Minimum Computer Specifications for C.A.R.L. V4

 

 

Background

 

C.A.R.L. runs well in many different environments.

 

A common misconception is that C.A.R.L. is “just a simple database”, rather than a full suite of programs.

However, there is a lot of processing required by your computer(s) to produce the data in a sensible format, link tables together, interface with Microsoft Word, handle network traffic etc, so it is important not to under-estimate the importance of trying to run such software on machines below a minimum specification.

 

There are additional considerations when looking at whether a computer is ‘up to’ the job of running C.A.R.L. as a master or slave;  for example, certain Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware packages place a huge burden on the processor and impact on processing ability.

 

Even the version of Windows on the PC (the “Operating System”) can make a significant difference:  A computer running Server 2003 is having to do considerably more work than a computer running XP Unlimited for example, which is why XP Unlimited gives noticeably superior performance over Server 2003 on the same hardware. This is a general observation, not just relating to C.A.R.L.

 

C.A.R.L. can interface with Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, XP or 2003, assuming that the free Microsoft Service Packs are up-to-date (see the Microsoft Updates website to check this).

However, additional features appeared in Word 2000, which is why you should consider Word 2000 onwards if you wish to use the Window Sheets features of C.A.R.L.

We do not insist on the ‘latest version’ of Word, just that you have downloaded the bug-fixes from Microsoft.

 

Similarly, you do not need top-end machines to run C.A.R.L.

 

At the time of writing [September 2006], a cheap entry level computer 2.8 GHz P4 with 512MB RAM and XP Professional can be purchased for under £500 from a mainstream supplier.

A decent server with 1GB RAM and a dual-core 3.4Ghz 945 processor with XP Professional from the same supplier is under £650 – this would make a good Terminal Services server for up to 10 clients by simply adding XP Unlimited at around £70.

This level of performance a few years back would have cost thousands, now it is in easy reach of even small businesses and home users.

 

Quite simply – It is not worth paying staff to sit and wait for slow computers – Money spent on upgrading to even these basic I.T. levels will pay dividends in time and frustration saved!

 

We do not supply hardware, nor do we recommend any particular supplier.

 

 

How powerful a computer do I need?

 

The amount of memory (“RAM”) and power of machine (“CPU” or “processor”) depend on how much work the computer will have to deal with.

 

Typically, a C.A.R.L. system will consist of a master computer and 1 or more slaves.

The Master machine will have to do more processing than the slaves, so needs to be of higher specification.

 

Below are some simple ‘Absolute minimum’ and ‘Good’ specifications for different configurations and the equations on how these are arrived at.

Buying a machine with a more powerful processor or more RAM is always a sensible option where finances allow.

 

For more information about the power and suitability of each processor (“CPU”), please refer to the charts at the bottom of this page.

 

 

Example single-user standalone setup

A standalone PC (e.g. a laptop) does not have to worry about serving data to others, nor about network traffic, therefore the specification is very light.

Even Celeron and Sempron processors, which are usually associated with home use, can cope.

 

Standalone 1 user

Absolute Minimum

Good

Processor (CPU)

1.6Ghz Celeron

2.8Ghz P4

RAM (Physical)

448MB

768MB

RAM (Available)

96MB

192MB

 

 

A typical operating system for a single user system would be Windows 2000, XP Professional or XP Home.

A typical anti-virus package would be something light on CPU usage, such as AVG.

 

 

Example multi-user systems

 

Multi-user systems can work in 2 different ways.

 

1. Terminal Services mode.

In this mode, all data processing is performed on the master machine.

All that passes over the network to slaves are the screen updates, which place a tiny load on the network compared to the conventional UNC method. (approx 1/300th of the UNC load)

Even wireless networks can work well with Terminal Services slaves.

The master has to have a fairly good processor and decent amounts of RAM as it is doing all of the work.

The slaves don’t need to be very powerful because all that they’re handling are screen updates issued from the master.

 

 

2. UNC mode.

In this mode, all data processing is performed on the individual slaves.

This means that reading and writing of data is performed by the individual slaves, which results in a much larger load on the network, and slower processing, even with high specification network and slave PCs.

UNC carries the danger of database corruption due to intermitted network problems.

