Server

It is recommended using one centralized server to run Microsoft SQL Server, and one or more centralized servers to run the DEACOM Web Services and the DEACOM Automation Service or Console. Small installations or training environments can run the application and database services on the same server. Cloud-hosted servers through Azure, Amazon Web Services, and other third-parties are also supported. Both the application and database servers should be hosted in the same datacenter for best performance.

Server Details

  • All Servers - It is recommended to use virtual servers on a platform like VMWare or Hyper-V that supports redundancy and failover. If using a third-party, their methodology for failover should be verified. Additional information is available via the VMWare and Hyper-V Notes section further below. 
  • SQL Server 
    • Additional SQL servers may be used for redundancy with Microsoft Always on Availability Group functionality, but are not required. Redundant SQL Servers in the same datacenter are not recommended if using redundancy at the virtual server level, as specified above. 
    • When hosting DEACOM on Azure, use a virtual machine with SQL Server Standard on it. Do not use the Azure SQL Database because it is not compatible. 
    • When hosting DEACOM on AWS, use an EC2 instance with SQL Server Standard on it. Do not use Amazon RDS because it is not compatible. 
  • Web Service 
    • There can exist an infinite number of web servers/web services. It is recommended that the web services not be installed on the same virtual server as the SQL Server from a resource contention standpoint. 
    • The web services can be scaled to handle hundreds of users. The limiting factor is the amount of CPU and RAM. 
    • Multiple instances of the web services can be deployed for different departments or facilities, or to provide load-balancing and redundancy. 
    • All web servers should be in the same physical location as the SQL Server to minimize SQL traffic over wide-area networks. 
    • Web servers can be accessed externally if the perimeter firewall is configured to route traffic to it, but it should be secured with a SSL certificate in this case. 
    • Web servers can be placed in a DMZ for additional security. The firewall needs be configured to allow SQL traffic from the web server to the SQL server, usually just port 1433 in this case. 
  • Automation Service 
    • For the scanners to automatically detect the Automation Service, the service and the scanners must be on the same subnet. However, if they are not, a connection can still be made by manually keying in the IP address of the Automation Service in the scanner. 
    • Some transactions perform faster if the Automation Service is in the same physical location as the SQL server and if the Automation Service is local to the facility. This varies widely based on setup and usage (I.e.: Serialization vs Non-serialization, etc.). 
    • The Automation Service can be installed on any server or desktop. If installed centrally, it should be installed on a server. In a remote facility, installing on a desktop that can be trusted to be always turned on is acceptable.

Server Hardware Requirements and Recommendations

Deacom offers a cloud hosted solution. If hosting on-premise or via a different hosting provider, the following requirements will make for the best possible user experience.

Hardware/System

Base Requirement

Supported

Operating System

Windows Server 2016

Windows Server 2022

Processor

Intel Xeon E5 v3 Family

Intel Xeon Silver Family

.Net Version

 .Net Framework 4.6.2
(.Net Framework 4.8 is required for
Deacom versions 17.02 and higher)

Latest .Net Framework Version

SQL Version

2017 Standard

2019 or 2022 Standard

More detailed information on the different SQL Version and .Net Framework requirements is contained in the Server Software Requirements and Recommendations section further down on this page.

Also, the tables below provide an estimate of the server hardware required for acceptable performance based on the number of concurrent users. Note that hyper-threaded or virtual cores count toward the total number of processors:

Recommended: Database Server

Users

CPU Cores

RAM (GB)

Disk IOPS

Disk Space

1-25

4

8

400

100 GB

26-50

4

16

600

250 GB

51-100

4

32

800

500 GB

101-200

8

64

1000

1 TB

201-400

16

128

1200

2 TB

400+

Case-By-Case

Case-By-Case

Case-By-Case

Case-By-Case

 

Recommended: Application Server

Users

CPU Cores

RAM (GB)

Disk IOPS

Disk Space (GB)

1-25

4

8

300

50

26-50

4

16

400

50

51-100

8

32

500

50

101-200

16

64

600

50

201-400

32

128

700

50

400+

Case-By-Case

Case-By-Case

Case-By-Case

Case-By-Case

Server Software Pricing and Licensing

SQL Software Pricing

With the decreasing cost of hardware, the majority of the server cost will be in the SQL Server and operating system software. SQL Server is licensed either by a server license plus client access licenses (CALs) for each user or device, or by CPU cores. Microsoft offers licensing guidance on the SQL Server website.

