Installing client and server on same machine

Discussion in 'Setup & Installation' started by djkym1, Apr 5, 2007.

  1. djkym1

    djkym1 New Member

    for those of us who are somewhat tied on resources (ie. ethernet ports, comp numbers etc)--is there a way we can have the client run on the same machine the server is running upon? all the comps we're using are win xp pro.
  2. Graham

    Graham Developer Staff Member

    Yes, but definitely not good practice.

    I know Jason does that despite my numerous warnings to him not to. I might just give him a final warning! [H]

    If you're out of ethernet ports on the wall, you can buy ethernet splitters to create another port as long as you have cat5 cabling, and a spare port on the switch.



  3. Jason

    Jason Developer / Handyman Staff Member

    I did it for a year with no problems !

    heh.

    There is absolutely no good reason to do it though.

    You could buy a 3 year old used PC (every city has a used PC store) with Windows XP for $300 + $50 bucks for an ugly monitor and Synapse's Firebird Database would FLY on it.

    Synapse's PC requirements are so slow it's crazy.

    I have a PC which has the synapse server on it now. I rarely run the client off it anymore.



    As for ethernet ports, dammit get a $10 router and plug the new router into the uplink port of the other router ! [:)]
  4. djkym5

    djkym5 New Member

    thanks all for the reply--

    so your servers are typically slower (less powerful) than your clients?

    i have a spare celeron 500 mhz running on 128mb ram comp here (w/ winxp), was wondering if that would be enough for a synapse server?

    with our office setup, the reason i was running out of things was cuz we're using a 4 port router connected to a 8 port switch, w/ a neighboring pharmacy using half the connections, and between labcorp, printers and our exam room/front desk computers, didn't want to complicate the network further w/ another switch...
  5. Graham

    Graham Developer Staff Member

    Replace the 8 port switch with a 16 port switch!

    Well, I think 128Mb of ram is stretching the boundaries here. Afterall, even windows needs more than that.

    If might well work though if you add another 1gb of ram.

  6. Jason

    Jason Developer / Handyman Staff Member

    [quote user="djkym5"]

    i have a spare celeron 500 mhz running on 128mbRAM computer here (w/ winxp), was wondering if that would be enough for a synapse server?

    [/quote]

    128 Megs or RAM is not a computer, it's a calculator.

    :)

    128 Megs RAM isn't enough to run XP well. The disk would cache too much.

    It wouldn't be worth it to run the server with just 128 Megs RAM. Add a 512 MB if you have to buy or just a 256MB if you have one around.

    You probably need a new PC.
  7. Graham

    Graham Developer Staff Member

    If you add another 128Mb of ram, you could well use this to set up a Hylafax server which could then be used with Synapse.
    You'll also need an external fax/modem - not an internal winmodem and not a usb modem. Serial port only.



  8. Graham

    Graham Developer Staff Member

    The other point is that you should be not be using a hard drive 5 years old ... well past it's use by date.

    Your data should minimally be protected by Raid 1 and higher.

  9. djkym1

    djkym1 New Member

    thanks for the advice--looks like i'll have to go shopping soon. btw, w/ hylafax, i wouldn't be able to share it with our existing fax line, could i?
  10. Graham

    Graham Developer Staff Member

    I have the one fax line. I have two fax machines sitting on this line. One fax machine is the Hylafax server. It receives faxes only, but it could be pressed into service to send faxes as well. The other fax machine is my HP3015 laserjet. It sends only. It is set to manual receive so it won't clash with the Hylafax server.

    You can phone splitters also that prevent one machine picking up the line when it is in use by the other.

  11. Jason

    Jason Developer / Handyman Staff Member

    I use Snappy Fax (thus far, Hylafax when I have time to set it up). Windows Fax Software program, despite trying hard, can crash. The latest Snappy Fax doesn't crash very often. I have aBrother fax machine set for around 8 rings. Snappy Fax picks up after 1 or 2. The "8 ring pickup" for my Brother Fax machine serves as a backup.

    I doubt Hylafax would crash ! :)
  12. Graham

    Graham Developer Staff Member

    The reason I don't have my HP3015 on receive at 8 rings is that it detects the ring tone which is then answered by Hylafax. Because it can't now answer the fax, it spits out an error report instead!