 

In conclusion: Terminal Services is the preferred method over the older UNC method, due to the increases in performance and data integrity.

More information on Terminal Services and UNC can be found here.

 

 

In the examples below, the RAM (memory) guidelines are calculated using the equations from the table below.

These are provided so that you can calculate your own requirements for systems not listed here.

 

 

Physical RAM

Available RAM

Designation

Minimum

Good

Minimum

Good

Terminal Services Master

320MB + (64MB x users)

320MB + (96MB x users)

32MB + (64MB x users)

32MB + (96MB x users)

Terminal Services Slave

128MB

256MB

16MB

32MB

UNC Master

440MB + (8MB x users)

576MB + (32MB x users)

88MB + (8MB x users)

192MB  + (32MB x users)

UNC Slave

440MB

720MB

96MB

192MB

 

 

The slave machines are all the same specification, regardless of the number of users, so are listed first:

 

Example Terminal Services Slave for multi-user systems:

 

TS SLAVE

Absolute Minimum

Good

Processor (CPU)

1.2Ghz Celeron

2.8Ghz P4

RAM (Physical)

128MB

256MB

RAM (Available)

16MB

32MB

 

Terminal Services slaves can be very low specification, as all of the work is done by the Terminal Services master;

Therefore it doesn’t matter which operating system or anti-virus is on the TS Slave.

 

Example UNC Slave for multi-user systems:

 

UNC SLAVE

Absolute Minimum

Good

Processor (CPU)

2.5Ghz P4

3.2Ghz dual-core P4

RAM (Physical)

440MB

720MB

RAM (Available)

96MB

192MB

 

UNC slaves have to be able to handle network traffic, anti-virus scanning and database manipulation simultaneously, so have to be much higher specification than Terminal Services slaves. Typically the UNC Slaves will be running Windows 2000, XP Home or XP Professional operating systems.

Unlike Terminal Services, each UNC slave also requires Microsoft Word to be installed.

Remember: UNC Slaves connected to a UNC Master will always deliver inferior performance when compared with the Terminal Services solution for the same specification hardware.

 

 

 

The specification for Master machines varies according to the number of users it needs to support, and whether it is using Terminal Services or UNC methods:

 

Example 2 user system – Terminal Services Master

 

TS MASTER – 2 user

Absolute Minimum

Good

Processor (CPU)

2.5Ghz P4

3Ghz P4 dual-core

RAM (Physical)

448MB

512MB

RAM (Available)

160MB

224MB

 

A typical operating system for a 2-user terminal services Master would be XP Professional with the XP Unlimited Demo installed, or Small Business Server 2003.

A typical anti-virus package would be something light on CPU usage, such as AVG Professional, or Norton 2003.

 

 

Example 2 user system – old UNC Master:

 

UNC MASTER – 2 user

Absolute Minimum

Good

Processor (CPU)

2.5Ghz P4

3Ghz P4 dual-core

RAM (Physical)

448MB

512MB

RAM (Available)

160MB

224MB

 

A typical operating system for a 2-user UNC Master would be Windows 2000, XP Home, XP Pro, or Windows Media Center.

A typical anti-virus package would be something light on CPU usage, such as AVG Professional, or Norton 2003.

Remember: UNC Slaves connected to a UNC Master will always deliver inferior performance when compared with the Terminal Services solution for the same specification hardware.

 

 

Example 3 user system – Terminal Services Master

 

TS MASTER – 3 user

Absolute Minimum

Good

Processor (CPU)

2.5Ghz P4

3.2Ghz P4 dual-core

RAM (Physical)

512MB

608MB

RAM (Available)

224MB

320MB

 

A typical operating system for a 3-user terminal services Master would be XP Professional with the XP Unlimited Demo installed.

A typical anti-virus package would be AVG Professional, or Norton 2003-2004.

 

 

Example 3 user system – old UNC Master:

 

UNC MASTER – 3 user

Absolute Minimum

Good

Processor (CPU)

2.8Ghz P4

3.2Ghz P4 dual-core

RAM (Physical)

464MB

672MB

RAM (Available)

112MB

288MB

 

A typical operating system for a 3-user UNC Master would be Windows 2000, XP Home, or Windows Media Center.

A typical anti-virus package would be something light on CPU usage, such as AVG Professional, or Norton 2003.

