Hi all,
Long time leecher, finally signed up on this forum to get some help on hardware setup for a small dental office.
I'm helping my sister setup her dental office computer hardware from scratch. So there will be 6 computers needed and their software is very basic and does not demand and powerful setup (and probably will not in next 4-5 years). For example - currently I plan to install open dental (http://www.opendental.com/manual/computerrequirements.html) and that should work just fine on pentium. Recently my thinking has been geared towards a micro PC (Dell Optiplex 3020 or 3040 Micro, or HP Prodesk Mini 400 or 600 or 800).
Here is how the setup would be:
1 for front office (Windows) - will use the open dental software, and basic tasks like browser, word processing, billing software, etc. Nothing intensive.
4 operatory terminals (Windows) - Will use the open dental software and other basic tasks
1 server - This can be a regular windows OS or even a Ubuntu is fine. Final software selection will depend on if I want to run a PBX server on this machine or use a cloud setup for the same.
All these machines connected via a managed (non-POE) gigabit switch which is then routed outside via a firewall and or router/ modem.
So the advice I need is:
1. Would it be advisable to use a micro pc setup (http://www.dell.com/us/business/p/optiplex-3040m-desktop/pd). The advantages I can think of are save tons of space, can also be mounted behind the monitor and mounted on the stand. Or would it be good to go for a traditional PC setup like this: http://www.microcenter.com/product/461170/Envy_750-144_Desktop_Computer_Factory_Recertified
2. What kind of machine should I chose for the server ? A Xeon or I5/ I7 ?
3. If I get micro - I plan to swap HD to m.2 SSD.
4. Would a 4th gen Intel i5-4590T be fine or I should prefer Gen-6 i5-6500T ?
5. Any advice on securing the network - Should I use a dedicated firewall or a router with firewall should be enough? None of the office software or machine should be accessible from outside (except for PBX server if installed, and probably access to server via VPN provided out-of-box by the router)
Any other advice about anything I missed or am wrong about, please feel free to give a shout! Thanks for any help
Long time leecher, finally signed up on this forum to get some help on hardware setup for a small dental office.
I'm helping my sister setup her dental office computer hardware from scratch. So there will be 6 computers needed and their software is very basic and does not demand and powerful setup (and probably will not in next 4-5 years). For example - currently I plan to install open dental (http://www.opendental.com/manual/computerrequirements.html) and that should work just fine on pentium. Recently my thinking has been geared towards a micro PC (Dell Optiplex 3020 or 3040 Micro, or HP Prodesk Mini 400 or 600 or 800).
Here is how the setup would be:
1 for front office (Windows) - will use the open dental software, and basic tasks like browser, word processing, billing software, etc. Nothing intensive.
4 operatory terminals (Windows) - Will use the open dental software and other basic tasks
1 server - This can be a regular windows OS or even a Ubuntu is fine. Final software selection will depend on if I want to run a PBX server on this machine or use a cloud setup for the same.
All these machines connected via a managed (non-POE) gigabit switch which is then routed outside via a firewall and or router/ modem.
So the advice I need is:
1. Would it be advisable to use a micro pc setup (http://www.dell.com/us/business/p/optiplex-3040m-desktop/pd). The advantages I can think of are save tons of space, can also be mounted behind the monitor and mounted on the stand. Or would it be good to go for a traditional PC setup like this: http://www.microcenter.com/product/461170/Envy_750-144_Desktop_Computer_Factory_Recertified
2. What kind of machine should I chose for the server ? A Xeon or I5/ I7 ?
3. If I get micro - I plan to swap HD to m.2 SSD.
4. Would a 4th gen Intel i5-4590T be fine or I should prefer Gen-6 i5-6500T ?
5. Any advice on securing the network - Should I use a dedicated firewall or a router with firewall should be enough? None of the office software or machine should be accessible from outside (except for PBX server if installed, and probably access to server via VPN provided out-of-box by the router)
Any other advice about anything I missed or am wrong about, please feel free to give a shout! Thanks for any help
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