SIMMS Software Upgrade Policy

Supported Workstations

Remarks

Windows 2008 Server

(32x or 64x compatible)

A Server can be used as a workstation, so we have added this operating system as compatible.

The workstation must be configured for TCP/IP.

All of the current Service Packs available from Microsoft MUST BE INSTALLED prior to SIMMS installation.

Information on service packs can be obtained from Microsoft's Web site at: www.microsoft.com.

Windows 2003 Server

(32x or 64x compatible)

A Server can be used as a workstation,so we have ensured this operating system is compatible.

The workstation must be configured for TCP/IP.

All of the current Service Packs available from Microsoft MUST BE INSTALLED prior to SIMMS installation.

Information on service packs can be obtained from Microsoft's Web site at: www.microsoft.com.

Windows 7

(32x or 64x compatible)

Windows 7 is only supported on SIMMS Version 7.1 and higher.

All of the current Service Packs available from Microsoft MUST BE INSTALLED prior to SIMMS installation.

Information on service packs can be obtained from Microsoft's Web site at: www.microsoft.com.

Windows Vista

(32x or 64x compatible)

Windows Vista is only supported on SIMMS Version 6.0 and higher.

All of the current Service Packs available from Microsoft MUST BE INSTALLED prior to installation.

Information on service packs can be obtained from Microsoft's Web site at: www.microsoft.com.

Windows XP Home Edition

(32x or 64x compatible)

Windows XP Home Edition is only supported on SIMMS Version 7.1 and higher. Windows XP Home Edition was designed for home use only and is not recommended for business or network use. For more information, see the Miscellaneous Notes section in this document. Windows XP Home Edition cannot join Windows server domains. Windows XP Home Edition must be configured for TCP/IP.

All of the current Service Packs available from Microsoft MUST BE INSTALLED prior to SIMMS installation.

Information on service packs can be obtained from Microsoft's Web site at: www.microsoft.com.

Windows XP Professional

(32x or 64x compatible)

Windows XP Professional is only supported on SIMMS Version 7.1 and higher. Windows XP Professional must be configured for TCP/IP.

All of the current Service Packs available from Microsoft MUST BE INSTALLED prior to SIMMS installation.

Information on service packs can be obtained from Microsoft's Web site at: www.microsoft.com.

Supported SQL Servers

Remarks

SQL Server 2005 or 2008 Enterprise version

SQL Server 2005 or 2008 can be installed on a Windows 2003 or 2008 server. SQL Server can be installed on the SIMMS server or on a different server. The specific performance may differ in either configuration depending on the number of users accessing SIMMS at any one time.

If you expect to use more then 50,000.00 items and 90 transactions a day, we strongly recommend you use the Enterprise version of Microsoft SQL. This is sold separately

For more information, please see the Miscellaneous Notes section of this website. SQL Server 2005 or 2008 requires the latest version of Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) to support some advanced features including connecting to Named Instances. You may also be required to install MDAC on each of the client workstations to support these advanced features for other applications. To ensure SIMMS functions properly, SQL Server 2005 must be installed as the Default Instance rather than as a Named Instance. Invotec recommends installing only a single instance of SQL Server 2005 or 2008 to the server that SIMMS is accessing. Mixed Mode security must be selected as the authentication mode. Mixed Mode authentication is the only mode that creates an sa login.

To review Microsoft Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on SQL Server2005 or 2008 Setup, refer to the Microsoft site at: http://support.microsoft.com/.

All of the current Service Packs available from Microsoft MUST BE INSTALLED prior to SIMMS installation.

Information on service packs can be obtained from Microsoft's Web site at: www.microsoft.com.

SQL Server 2005 or 2008 version

SQL Server 2005 or 2008 can be installed on either a Windows 2008 server, Windows 2003 server, Vista workstation or XP workstation. SQL Server can be installed on the SIMMS server or on a different server. Performance may differ in either configuration depending on the number of users accessing SIMMS at the same time.