Remember: UNC Slaves connected to a UNC Master will always deliver inferior performance when compared with the Terminal Services solution for the same specification hardware.

 

 

Example 4 user system – Terminal Services Master

 

TS MASTER – 4 user

Absolute Minimum

Good

Processor (CPU)

2.5Ghz P4

3.2Ghz P4 dual-core

RAM (Physical)

576MB

704MB

RAM (Available)

288MB

416MB

 

A typical operating system for a 4-user terminal services Master would be XP Professional with the XP Unlimited Classic (workgroup) or Enterprise (domain) upgrade installed.

A typical anti-virus package would be AVG Professional, or Norton 2003-2004.

 

 

Example 4 user system – old UNC Master:

 

UNC MASTER – 4 user

Absolute Minimum

Good

Processor (CPU)

2.8Ghz P4

3.2Ghz P4 dual-core

RAM (Physical)

472MB

704MB

RAM (Available)

120MB

320MB

 

A typical operating system for a 4-user UNC Master would be Windows 2000, XP Home, or Windows Media Center.

A typical anti-virus package would be something light on CPU usage, such as AVG Professional, or Norton 2003.

Remember: UNC Slaves connected to a UNC Master will always deliver inferior performance when compared with the Terminal Services solution for the same specification hardware.

 

 

Example 5 user system – Terminal Services Master

 

TS MASTER – 5 user

Absolute Minimum

Good

Processor (CPU)

2.5Ghz P4

3.2Ghz P4 dual-core

RAM (Physical)

640MB

800MB

RAM (Available)

352MB

512MB

 

A typical operating system for a 5-user terminal services Master would be XP Professional with the XP Unlimited Classic (workgroup) or Enterprise (domain) upgrade installed.

A typical anti-virus package would be AVG Professional, or Norton 2003-2004.

 

 

 

Example 5 user system – old UNC Master:

 

UNC MASTER –5user

Absolute Minimum

Good

Processor (CPU)

3Ghz P4

3.2Ghz P4 dual-core

RAM (Physical)

480MB

736MB

RAM (Available)

129MB

352MB

 

A typical operating system for a 5-user UNC Master would be Windows 2000, XP Home, or XP Pro.

A typical anti-virus package would be something light on CPU usage, such as AVG Professional, or Norton 2003 (or later with better CPU).

Remember: UNC Slaves connected to a UNC Master will always deliver inferior performance when compared with the Terminal Services solution for the same specification hardware.

 

 

 

Example 6 user system – Terminal Services Master

 

TS MASTER – 6 user

Absolute Minimum

Good

Processor (CPU)

2.5Ghz P4

3.2Ghz P4 dual-core

RAM (Physical)

704MB

896MB

RAM (Available)

416MB

608MB

 

A typical operating system for a 6-user terminal services Master would be XP Professional with the XP Unlimited Classic (workgroup) or Enterprise (domain) upgrade installed.

A typical anti-virus package would be AVG Professional, or Norton 2003-2004.

 

 

Example 6 user system – old UNC Master:

 

UNC MASTER – 6 user

Absolute Minimum

Good

Processor (CPU)

3Ghz P4

3.2Ghz P4 dual-core

RAM (Physical)

488MB

768MB

RAM (Available)

136MB

384MB

 

A typical operating system for a 6-user UNC Master would be Windows 2000 or XP Pro.

A typical anti-virus package would be something light on CPU usage, such as AVG Professional, or Norton 2003 (or later with better CPU).

Remember: UNC Slaves connected to a UNC Master will always deliver inferior performance when compared with the Terminal Services solution for the same specification hardware.

 

Example 8 user system – Terminal Services Master

 

TS MASTER – 8 user

Absolute Minimum

Good

Processor (CPU)

2.8Ghz P4

3.2Ghz P4 dual-core

RAM (Physical)

832MB

1088MB

RAM (Available)

544MB

800MB

 

A typical operating system for an 8-user terminal services Master would be XP Professional with the XP Unlimited Classic (workgroup) or Enterprise (domain) upgrade installed, or Server 2003 (not SBS).

A typical anti-virus package would be AVG Professional, or Norton 2003-2004.

