The workstation requires a hard drive for storage of a minimal number of small files (under 1 MB).

File Server:

We recommend a Pentium server (2 GhZ or faster) with a 20+ GB hard drive (MediTrax will use only a small fraction of this space at first, generally under 100 MB); we recommend at least 2 GB RAM. Hard drive storage space is remarkably inexpensive, with fast 200-500 GB drives in the $200-$300 price range. Memory is likewise cheap, with 1 GB readily available for under $100. We do not recommend using the file server as an additional workstation.

DETAILS: A new MediTrax installation requires approximately 50 MB of storage space; about 1/3 of that is for the "empty" data tables, and another 1/2 is required for document templates. Once you begin entering data and scanning documents, the size of the data tables will expand; our huge test database with

NOTE: As with any other software program, the speed with which MediTrax operates can be adversely affected when a file server is "overloaded" because too many workstations are simultaneously connected to the server, or because the applications running on those workstations place excessive demands on the server. There is no "magic number" of workstations or applications which will cause program performance to begin to suffer, but when the nearly-instantaneous progression from one MediTrax menu screen to the next slows to several seconds (or several minutes!), or when the rapid preparation of comprehensive summary reports takes longer than a minute or two, it's almost always an "overloaded" file server that's the culprit. A "mirrored" IDE system may significantly increase the speed of data access to the server.

Additional Required Hardware:

Uninterruptible Power Supply: If you don't yet have a UPS and Surge Protector for your file server, please drop whatever you're doing now and get one! For under $100, you can protect your data (in MediTrax and other programs) from sudden power surges, outages, brownouts and blackouts! This is probably the most cost-effective investment any computer user can make!

Backup Hardware: Yes, you do need a backup system! To quote Ben Gottesman in PC Magazine:
It can and will happen to you. Whether it's a hard drive error that corrupts files, a virus that deletes files, or simple user error, one day you will lose data. Some things, like program and system files, can be reinstalled, though the process can be time-consuming. Other data, such as text documents and e-mail messages, are impossible to recreate. Imagine if you lost your financial files or the library of images shot on your digital camera.
In a recent PC Magazine survey, less than half of the respondents said they back up as often as weekly. More than a third said they either never back up or do it only when they think about it. Many said they don't remember, and several complained that backing up interferes with normal use of their PC. But the fact is, backing up doesn't have to interfere with your time on the computer, nor does it require you to remember to back up. In fact, once set up, some solutions don't require you to do anything at all.

MediTrax does not require a complex or costly data-backup system, and does not require the assistance of a computer consultant or IT professional to implement regular data backup. Users with appropriate administrative permissions are prompted to back up all data tables whenever more than one full business day has elapsed since the last backup. Automated "one-step" backup of all data tables to a flash drive, CD, or remote hard drive generally takes less than two minutes.

RAID (Redundant Array of In-line Disks) data backup systems are generally very expensive, require regular consistency checks and only protect against one form of data loss: the failure of a single hard drive. The primary purpose of RAID hardware is actually not protection of data, but increased access speed.

Backing up MediTrax data tables to a flash drive, CD, or other removable media may be accomplished from any workstation. We strongly recommend that the removable media be stored in a secure remote (i.e., OFFSITE) location.