Reliability and Performance
Getting the fundamentals right.
Introduction and a Typical Installation
Many businesses, especially ones which have evolved from just one or 2 PCs, will not start out with a proper client/server network. Because the networks typically develop in an ad-hoc and unplanned fashion, more computers are added, perhaps even a machine that acts "as" a server, but the network is still essentially chaotic. Data resides all over the network, backups are patchy and incomplete, and the failure of any one of the machines causes disruption or worse, data loss. A properly designed and implemented client/server network helps avoid these problems. How?
I would like to look at a typical installation, taken from real world systems we have seen in many industries. This particular installation is typical of an IT installation at a mixed private/NHS dental practice:
Reception 1 machine
This is also the "server" which has the practice management data. This is also used by reception to run the practice management client software, the appointment book etc. The practice always run the backup software manually at the end of the day and take the REV drive offsite, as they were instructed, though the backup often fails and they don't know why. A restore has never been tested. It has a dialup modem, used for sending claims to the Dental Practice Board, and for remote access by their software company and hardware suppliers. It has an inkjet printer used for receipts and reminders, and other document printing. The printer is shared with the other computers.
Reception 2 machine
This runs the practice management software, and does a network backup of the practice management data.
Office machine
This runs Sage for accounts, the data for which resides on the office machine. It also hosts various Word and Excel documents, from job applications, to staff wages, practice policy documents, and correspondence. It has dialup or broadband Internet access, but is the only machine to have this. Someone has installed a copy of Norton Anti-Virus on this machine. Practice emails arrive and are answered on this computer. Sage is occasionally backed up to an external hard drive or to a writable CD, but it is not done regularly
Surgery 1 machine
This does not do much, except the practice management software. It has an inkjet printer attached, for printing Perio charts and graphical estimates.
Surgery 2 machine
This machine also connects to the server on reception for the practice management and clinical records. In addition, it has an intra-oral camera connected to it, to capture digital images, and these are stored locally on that machine.
X-ray machine
This has a digital radiography scanner. It integrates into the practice management software, but the data is stored on the x-ray machine, from where it should be being backed up, but it isn't.
A 10/100 hub on reception links all the network cabling together.
Most of the machines are fairly recent, and cost quite a lot of money. They are early Pentium 4 workstations, with 256mb or 512mb of RAM. Most of the machines have Microsoft Word, that was installed with the machines. The Office machine has a dodgy copy of Office 2000 copied from a friend of a friend. They mostly seem to work OK, and if anything happens the practice contacts the local computer shop, who can turn their hand to a bit of ad-hoc repair, and some file and printer sharing.
From our perspective, this setup is a disaster. Most dental practices we have visited for the first time have some form of this kind of installation. So what are the problems with it?