We strongly recommend you use the Microsoft SQL Standard Server version, if you expect to use more then 10,000.00 items and 50 transactions a day. This is sold separately

For more information, see the Miscellaneous Notes section of this document. SQL Server 2005 or 2008 requires the latest version of Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) to support some advanced features, including connecting to Named Instances. You may also be required to install MDAC on the client workstations to support these advanced features for other applications. If SQL Server 2005 is not installed as the Default Instance rather than as a Named Instance, SIMMS will not function properly. KCSI recommends installing only a single instance of SQL Server 2005 or 2008 to the server that SIMMS is accessing. Mixed Mode security must be selected as the authentication mode. as this is the only authentication mode that creates an sa login.

To review Microsoft Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on SQL Server 2005 Setup, refer to the Microsoft site at: http://support.microsoft.com/.

All of the current Service Packs available from Microsoft MUST BE INSTALLED.

Information on service packs can be obtained from Microsoft's Web site at: www.microsoft.com.

SQL Express

SQL Express can be installed on either a Windows 2008 server, Windows 2003 server, Vista workstation or XP workstation. SQL Express can be installed on the SIMMS server or on a different server. Performance may differ in either configuration depending on the number of users accessing SIMMS.

This is a light version of Microsoft SQL 2005 to be used for small and medium sized businesses. These will typically have less then 10,000.00 items and 50 transactions a day.If you require more items and transactions daily we strongly recommend you use the Enterprise version of Microsoft SQL Sold separately

SQL Express requires the latest version of Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) to support some advanced features, inluding connecting to Named Instances. You may also be required to install MDAC on the client workstations to support these advanced features for other applications. If SQL Express is not installed as the Default Instance rather than as a Named Instance, SIMMS will not function properly. Invotec recommends installing only a single instance of SQL Express to the server that SIMMS is accessing. Mixed Mode security must be selected as the authentication mode, as this is the only authentication mode that creates an sa login.

To review Microsoft Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on SQL Express Setup, refer to the Microsoft site at: http://support.microsoft.com/.

All of the current Service Packs available from Microsoft MUST BE INSTALLED prior to SIMMS installation.

Information on service packs can be obtained from Microsoft's Web site at: www.microsoft.com.

For a SQL Server 2005 or 2008 Features Comparison allows you to click the link below to assure you make the right choice for your SQL solution. Although SQL Express is offered as a bundle with SIMMS Software, the responsibility of purchasing SQL Server Standard or Enterprise is the customers.

http://www.microsoft.com/sql/prodinfo/features/compare-features.mspx

Supported Application Servers

Remarks

Windows 2008/2003 Server or newer

(32x or 64x compatible)

 

All of the current Service Packs available from Microsoft MUST BE INSTALLED.

Information on service packs can be obtained from Microsoft's Web site at: www.microsoft.com.

Install SIMMS on its own dedicated server. For acceptable performance, install SIMMS on a different server than other applications or services which are not essential to the operating system, such as e-mail, IIS, or Fax.

Supported Data collector Operating systems

Remarks

Windows Mobile 5 or Newer Device

SIMMS Windows Mobile Module is compatible with almost any Windows Mobile 5 device and offers a wireless-based inventory software Solution...
A powerful barcode solution, beginning with the implementation of the SIMMS Windows Mobile Module, streamlines your entire business process. for more information on the SIMMS Inventory Software Data Collector Module click here.

For setup and installation instructions click here: http://setup.kcsi.ca/simmsmobile25/default.htm

Miscellaneous Notes

All of the current Service Packs available from Microsoft MUST BE INSTALLED.

Information on service packs can be obtained from Microsoft's Web site at: www.microsoft.com.


Note: These configurations have been thoroughly tested on systems running SIMMS alone. We cannot guarantee acceptable performance on, or support for lesser configurations. You will require a more powerful configuration if you intend to run SIMMS plus other server-based applications at the same time, since multitasking could adversely affect your SIMMS performance. These requirements are subject to change. Prior to installing SIMMS, please review the most current Supported Platform Matrix. It is also important to view the Hot Pre-Installation Issues. Both can be found on the SIMMS Software Web site (www.kcsi.ca).

