Open Dental Forum

I'm sure this has been asked multiple times in the past, but I am new to the forum and couldn't locate a quick answer. I am almost finished with my startup and want to know what computers and hardware requirements I will need to run OD.I initially will start with 4-5 computers on the network (2 ops my private office and front desk and maybe a second one at the front desk or in the lab area) My IT tech is pushing me for a dedicated server, or at least a very highend desk top to act as the server, but my impression is I may not need anything so fancy (and expensive) Does anyone have any recommendations for computers that will work well and be cost effective for me.
Thanks

I would just buy some refurbished computers if it was me. That is what I do for all my workstations. Yes, it is best to have a top end server, but any computer really will do to start out, you can alway upgrade. I think the AMD A series processors work well, they have built in dual graphics output and seem to work very nicely. I have a couple of the lowest end A4's I got for like $299 a while ago, but now you can get up to A10 for even better performance for a little more. If you want it to work the fastest, then yes, get a little better computer for your server: Like a Generation 2 or 3 core i5 or i7 intel or Phenom II x4 or Bulldozer processor would be great. Your workstations will be fine getting AMD A series or similar and if you get an A10 quad core, it should be way more than enough to handle it.

AMD A6 dual core ($369) (Workstations) http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications ... CatId=7684
AMD A10 Quad Core ($449) (Server) http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications ... CatId=7684

get dual monitors for your front desk. It is a lifesaver for imputing info/looking at the schedule while doing other things, etc. I rec 22" or up to 26" screens (or put a smaller 4x3 screen for the second monitor next to a 22" widescreen for less desk real estate.

First, I'll second what David said.

My workstation solution is used Dell Optiplex 780 sff computers from ebay (offlease with Windows 7 pro installed). They run about $250 - 300. For the server however, I would want a fresh computer with raid drives and power backup... the whole 9 yards. Don't forget to budget in a backup service. You cannot afford to lose data.

best,

Rick

Spend some money on a beefy server and implement multiple backups. I've come to the conclusion that you should have as much back up as you can afford because you can't afford not to have a backup. If you have a domain, then you'll want to have a backup that gets the whole server and not just the patient data because rebuilding a domain that goes down is just painful. Try to use different strategies, I.E. use an external USB drive and ALSO use a backup over the network. Use different softwares that don't conflict if able. You may decide to run your server as a virtual machine like our office so that if the hardware fails you can quickly restore to any hardware in the office. In short, there are a dozen ways you can backup, pick a few and make sure they work.

Search for Open Dental on a Mac in the forums. The last post about running VMs is correct. Should your hardware die, virtual machines can be restored to another piece of hardware within minutes instead of hours of reloading all your programs and putting the databases back in order. If you are going to depend on an IT guy, and you have no basic knowledge of networks or computers, then you will have to go with your IT recommendations.

Thanks for the advice so far. One more question. Windows7 or Windows 8 for the operating system?

Windows 8 is faster, but i install "classic shell" , use my custom windows 8 logo image for the button and disable the windows8 hot corners. the "Metro" thing is just a pain and causes confusion. http://www.smilecouple.org/2013/04/16/c ... art-button

Windows 7 is simpler, but won't run quite a fast on older hardware. Either way you can get a good deal, I would personally go with 8 if you are ok messing with the tweaks. If you don't want to, stick with stable windows 7.

win 7...other programs you need dont support win8

I haven't had any issues with programs not working in 8 that worked in 7. What programs have you experienced that are not compatible?

I like Optiplex 3010's and PowerEdge 310's... Believe the 310 is no longer being sold.. 320 now. I let people order from my dell premier account. I am crazy like that.

I have had *really* good luck with Lenovos. I think the desktop minitowers are the H520 now. They have i7 processors and start at $499. We've been running the H320s for about 2.5 years without a hitch.

I like the small form factor/footprint, and there's little to no heat/fan noise.

They have some all-in-ones (C series I think) that would be similar to an iMac in appearance.

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/cont ... 0D&redir=y

YMMV

Lot of good answers in this forum.

As for me, we use Vostro, Optiplex, PowerEdge Servers. These are available on ebay for a reasonable price.

Main things about setting up the computers (just enumerating what everyone is telling)

• run server in VM, so if it fails, we can quickly recover
  
  RAID setup for the harddrive, so if hard drive fails, data is available on the other drive
  
  backup the data
  
  client machines or terminal servers can be just dumb machines, like AMD chips or pentium chips, even XP machines are ok, that you can pick on ebay for $100

As guardians of very sensitive information (ie health history, SSN, credit card numbers, etc) we should be very wary of purchasing used IT equipment from a third party, especially from eBay. You might be computer savvy enough to know to wipe/reinstall the OS ( not to mention root kits) but that's not true for everyone, particularly the ones asking for help here. I would never ever buy computers from eBay. You save a few hundred bucks, but why chance it with your patient's data? I cringe whenever I hear of hacked businesses. Dell and other brand computers sell wonderful machines for around $300. Get them. Sleep soundly. They will last you 5-6 years or more.

By the way, windows XP is being EOL in a few months.

PS I don't mean to come across as an a$&. Just stating my opinion.

im not sure on programs but some peripherals have had issue with win 8 but this was the last thing i remembered that didnt work for me

Windows 8 may not be able to connect to some Cisco routers

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q ... 0087,d.dmQ

satishp wrote:Lot of good answers in this forum.

As for me, we use Vostro, Optiplex, PowerEdge Servers. These are available on ebay for a reasonable price.

Main things about setting up the computers (just enumerating what everyone is telling)

• run server in VM, so if it fails, we can quickly recover
  
  RAID setup for the harddrive, so if hard drive fails, data is available on the other drive
  
  backup the data
  
  client machines or terminal servers can be just dumb machines, like AMD chips or pentium chips, even XP machines are ok, that you can pick on ebay for $100

Sorry to resurect what may be a dead thread, but I was just looking around at multi-location information and hardware options. Great idea on the VM. Are you just backing up the virtual drive then? Or do you still do a SQL export and normal (file level) backup of A-Z folders?

We backup the whole virtual server but it wouldn't hurt to do a separate data only backup.