Recommended Hardware for PC-Topp

Obviously, it is not possible to have the latest and greatest hardware at all times. Here are some guidelines for those who are upgrading to PC-Topp.NET, or who want to install PC-Topp.NET on existing hardware.

PC-Topp Service PC

As the Service PC is the core of the system and PC-Topp's performance depends largely on its being well equipped we strongly recommend using PCs that meet the criteria for newly purchased hardware.

Workstations, Machine Terminals

Whether a PC is suitable for use with PC-Topp largely depends on the program you intend to run on it (e.g. a PC-Topp Machine Terminal is more demanding than the Free Terminal).

We recommend that you only use computers for PC-Topp that aren't older than about three years and were top-of-the-line machines at the time of purchase.

PC-Topp is designed on 19" TFT monitors with SXGA resolution (1280x1024 px). XGA monitors (resolution 1024x768 px) can be used with certain limitations: The PC-Topp pages will function on them in "emergency mode".

Given the fact that a suitable PC can be bought new for less than 500 Euros and the right kind of monitor costs about 250 Euros, it is usually more efficient to buy new hardware rather than asking us to spend expensive time trying to make old hardware work with PC Topp.

Operating System

Care must be taken when using PCs that have been in use for a long time, as Windows tends to become slow and unstable over time. Windows 95, Windows ME, Windows 98, Windows NT and Windows 2000 are not supported. In general, all PCs used to run PC-Topp should have NTFS formatted hard drives.

Service PC

The PC-Topp Service PC requires:

• Windows Server 2008 Standard or higher
• Internet Information Services
• Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5
• (Optional) SQL Server 2008 Standard or higher
  (Using the free SQL Server 2008 Express edition is possible but leads to significant slowdowns when run on a virtual server. Therefore we strongly recommend buying a full license if you intend to virtualize your server.)

Workstations

For the PC-Topp Workstations and the PC-Topp Machine Terminal, at least Windows XP with Service Pack 3 is required but we recommend Windows 7 or Windows Vista.

Software

PC-Topp.NET is designed for Microsoft Internet Explorer®. The browser must be installed in an up-to-date version, i.e. Internet Explorer 9 (including all Service Packs and updates).

Printers

All printers need to be Hewlett-Packard or models of other suppliers that are at least compatible with HP LaserJet 4.