  13. Jason

    Jason Developer / Handyman Staff Member

    disable the error report ? (probably in the settings somewhere)
  14. Lewis

    Lewis New Member

    What is Raid 1 or higher. Does it refer to hard drive?Any concern if running Client from a laptop instead of a desktop?Is Wireless connection between client & server computers OK?
  15. Graham

    Graham Developer Staff Member

    raid 1 is hard drive mirroring

    laptop and desktop = same risks

    wireless works well

  16. histreetken

    histreetken New Member

    Hello Dr. Chiu,

    I was hoping that you or perhaps Dr. Murdoch or any of the forum members here could help me with some pretty basic questions that I have. I am a new graduate from residency and will be starting up a practice in Alberta, Canada. I figure that since I am starting from scratch I would like to be electronic and paperless with my charting. I dont have the budget for some of these very expensive EMR programs that are out there and to tell you the truth I really like to try different things and have thoroughly read about your synapse system and find it very exciting albeit for a newbie like me a little confusing too.


    Here are my questions:

    I will be using a Motion Computing C5 tablet PC running XP professional Tablet edition. I have 1G of RAM and 60G HDD and a built in intel wifi.


    With respect to Synapse;

    Can I use handwriting recognition to enter patient data and write soap notes?

    Is there any way to have diagrams or images that I can circle to show where there is pain or pathology on certain parts of the body, for example circle a diagram representing a fingernail to represent paronychia?

    Can I run the synapse software from the C5 computer I am using and not use any other computers or servers or internet. You see, it will be just me and I will have no other staff for now. In order to make ends meet, I am going to sublet office space from two or three different physicians and they will refer patients to me and I will advertise, but I want to be mobile and take my charts and the synapse program with me to whichever office I go to and not all offices may have internet.


    Lastly, for backing up, I have Acronis (sp?) software on the C5 (dont know much about using it) and I am prepared to buy an external Hard Drive to back up patient data every night. Is this considered adequate for a solo practitioner?

    Every physician that I speak to here in Alberta is either still paper charting or is buying some top of the line cutting edge super expensive EMR software. No one can seem to answer any of my questions. And the funny thing is, with all the docs that I talk to, the conversation inevitably turns to money and how to save money in practice and not a single doc understands that software like yours exists for free.

    Well, thanks in advance and I am apologize if these questions are repetitive and have been answered on another topic or in another forum.
  17. Graham

    Graham Developer Staff Member

    Hi,

    1. Synapse doesn't take advantage of XP tablet OS, so you will have to write into a box and then paste into Synapse. However, I think you'll quickly find that handwriting recognition is way slower than typing, and dictation. Jason has a tablet but doesn't use handwriting.


    2. You can upload images to the system (jpg, and png format ), and draw on them

    3. Your most important asset is your data. The best protection is to run the synapse server on a dedicated server ( xp will do ). This means no one will turn off the server corrupting the data, no viruses, no system freezes that force you to reset the system while database tables are open. However, a number of users have run both server and client on a laptop.

    4. External hard drive is good, and some type of versioning is better. You could just burn a backup to cd, or use one of the free online backup systems too.

    5. Not many people will admit to spending 5 - 100k needlessly!

    Suggest also that you join the practiceimprovement1 list on yahoogroups. They are very helpful for those starting out in small practices.
  18. histreetken

    histreetken New Member

    Thank you kindly for your response and for the advice. I didnt realize that synapse doesnt support tablet pc. Nonetheless, I will try dictation instead and see how far I get. I have my first set of patients scheduled for next week, I'll keep you posted.

    Thanks again.
  19. Graham

    Graham Developer Staff Member

    We should probably develop a set of trial encounters so that you can see if you are able to document them.

    This will give you some experience in using Synapse rather than diving in the deep end with live patients ...

    Anyone??
  20. Jason

    Jason Developer / Handyman Staff Member

    A great idea. When do you start ?


    I use a combination of notes inked on my Tablet PC and notes typed/macro'd/speeched into Synapse. I've been hovering on demonstrating how I use Synapse with my Tablet PC but I haven't quite got there yet.

    I do exactly what you say ... I ink on diagrams or just take ink notes as I talk to the patients.

    When do you start again ?



    Yes, you can do that. It's not ideal but I've used Synapse Client on a PC I run the server for a long time.


    You'll need to backup to an external hard drive. It is very easy.

    Q: What field are you in ?

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