Starting from scratch

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jumpman
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Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2017 9:57 am

Starting from scratch

Post by jumpman » Tue Jul 25, 2017 10:02 am

We are a small (3-op) office that is upgrading to digital from a paper filing system/film x-ray. We have heard amazing things about opendental and have started researching the requirements for supporting this system at the office.

For such a small office, is it necessary to get a server? Would we be able to run ~4 computers without a dedicated server?

Any recommendations on hardware would be appreciated! We are trying to take a more minimalist approach.

Thanks!

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cmcgehee
Posts: 711
Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2015 5:06 pm
Location: Salem, Oregon

Re: Starting from scratch

Post by cmcgehee » Tue Jul 25, 2017 11:44 am

It is highly recommended that you get a dedicated server. This will keep your data more secure, and it will decrease the likelihood that you lose temporary access to your data. With that said, you don't have to get a beefy server with all the bells and whistles. Just a basic computer running Windows 10 should be more than adequate to handle 4 computers connecting to it. See http://opendental.com/manual/computerrequirements.html for more details.

Another option you could look into is hosting your data on the cloud. You can store your database on Amazon RDS or Microsoft Azure and setup your images in a Dropbox account.
http://opendental.com/manual/cloudhostedserver.html
http://opendental.com/manual/dropbox.html
Chris McGehee
Open Dental Software
http://www.opendental.com

jumpman
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2017 9:57 am

Re: Starting from scratch

Post by jumpman » Tue Jul 25, 2017 7:16 pm

Thank you. I have heard good reviews about this computer: https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-ThinkServ ... B00SS3M3K6

I also need Windows 10 Pro, being that it does not come with it. Is there a hard drive that you recommend? Should I be looking at SSD over the standard HDD? Finally, what's the difference between a server and a PC? Should I be getting two of these- one as a server and one as a workstation? Not sure if I understand all of this.

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cmcgehee
Posts: 711
Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2015 5:06 pm
Location: Salem, Oregon

Re: Starting from scratch

Post by cmcgehee » Wed Jul 26, 2017 11:22 am

The Lenovo server looks like it has sufficient specs to be adequate for a small office. As for hard drives, a HDD should be plenty fast enough for your purposes. An SSD is really only helpful if you have years worth of data from multiple locations. The difference between a server and a PC is that a server has different hardware that helps it do a better job of running 24/7 and responding to requests constantly. You will just need one server computer and then you can get PC's for the computers that your staff will be working on.
Chris McGehee
Open Dental Software
http://www.opendental.com

mafiaxxx
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Joined: Sat Jul 22, 2017 9:55 am
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Re: Starting from scratch

Post by mafiaxxx » Thu Jul 27, 2017 10:38 pm

You should get a dedicated server
Short Circuited Computer Services
Medical and Dental Computer Techs.
http://www.shortcircuited.net

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