Migrating a Dentrix installation to NAS

[Blastphemist]

Hi there,

I'm trying to push a G5 Dentrix installation from a server to a NAS in order to speed up delivery across the network. I know this isn't the most common software package, but noted several threads referencing it, so hopefully someone here still deals with it. The basic problem I'm seeing is that the location of the server installation is not changeable once workstations are tied to it. And I'm not seeing an option to install the database files to a remote (ie, the NAS) location. On the off chance someone else has solved this problem...

Thanks in advance!

 

[nk215]

Hello.

I am still with G4 so I am not sure if things are different in G5.

In G4 at least, you can set the path (for DAT and DOC folders) to an network address after the installation. For example, I can move my dentrix database folder to \\192.168.1.3\Dentrix_data and use that location (\\192.168.1.3\Dentrix_data\Data and \\192.168.1.\3\Dentrix_data\DOC) for the paths.

You can't install a database files to an network address directly. You can do map drives or just install it locally then move it later to a NAS.

Why couldnt you do this in G5?

 

[Blastphemist]

That is how I wanted to do it, and it's possible everywhere except on the server installation point, and since that is actually a server/workstation install I need to be more careful. But, the folder paths are changeable there by combination of .inf and registry manipulation, so I think I'll go for the hack method.

But first I'll back it up...

Thanks for getting back to me, it's a wilderness out there!

 

[mrjminer]

You could try changing the hosts file on the workstations to direct to a different IP, or have your router forward if it supports it.

 

[nk215]

That is how I wanted to do it, and it's possible everywhere except on the server installation point, and since that is actually a server/workstation install I need to be more careful. But, the folder paths are changeable there by combination of .inf and registry manipulation, so I think I'll go for the hack method.

But first I'll back it up...

Thanks for getting back to me, it's a wilderness out there!

Change the path in Office Manager module.

For Dentrix G4 (up to G4, I have no experience with G5), there is practically no different between "server" and "workstation" installations as far as functions and setups. The only different is at the time of installation (one needs a data files, the other needs a license number). You can switch "workstation" to "server" or the other way around by changing the workstation or server word in windows registry.

I do not recommend hosting database on a NAS. On the PC, I have all the flexibility I need to run backup softwares, virtualization of the HDD, disk image, data recovery tools to deal is the hardware failure event. on the NAS, if the NAS hardware itself goes bad, you are most likely need to fall on backup (which may be half-day old but still old). You can't just pull the NAS HHD and plug into another NAS box and get everything up and running right away (on the PC you can do just that).