IT Best Practices for Sage Timberline Office (STO)

1. IT Best Practices forSage Timberline Office(STO) October 14, 2011

2. Introductions Chris Elekonich Professional Services Manager Rod Hatley Technical Services Manager – Atlantic Division

3. Founded in 1979 • Over 4,000 Customers in the Midwest , Mid-Atlantic and Southeast • Profitable, Stable Growth • 90+ Employees • 5Office Locations – Maumee, OH (HQ), Columbus, OH, Charlotte, NC, Indianapolis, IN, Aurora, IL • Complete IT Services Including Network Infrastructure, Custom Applications, Application Hosting About Aktion Partnering with Customers for Growth and Profitability

4. Industries of Expertise • Architects and Engineers • Professional Service Businesses and Organizations • Construction and Real Estate • Supply Chain • Not for Profit

5. Network Engineering • 15 Network Engineers • 12 States in the Midwest and Atlantic Coast • Remote Support – 80% • Managed Services • Hosting • Remote Monitoring and System Admin

6. Network Engineering • Network Assessments • Security Assessments and Vulnerability Testing • Virtualization • Disaster Recovery and High Availability • “Break Fix”

7. Software Engineering • Custom Programming • Integration to other applications and Excel and Word • Aktion Authored Applications • ePayStub, eTimeCard • Productivity Enhancing Programs • .NET, C#, Java, Python, etc… • MS SQL, MySQL

8. Our Partners

9. Rod Hatley IT Services Manager

10. Agenda • Optimizing the STO System and Data • Optimizing the Network for STO • Remote Access to STO • Backup Strategies STO • Managing STO day-to-day

11. Optimizing STO System • Data Optimization • Move Transactions to History • Fun File Doctor to compress data (run at server) • Clear STO log periodically • v9.5 and v9.6 must upgrade to v9.7 to do this • Log can be cleared in v9.7 and higher

12. IT Issues that impact STO • Antivirus scanning • Internet Name Resolution • Network Communications • Server disk I/O • Server RAM Utilization

13. Antivirus • Necessary Evil, we need antivirus solutions • Real-Time scanner of antivirus should be reviewed, default is to scan all files • Real-Time scanner should NOT be set to scan all files. • Sage recommends excluding many folders in KB116381 • Aktion recommends setting antivirus to scan only specific files types that can have a virus, not all files.

14. Name Resolution Problems • STO uses Internet Name Resolution to find your server. • DNS problems can have a performance impact on running STO • All workstations should use the server’s Active Directory integrated DNS server, not public DNS server.

15. Network Problems • 10 Mb network will transfer (Copy / Paste) a files at 1 MB per second. • Duplex mismatch issues can seriously degrade the network when the network gets busy. • Managed Switches will show CRC Errors or truncated packets in the log. • Problems can be address by not using auto settings for duplex on the switch and / or network adapters (typically only done if a problem is found)

16. Disk Queue Problems

17. Sources of Disk Problems • Fragmentation. Use standard Windows tool to defragment the drive. Run it periodically after hours when no one is on the system. • Out of date disk drivers • Physical disk problems • Out of date hardware or over utilized system

18. Server RAM Utilization • 32 bit OS can only address 4 GB RAM • Memory Hogs: • MS Exchange Server • MS SQL Server • STO Document Management

19. Remote Access • Must use remote desktop product like • Citrix XenApp Server • Microsoft Remote Desktop Server (Terminal Server) • Other remote desktop products will probably work (LogMeIn, GoToMyPC), but are not supported by Sage. • Running STO over a WAN / VPN WAN is NOT supported when STO server is remote from where the STO client is installed on the workstation

20. Citrix / RDP Server Tweaks • Install as you would any application on a Citrix / Terminal Server (via Install Mode) • Set the Pervasive Workgroup.SQL Service to use a domain account that has access to STO data • Use Pervasive Control Center (PCC) to disable Cache under MicroKernal Router. • Fixes issues with files left open in PVSW when users are done • Will show proper username of connected users in Pervasive Monitor • Apply security settings per STO KB244

21. Threats to your data • Natural disasters • Fire, Flood, Tornado, Lightning, etc. • Intentional damage • Malicious user or hacker deletes, modifies or removes data • Unintentional damage • Service disruption, system issues, software upgrade / change issues

22. Backup Routines • Daily Full Backup with capacity for multiple restore points over the past several weeks. • On the fly backups. STO has a backup tool, but it only backs up data. Need to use 3rd party backup tool to backup everything. • Periodic backup for historical purposes (quarter end / year end)

23. Ten Tape Rotation • Mon, Tues, Wed, Thu tapes used each of these respective days. • Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Month 1, Month 2, Month 3 used on Friday nights in rotation. • W1, W2, W3, M1 • W1, W2, W3, M2 • W1, W2, W3, M3 • W1, W2, W3, M1

24. Example ScheduleFor Friday’s Tape

25. STO Backup Goals • Full Backup every day • Multiple Restore Points • Off-Site Storage

26. Managing STO day to day • Upgrades and Updates • Locked files in Accounting • Ghost Users in Estimating License Manager • ODBC on 64 bit systems

27. STO Upgrades vs. Updates • Upgrade • Physical media which will arrive via UPS (CD/DVD) • Typically has changes to features / capabilities • Takes more time to complete and system requirements may change • Updates • Distributed via a download link in email alert from Sage • Patches / changes for your currently installed (CD) version. Commonly these changes are for Payroll or other tax reporting reasons. There can be updates for other reasons. • Quicker to install and typically no system requirement changes • Full System Backup before doing Upgrade or Updates • Launch full application (not Sage Desktop) and Help -> About to find version.

28. STO Updates • Not all updates apply to all clients. Read the alert to see if the update is worth the effort for your specific installation. • Updates are cumulative. Update 3 has all the previous fixes / enhancements included in Update 1 and Update 2. • New workstation setup will have NO update. • Recommend putting the currently used update in the WININST folder for easy reference in the future. • Server and all workstations must use the same update.

29. Version Problems • If the server is running a different version of the software from the workstation, you will get a TS 6102 Error. • Check the version at the server or other workstations to see what version and update they are using.

30. Find CD Version and Update

31. Locked Files in Accounting • Periodically, exclusive access to data is desired • Installing upgrades / updates • Closing Month / Year • Running File Doctor • Run Pervasive Monitor at the server console • Start  Run  W3MONV75 • Use as tool to gracefully get users out of STO

32. Pervasive Monitor

33. Ghost Users in Estimating • Occurs with Estimating License Manager on server, not with security device connected to workstations. • Have all users exit Estimating • At the server use Windows Services management tool to restart the Sentinel RMS License Manager service.

34. ODBC on 64 Bit Systems • x86 = 32 bit • x64 = 64 bit • Timberline ODBC is 32 bit only. 64 bit systems have both 32 and 64 bit ODBC tools installed. Menu will only show 64 bit versions. • Stick with 32 bit MS Office 2010. • 32 bit ODBC Administrator • Start  Run  • ODBCAD32 • C:\windows\sysWOW64\odbcad32.exe

35. 64 vs. 32 bit ODBC Admin 64 bit 32 bit

36. Questions

37. Contact Us • Rod Hatley – rhatley@aktion.com • Chris Elekonich – celekonich@aktion.com • Or reach out to your Account Representative, Application Consultant or Network Engineer • www.aktion/com

38. Thank you for attending.