periodically.
Remote access via Citrix or Windows Terminal Services is not supported.
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