hardware/software upgrade planning

[Ladd]

I had emailed this to tech support and haven't received a response so I thought I would post it here as well.

We are in the planning stages of hardware and OS replacements.

We currently have PowerChurch on a Windows 2000 server (which also runs Exchange server to support our shared Church Outlook calendar)with 7 ethernet networked PCs running XP with PowerChurch access. We are planning on eliminating Exchange Server by using Google apps calendar for shared Church Calendar. This leads to debate on whether we need a Windows 2008 Server or other type of network server (perhaps running Linux or Apple's Snow leopard) or just a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device. We may also replace our six year old XP PCs with new ones running Windows 7.

We are looking seriously at network security as we also have secured wireless access in the Church building. Website hosting is done on a 3rd party Host Provider. We do have a knowledgeable technology committee plus our tech support consultant. And of course, budget constraints. I did find on your knowledgebase that you do not recommend running PowerChurch on a wireless network.

So, we are looking for options and we need to know more about potential PowerChurch networked configurations to help in our decision making process.
What is the minimum configuration needed to run PowerChurch in a networked environment for our size (7 users with PowerChurch access)?
What are the optimum configuration options for our size(7 users with PowerChurch access)?



Ladd Bethune
Church Webmaster/Applied Tech committee
Church of Christ Congregational
Newington, CT
United Church of Christ

[NeilZ]

I did find on your knowledgebase that you do not recommend running PowerChurch on a wireless network.

So, we are looking for options and we need to know more about potential PowerChurch networked configurations to help in our decision making process.
What is the minimum configuration needed to run PowerChurch in a networked environment for our size (7 users with PowerChurch access)?
What are the optimum configuration options for our size(7 users with PowerChurch access)?



Ladd Bethune
Church Webmaster/Applied Tech committee
Church of Christ Congregational
Newington, CT
United Church of Christ

FWIW ... I've used Powerchurch on wired and wireless networks without problems. The problem occurs if the signal is weak, then the connection is often dropped, then gets picked up again. This can definitely cause problems when you're trying to update the database.

The optimum configuration is one you already have, all the machines are linked with CAT5/6. You really DO NOT need to have a server in this configuration, just a central machine that can share a folder on the network. This is also the minimum configuration needed ... you can use wireless if you want, but the most secure network is a wired network.

In fact, most networked users of Powerchurch are running it with the church secretary's or the bookkeeper's computer being used as the 'server' with the Powerchurch directory shared on the network. If you've checked the Knowledgebase, as well as in the Powerchurch manual, the basic instructions for networking Powerchurch are there.

As far as replacing the XP machines, I'd go with Win7 Home edition, and then setup a Home Network which in Win7 takes care of many of the problems the additional security in Win7 has created. However, don't replace them on Powerchurch's account, it runs fine on an Win2K desktop with 256MB RAM !!

FWIW ... if I had to make a decision on replacing or upgrading machines, I'd just add RAM to the existing machines, upgrade the monitors, and add a network storage solution for backups and network shared storage.

That said, there are threads in the forums from about 4 or 5 years back that talk of using an NAS drive as the 'server' for Powerchurch, since the actual program runs and updates the database from the 'local' machine, and not under any service (such as MS SqlServer does) on a central server.

Hope this helps .. .

[Jeff]

Neil is right. The current version of PowerChurch can run directly from a NAS device on the network and does not require a dedicated server. Just for your consideration as you are making long lasting hardware decisions, version 12 of PowerChurch is going to be a major change. One of the things we are hoping to achieve is to allow the use of SQL Server or SQL Server Express for a database back end. This should provide greater security and performance, but will require a Windows machine for a host. We will also provide a file-based database solution for those users that are running from a NAS or cannot run SQL Server Express.

Version 12 is still quite aways off and just now in the planning phases and is at least 2 to 3 years away. We are still dealing with shipping version 11 and PowerChurch Check In.

[NeilZ]

One of the things we are hoping to achieve is to allow the use of SQL Server or SQL Server Express for a database back end. This should provide greater security and performance, but will require a Windows machine for a host. We will also provide a file-based database solution for those users that are running from a NAS or cannot run SQL Server Express.

I'd rather have you use MySql ... then you won't have to be stuck on any OS !!

I could even setup an OS/2 server, and then not worry about it

[Jeff]

The tool we are looking at the most natively supports connecting to SQL Server, Oracle, Visual FoxPro, and Microsoft Access. We would like to have more options for other backends, specifically MySQL and VistaDB.