Thin Client from remote server location for 3 offices

[mdemps9190]

As an office we are trying to move to Open Dental and through discussions with Jordan, have been recommended a combo thin/thick client setup.

Basically we want to host the servers off-site and have 3 practices all work seamlessly with the same database. Does anybody have any experience with this setup using thin clients?

How fast is the imaging/the software in general? There are worries that it will be too laggy and speed will become an issue as we are switching over from a localized, server based setup that didn't allow us to sync all three offices up to a thin client.

Also if anybody has any sort of guide on how to set this up that would be great. We will probably hire some outside IT help to initially set it up, but we want to make sure everything is clean and fast before we spend money on servers and such.

Appreciate any help.

[jordansparks]

You can set up two ordinary workstations to test the speed. Set one of them up as the server. Use RDP to get a feel for the thin client speed and capabilities. Yes, this should be done before you go any further. The VPN is the hardest part.

[Manny Ramirez]

Yes indeed, either a Citrix or Terminal Server are the best option. Microsoft RRAS has some VPN capabilites as well. Jordan, question. I used Dental Vision once. I remember seeing a logon screen with a list of offices where you could pick one. Is there a feature like that in OD? I was also able to map a Scannex system to it. I guess one of the biggest challange has always been mapping digital sensor or any digital device over the rdp connection.

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[jordansparks]

Yes, there is a window in Open Dental where you can pick an office to connect to:
http://www.opendental.com/manual/central.html

[SpeedGP]

You may consider hosting one server per location, then having all locations sync data between themselves. If you are hosting everything offsite I think you will experience a lot of lag.

Main issues will be when you take or view digital X-Rays.

For syncing OpenDental we use the built in Master-Master Replication built into MySQL.

[jordansparks]

Replication is not for the faint of heart. It takes skill and attention to detail. We don't usually recommend replication as the first option.

[pna]

As efficient as RDP is, the UI elements still need to be transported over network.

Not sure, if this has been attempted before, but how about hosting mysql centrally and A-Z folders locally to each site, kept in sync with likes of dropbox? mysql data should be pretty light on the network. Dropbox is pretty good at syncing near real-time. This way user experience will not suffer; except occasional waits before accessing files.

[asceticwonder]

Hello, sorry to open old thread, but has anyone tried this? I am considering switching to open dental due to growing business and would like to have a good multi-office strategy from the get-go.

Thanks!

As efficient as RDP is, the UI elements still need to be transported over network.

Not sure, if this has been attempted before, but how about hosting mysql centrally and A-Z folders locally to each site, kept in sync with likes of dropbox? mysql data should be pretty light on the network. Dropbox is pretty good at syncing near real-time. This way user experience will not suffer; except occasional waits before accessing files.