  • Note: As your user count increases, it might be more cost-effective to use core licensing rather than CAL licensing.

SQL Server License Requirements

Customers are responsible for purchasing the appropriate number of SQL Server licenses. SQL Server Core licenses don’t require Client Access Licenses (CAL).  For customers using Server/CAL licensing, note that a SQL Server CAL is required for each device or user accessing the web and automation services. The SQL Server CAL (Client Access License) must be the same version or newer than the SQL Server software version being accessed. For example, to access a server running SQL Server 2017 software, a user needs a SQL Server 2017 CAL or later. Per Microsoft, the use of hardware or software that reduces the number of devices or users that directly access or use the software (multiplexing/pooling) does not reduce the number of CALs required. 

Server Software Requirements and Recommendations

The software requirements below cover the Server OS, .NET Framework, Microsoft Windows for SQL, and DEACOM Web Services

We recommend updating servers to Windows Server 2022, and SQL Server 2019 to remain as current as possible. SQL Server 2017 Standard is the edition that the vast majority of our customers use. We recommend using Standard unless there is a specific feature in Enterprise that you are looking for. This link provides information on the different editions : SQL Server Editions

PDF Notes

For versions 15.03.011 and earlier, an installation of Ghostscript (www.ghostscript.com/download/gsdnld.html) is required in order to print PDF documents. Note the system contains error handling, informing users to download Ghostscript when printing PDFs, if they do not currently have it installed.

OS Notes

To support Scripting, available beginning in version 15.03, vcredist2015 must be installed on the Server running the Web Service or the PC running the Web Console. On Version 15.02 or earlier versions, vcredist_2008_32 and vcredist_2008_64 must be installed. The vcredist_2015_32.exe and vcredist_2015_64.exe files are available in the main DEACOM Production folder.

Download Link: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=48145

Please reference the Server Software Requirements section above for details on the supported and required server operating systems when using DEACOM.

SQL Server Notes
  • When installing SQL Server, only the Database Engine needs to be installed.
  • SQL Server must be installed with Mixed Authentication mode.
  • Starting with SQL Server 2017, Microsoft no longer releases service packs.  Instead they release Cumulative Updates more frequently that can be installed with the same confidence as a service pack.  We recommend installing the latest CU for your version of SQL from Here.
VMWare and HyperV Notes

Customers may use VMware or Hyper V to run multiple virtual machines on a single physical machine, with each virtual machine sharing the resources of that one physical computer across multiple environments. Different virtual machines can run different operating systems and multiple applications on the same physical computer. The DEACOM web service, automation service, and SQL Server can all be run on virtual machines. 

.NET Framework Notes
  • The .NET 4.6.2 requirement is a result of maintaining compliance with standard security updates in a number of DEACOM's software's dependencies. As of March 1st, 2017, all DEACOM version updates require the Microsoft .NET Framework 4.6.2 or higher in order to operate. Prior to updating to any DEACOM version released after March 1st, 2017, verify that the server operating system and SQL Server instance are compatible with Microsoft .NET Framework 4.6.2. If running the Desktop version of DEACOM (Classic), .NET Framework must be updated on all Workstations running the application locally. If running the Web Based .NET version of DEACOM, the Application Server, in which the Web Services are installed, must be updated with the proper framework. If updating to a version released after March 1st 2017 without this framework in place, DEACOM will be rendered inoperable.
  • If using Payflow DEACOM must be updated to the .NET 4.6.2 version by June 1st, 2017 as a result of changes made by Payflow. Please contact DEACOM if assistance is needed. If Payflow is not being used, .NET 4.6.2 still needs to be installed if updating to a version built after March 1st, 2017 .NET 4.6.2 is backwards compatible with .NET 4.0, therefore, as long as the DEACOM application is version 14.1 or higher, .NET 4.6.2 can be installed proactively.
  • When running the web version of DEACOM, .Net 4.6.2 must be installed on the server running the DEACOM Web Service and any PC/workstation that will use the DEACOM software, for example, DEACOM Local, Autofinisher and the Automation Console. Please note: Deacom Local is not supported on Mac OS.
  • .NET Framework 4.8 is required for Deacom versions 17.02 and higher.