 

 

Example 8 user system – old UNC Master:

 

UNC MASTER – 8 user

Absolute Minimum

Good

Processor (CPU)

3Ghz P4

3.2Ghz P4 dual-core

RAM (Physical)

504MB

832MB

RAM (Available)

152MB

448MB

 

A typical operating system for an 8-user UNC Master would be Windows 2000, or XP Professional.

A typical anti-virus package would be AVG Professional, or Norton 2003. Later versions of Norton can be used on the better CPUs.

Remember: UNC Slaves connected to a UNC Master will always deliver inferior performance when compared with the Terminal Services solution for the same specification hardware.

 

 

Example  10 user system – Terminal Services Master

 

TS MASTER – 10 user

Absolute Minimum

Good

Processor (CPU)

2.8Ghz P4

3.2Ghz P4 dual-core

RAM (Physical)

960MB

1280MB

RAM (Available)

672MB

992MB

 

A typical operating system for a 10-user terminal services Master would be XP Professional with the XP Unlimited Classic (workgroup) or Enterprise (domain) upgrade installed, or Server 2003 (not SBS).

A typical anti-virus package would be AVG Professional, or Norton 2003-2004.

 

 

Example 10 user system – old UNC Master:

 

UNC MASTER – 10 user

Absolute Minimum

Good

Processor (CPU)

3Ghz P4

3.4Ghz P4 dual-core

RAM (Physical)

520MB

896MB

RAM (Available)

168MB

512MB

 

A typical operating system for a 10-user UNC Master would be Windows 2000, SBS2003 or XP Professional.

A typical anti-virus package would be something light on CPU usage, such as AVG Professional, or Norton 2003.

Remember: UNC Slaves connected to a UNC Master will always deliver inferior performance when compared with the Terminal Services solution for the same specification hardware.

 

 

Example  12 user system – Terminal Services Master

 

TS MASTER – 12 user

Absolute Minimum

Good

Processor (CPU)

3Ghz P4

3.4Ghz P4 dual-core

RAM (Physical)

1088MB

1472MB

RAM (Available)

800MB

1184MB

 

A typical operating system for a 12-user terminal services Master would be XP Professional with the XP Unlimited Classic (workgroup) or Enterprise (domain) upgrade installed, or Server 2003 (not SBS).

A typical anti-virus package would be AVG Professional, or Norton 2003-2004.

 

 

Example 12 user system – old UNC Master:

 

UNC MASTER – 12 user

Absolute Minimum

Good

Processor (CPU)

3Ghz P4

3.4Ghz P4 dual-core

RAM (Physical)

536MB

960MB

RAM (Available)

184MB

576MB

 

A typical operating system for a 12-user UNC Master would be Server 2000 or Server 2003.

A typical anti-virus package would be something light on CPU usage, such as AVG Professional, or Norton 2003.

Remember: UNC Slaves connected to a UNC Master will always deliver inferior performance when compared with the Terminal Services solution for the same specification hardware.

 

 

Example  15 user system – Terminal Services Master

 

TS MASTER – 15 user

Absolute Minimum

Good

Processor (CPU)

3.2Ghz P4 dual-core

3.6Ghz P4 dual-core

RAM (Physical)

1280MB

1760MB

RAM (Available)

992MB

1472MB

 

A typical operating system for a 15-user terminal services Master would be XP Professional with the XP Unlimited Classic (workgroup) or Enterprise (domain) upgrade installed, or Server 2003 (not SBS).

The hard discs would normally be on a RAID controller.

A typical anti-virus package would be AVG Professional, or Norton 2003-2004.

 

 

Example 15 user system – old UNC Master:

 

UNC MASTER – 15 user

Absolute Minimum

Good

Processor (CPU)

3.4Ghz P4 dual-core

3.6Ghz P4 dual-core

RAM (Physical)

560MB

1056MB

RAM (Available)

208MB

672MB

 

A typical operating system for a 15-user UNC Master would be Server 2000 or Server 2003.

The hard discs would normally be on a RAID controller.

A typical anti-virus package would be something light on CPU usage, such as AVG Professional, or Norton 2003.

Remember: UNC Slaves connected to a UNC Master will always deliver inferior performance when compared with the Terminal Services solution for the same specification hardware.