Note: Most of the items in the Miscellaneous Notes section are specific to network and system configurations.

Invotec can assist in making changes to your network or operating systems.

1. On all computer systems, only Intel Pentium class processors (including Pentium 4 or higher) and 100 percent Intel-Pentium compatible processors are supported.

2. Windows Vista Home and XP Home Edition is designed for home use only and therefore is not recommended for business or network use. By default Windows Vista Home and XP Home Edition installs personal features. The stability and performance of SIMMS may be compromised if you install personal features that require a large amount of memory, resources, or processor usage.

3. Windows XP and Windows 7 Pro 64-Bit Edition has been tested and is supported with SIMMS.

4. SQL 2005/2008 or SQL Express can be installed on the same server as SIMMS for SQL or on a different server. Performance may be improved on smaller networks if both are installed on the same server. Networks with a large number of SIMMS users may get better performance if SQL 2005 is installed on a different server. SIMMS Performance may also be adversely affected by other network factors. This should be considered when determining the configuration. SIMMS Software has no documented statistics concerning the proper configuration in relation to the number of users.

5. SIMMS Software has found data corruption issues that are caused when Windows 98 identifies network interface cards as RealTek network adapters. If your adapter is identified by Windows as a RealTek network adapter, change to the current driver for your particular network interface card. For more information regarding this issue, refer to Microsoft Knowledge Base Article Q189778 on Microsoft’s Web site (http://support.microsoft.com/).

6. When running SIMMS over a Local Area Network (LAN) environment, the ping speeds will vary depending on the speed and configuration of the network. Typical ping speeds with 10,000 bytes of data should be between 20–30 milliseconds. Unacceptable ping speeds are over 400 milliseconds. If the SQL Server has a SCSI controller or a hardware RAID array installed, verify that the Write Caching features of those devices are disabled. The integrity of the SQL databases will be jeopardized if these devices are not disabled.

7. When running SIMMS over the Internet via an Internet Service Provider (ISP) and without a guaranteed bandwidth, individuals may experience dropped sessions and lost connections. If you run SIMMS over the Internet, Invotec recommends establishing a guaranteed bandwidth with your ISP. Consult your ISP about a guaranteed bandwidth solution.

8. TCP/IP must be installed and properly configured so that you can ping by computer name and IP address from the workstation to the server. You must be able to ping the workstation by IP address from the server.

For more information, refer to your SIMMS for SQL Server Installation Guide.

Recommended Minimum System Configuration for SIMMS for SQL

Clients

Processor

Memory (RAM)

MB to Add Per User over 5

Windows 7 (32x or 64x compatible)

Pentium 4
or higher

2 GB
(4 GB or more recommended)

N/A

Windows Vista
(32x or 64x compatible)

Pentium 4
or higher

2 GB
(4 GB or more recommended)

N/A

Windows XP (32x or 64x compatible)

Pentium 4
or higher

1 GB
(2 GB or more recommended)

N/A

Servers - Single Server Implementation (SQL Server and SIMMS on the same server)

Windows 2008/2003 Server or newer (32x or 64x compatible)

Pentium 4
or higher

4 GB
(8 GB or more recommended)

1GB (2-5 users),
(4 GB or more recommended)

Windows 7/Vista/XP or newer Peer-to-Peer
(32x or 64x compatible)

Pentium 4
or higher

4 GB
(8 GB or more recommended)

20-40 MB per SIMMS session over initial 5

Servers - Dual Server Implementation (SQL Server and SIMMS on a separate server)

Database SQL Server 2005/2008 or SQL Express

Pentium 4
or higher

4 GB
(8 GB or more recommended)

20-40 MB per SIMMS session over initial 5

Application Servers Windows 2003/2008 Server or newer
(32x or 64x compatible)

Pentium 4
or higher

4 GB
(8 GB or more recommended)

20-40 MB per SIMMS session over initial 5