WAN Requirements

DEACOM requires a remote solution to run over a VPN connection for companies where the server is not located on site. This requirement only applies when running classic versions of DEACOM, not web based versions.The following are examples of remote solutions recommended by Deacom:

  • Terminal Server
  • Remote Desktop
  • Citrix

Printer Requirements

Information regarding printer requirements and setups is available via the Configuring Printers page. The "Printing from the main DEACOM application" section contains details specific to customers using web versions of the application.

Classic Version Workstation Requirements

The workstation software and hardware requirements for running DEACOM classic versions are outlined in the following table. DEACOM web versions only require a working web browser to run the DEACOM application. We recommend Chrome, Firefox, or MS Edge browsers.

Hardware/System

Required

Recommended

Operating System

Windows Vista

Windows 10

RAM

1 GB

2-4 GB

Disk Space

100 MB

512 MB

Processor

Pentium Core i3

Pentium Core i5 3rd Gen or better

MS Office

Office 2003 SP3

Office 2013 or 2016

.Net Version

See .Net_Version, above.

 

The note sections below relate to DEACOM classic versions only. Workstation Notes

  • Windows Live Email is not recommended.
  • .xls spreadsheets are not supported when using DEACOM web versions. Currently, only .xlsx spreadsheets are supported in web versions.
  • There are known issues with 64-bit Outlook & the 'Print to email' function in Deacom. Since this function uses a 32-bit PDF driver, 64-Bit Outlook will have problems opening when Printing to email.
  • A group policy must be set on the domain server to suppress Outlook send email warnings. This link explains how to configure the group policy to suppress the warning: http://www.msoutlook.info/question/883
  • DEACOM now uses SMTP from the web server to send email. 
  • DEACOM supports sending email through Office365. "Office 365" refers to subscription plans that include access to Office applications plus other productivity services that are enabled over the Internet (cloud services).

Microsoft Office Notes

DEACOM leverages Microsoft Office products for emailing, exporting to spreadsheets and creating/printing part forms. The following versions of Microsoft Office are compatible with DEACOM:

  • Office 2003 (SP3 and higher)
  • Office 2007 (SP1 and higher)
  • Office 2010 (32-bit and 64-bit are supported)
  • Office 2013 (32-bit and 64-bit are supported)
  • Office 2016 (32-bit and 64-bit are supported)

Is it safe to have SQL Server auto-shrink functionality turned on?

Deacom does not recommend turning on auto-shrink functionality. Auto-shrink is a very common database setting to have enabled. It seems like a good idea - remove the extra space from the database. So, why is auto-shrink so bad?

  • Shrink-grow-shrink-grow causes file-system level fragmentation and takes lots of resources.
  • You can't control when it starts.
  • It is system resource intensive. Moving pages around in the database takes CPU, lots of IO, and generates lots of transaction log.
  • Data file shrink (whether auto- or not) causes massive index fragmentation, which leads to poor performance.

SQL compatibility level

Every database is assigned a SQL compatibility level and Deacom is compatible with all of them. To benefit from the new query optimizer in SQL 2014, be sure your Deacom databases use compatibility level 120. To change the compatibility level of your SQL Server, open the SQL Server Management Studio and login to the server. Right-click on a DEACOM database and click on Properties. Go to the Options page and change the Compatibility level to the version that you require.

Tip: Beginning in version 14.9.98 of DEACOM, when running on Windows 10 PCs, the Microsoft Print to PDF printer is now the preferred printer, when available, instead of the Deacom PDF Converter.  Users will not need to make any changes. The system will check to see if the Microsoft Print to PDF printer is available when users attempt to print to PDF or email in DEACOM.

Helpful Links