 

 

Example  20 user system – Terminal Services Master

 

TS MASTER – 20 user

Absolute Minimum

Good

Processor (CPU)

3.4Ghz P4 dual-core

Dual 3.6Ghz Xeons

RAM (Physical)

1600MB

2240MB

RAM (Available)

1312MB

1952MB

 

A typical operating system for a 20-user terminal services Master would be XP Professional with the XP Unlimited Classic (workgroup) or Enterprise (domain) upgrade installed, or Server 2003 (not SBS).

The hard discs would normally be on a caching RAID controller.

A typical anti-virus package would be AVG Professional, or Norton 2003-2004.

 

 

Example 20 user system – old UNC Master:

 

UNC MASTER – 20 user

Absolute Minimum

Good

Processor (CPU)

2.8Ghz Xeon

Dual 3.6Ghz Xeons

RAM (Physical)

600MB

1216MB

RAM (Available)

248MB

832MB

 

A typical operating system for a 20-user UNC Master would be Server 2000 or Server 2003.

The hard discs would normally be on a caching RAID controller.

A typical anti-virus package would be something light on CPU usage, such as AVG Professional, or Norton 2003.

Remember: UNC Slaves connected to a UNC Master will always deliver inferior performance when compared with the Terminal Services solution for the same specification hardware.

 

 

Example  25 user system – Terminal Services Master

 

TS MASTER – 25 user

Absolute Minimum

Good

Processor (CPU)

3.4Ghz P4 dual-core

Dual 3.6Ghz Xeons

RAM (Physical)

1920MB

2720MB

RAM (Available)

1632MB

2432MB

 

A typical operating system for a 25-user terminal services Master would be XP Professional with the XP Unlimited Classic (workgroup) or Enterprise (domain) upgrade installed, or Server 2003 (not SBS).

The hard discs would normally be on a caching RAID controller.

A typical anti-virus package would be AVG Professional, or Norton 2003 onwards.

 

 

Example 25 user system – old UNC Master:

 

UNC MASTER – 25 user

Absolute Minimum

Good

Processor (CPU)

2.8Ghz Xeon

Dual 3.6Ghz Xeons

RAM (Physical)

640MB

1376MB

RAM (Available)

288MB

992MB

 

A typical operating system for a 25-user UNC Master would be Server 2000 or Server 2003.

A typical anti-virus package would be something light on CPU usage, such as AVG Professional, or Norton 2003.

Remember: UNC Slaves connected to a UNC Master will always deliver inferior performance when compared with the Terminal Services solution for the same specification hardware.

 

The “Dual 3.6GHz Xeon” mentioned are Intel’s E7525 processors.

An alternative would be AMD’s Opteron, or a current dual / quad core server-grade CPU.

 

 

 

Example 70 user system – NAS Drive and three application servers:

 

Organization Chart

 

 

TS Application server x 3

Absolute Minimum

Good

Processor (CPU)

3.4Ghz P4 dual-core

Dual 3.73Ghz Xeons

RAM (Physical)

1920MB

2720MB

RAM (Available)

1632MB

2432MB

 

 

 

This kind of arrangement is known as a “hybrid”, as it uses TS technology between slave and application server, but still requires the older UNC database method between application server and data storage.

For this reason, the connection between the application servers and the data storage is on a separate (usually Gigabit) network from the busy connection to the clients, which is usually 100Mbit.

This is so that any intermittent network errors between slower clients and the TS Servers due to network load / latency should only affect the screen updates and not the important task of manipulating the data on the NAS.

 

A typical operating system for a terminal services application server would be Server 2003 (not SBS) or XP Professional with XP Unlimited Enterprise installed.

A typical anti-virus package would be Norton 2003 onwards.

 

Performance in this setup will at best match that of a single high-spec UNC slave connected to a dedicated fileserver;

This is why hybrid setups are only recommended for very large systems where the technology to support large numbers of concurrent users on one dedicated system can’t be obtained due to current processor limitations.

 

The “Dual 3.6GHz Xeons” mentioned are Intel’s E7525 processors.

An alternative would be AMD’s Opteron, or a current dual / quad core server-grade CPU.

Although we do not recommend a specific manufacturer, servers such as the Dell PE2900 using 2 x quad core Xeon 5000 series CPUs give good results.