banner banner banner banner banner banner banner

System Requirements

Last edited on 08 December 2011

This document described the system requirements for ShipNet Classic Version 11.2.2 and later, including ShipNet 12.

Client Workstation

The client workstation is the end user computer; which is either a desktop or a laptop.  Clients can be either thick clients or thin clients. 

  • Thick clients are clients running the application from a file server, meaning they actually execute the applications locally. 
  • Thin clients are clients running against a Terminal server or a Citrix MetaFrame server.

 Hardware recommendation for thick clients:

  • CPU:                            Pentium IV, 2.2 GHz Dual-core processor or better.
  • Memory:                      2 GB RAM.
  • Disk Capacity:           5 GB of free disk space.
  • Network Protocol:     TCP/IP.

Hardware recommendation for thin clients:

  • CPU:                            Pentium IV, 1.6 GHz processor or better.
  • Memory:                      1 GB RAM.
  • Disk Capacity:           2 GB of free disk space.
  • Network Protocol:     TCP/IP.

Hardware recommendation for vessel clients:

  • CPU:                            Pentium IV, 3 GHz Dual-core processor or better.
  • Memory:                      2 GB RAM.
  • Disk Capacity:           2 GB of free disk space.
  • Network Protocol:     TCP/IP.

Software and Operating System (OS) minimum requirements:

  • Windows XP Professional SP3 or Windows 7 Professional (32bit edition)
  • Oracle 11g database client for Oracle database.
  • MDAC 2.8 for Microsoft SQLServer database.
  • .Net 3.5 Framework

ShipNet Workflow Server

The workflow server is used as communication between the vessel and shore. The requirements below are set as a minimum for both shore and vessel installation. If a dedicated database server is used onboard the vessels, Microsoft SQL-Server Express is not needed on the Workflow Server onboard. 

Hardware recommendation:

  • CPU:                            Pentium IV, 2.4 GHz Dual-Core processor or better.
  • Memory:                      2 GB RAM.
  • Disk Capacity:           2 GB free for ShipNet applications.
  • Network Protocol:     TCP/IP.

Software requirements:

  • Windows XP Professional SP3 or Windows 7 Professional (32 bit edition)
  • Microsoft Outlook 2003 or newer
  • Locally installed Microsoft SQL server 2005 or 2008 Express
  • Running on a Physical, VMware or Hyper-V computer

Application and File Server

The application and file server hardware configuration depends on number of users and which other tasks the server may have. ShipNet recommends using Windows 2003/2008 32bit/64bit server Operating System on the server. Please contact ShipNet in order to have a recommendation based on your specific requirements.

Hardware recommendation:

  • CPU:                            2.4 GHz processor, Intel Xeon Dual-core processor or equal/better.
  • Memory:                      2 GB RAM.
  • Disk System:             Fast SCSI disks, RAID.
  • Disk Capacity:           3 GB for ShipNet applications.
  • Network Protocol:     TCP/IP.

Software requirements:

  • A Microsoft file-sharing compatible operating system accessible by Microsoft Windows clients.
  • Microsoft Windows 2003 / 2008(32 or 64 bit edition)
  • .Net 3.5 Framework
  • Running on a Physical, VMware or Hyper-V computer

Remote Access Servers

For remote access ShipNet applications can be deployed on either Microsoft Terminal Server or Citrix MetaFrame. Using this type of server functionality requires the server to be configured based on the total number of concurrent users. If more than one server is used, load balancing technology is recommended. ShipNet application can be deployed on this server to reduce network traffic.

Hardware recommendation:

  • CPU:                            3.0 GHz processor, Intel Xeon Dual-core processor or equal/better per 10 users.                                                                       New server needed for over 40 users.
  • Memory:                      2 GB RAM initial + 50 MB RAM per user.
  • Disk System:              Fast SCSI disks, RAID .
  • Disk Capacity:           2 GB for ShipNet applications.
  • Network Protocol:      TCP/IP.

Software requirements:

  • Windows 2003 / 2008 32bit Terminal Server
  • .Net 3.5 Framework
  • Citrix MetaFrame on Windows 2003 / 2008 32bit or 64bit Server

Note: ShipNet recommends Windows 2008 terminal server or Citrix MetaFrame v4.x to access the application remotely.                           

Database Server

The ShipNet applications are supported on Oracle and Microsoft. Database recommendations are depending on number of ShipNet users and expected amount of data.

Hardware recommendation:

  • CPU:                            3.0 GHz processor, Intel Xeon (Dual or Quad core processor) or equal.
  • Memory:                       minimum 4GB RAM.
  • Disk System:             Fast SCSI disks, RAID 5 (+RAID 1 on system) for performance,
                                         or 3 * RAID 1 (6 disks) for security/redundancy.
  • Disk Capacity:          20 GB for ShipNet applications data.
  • Network Protocol:    TCP/IP.

Software requirements:

  • Oracle 10g/11g on Windows 2003/2008 32bit/64bit server or Unix/Linux OS.
  • Microsoft SQL Server 2005/2008/2008R2
  • Microsoft Windows 2003/2008 32bit or 64bit server.

Network Bandwidth recommendation

  • 1 Gigabit on the backbone for best possible user experience.
  • Minimum 1 Mbit or better line for remote access users accessing Terminal Services or MetaFrame. This may need to be increased depending on the number of remote users which require access. For exact requirements in case of Citrix access, please consult your Citrix provider.

Backup Solutions

There are two main backup scenarios, offline and online backup. 

ShipNet recommend using daily online backup as this facilitates 24 hours accessibility of the system.  ShipNet also recommend daily backup to be taken to an external removable media or external backup location.

Note :While we have tested with the most common scenarios, we recommend customers to have a test environment to test the installation before moving it to production in the case of an upgrade to a newer hardware setup as each network/setup may differ.