Hardware and Operating Systems

What computers are most suitable for 4D Server?

Apart from having a computer with enough disk space for the database application, data file, operating system, and backups, considerations about what computer to run 4D on will depend on three factors:

• Speed
• Stability
• Total Cost of Ownership
  

Four generalisations can be made about all 4D server computers:

• A server will run faster with more RAM, up to an amount a little larger than the total size of the data file (the amount over the size of the data file will depend on criteria such as how many clients are connected to the server, and what those clients are doing); and a server will run faster with a faster disk drive. The fastest possible disk systems available today are called RAID arrays. While they can be a little tricky to administer, they are very fast disk systems that split disk use between several drives. There are even IDE Raid subsystem now available as PCI cards.
• Whether or not you are using a RAID array, the fastest disk drives available today generally use Ultra SCSI drives, usually with a special-purpose PCI SCSI card. IDE drives are less expensive.
• A client-server system will run faster if it is on a faster network. Recent reductions in the cost of 100 base-T hubs and cards make it a bargain as a way of accelerating a 4D client/server system. 4D recommends in particular that even if you are currently using a 10 base-T or other network, that any server or client computers you buy should be equipped with 100 base-T cards, so that you can upgrade to this improved standard later.
• A server will also run faster with a faster processor and a larger, faster, backside cache. Disk speed and size of RAM are generally more important, however.

Another issue that will arise is whether to use a Mac OS or a PC, and whether a PC should run Windows 95/98/Me or Windows NT/2000. Up until Mac OS 8.6, most Macintosh computers lost out to PCs on speed, but had quite significantly lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). Mac OS 8.6 appears to offer faster performance than Windows NT in some situations.

In terms of stability, a PC running Windows NT/2000 is generally a more stable. Another advantage of Windows NT/2000 is that even if 4D, or another program or service running on the machine should crash, the server will keep running. It is possible to set 4D v6/v6.5/6.7 up as a service, in which case it will be restarted automatically if it stops. A Macintosh, on the other hand, will generally lock up completely if any software program fails. Note that you only need Windows NT Workstation or 2000 Professional to run 4D Server.

Windows 98/Me is somewhere between Mac OS and Windows NT/2000 in terms of stability.

It is worth noting that Windows NT Workstation or Windows 2000 Professional is a moderately expensive piece of software adding it to the cost of a PC will reduce its price advantage over a Macintosh.

A significant consideration in favor of Mac OS as a 4D server, however, is that it is in general much easier, and hence cheaper, to maintain than Windows. A PC will usually run for a longer period without problems, but a serious problem with an NT-based PC can take a day or more to fix. Mac OS can generally be fixed much more quickly and easily, and with less training, than Windows.

What is the best computer for 4D Client?

4D Client is dependent on a different mix of factors than 4D Server. The principal factors that affect the speed of a 4D Client machine are (in roughly decreasing order of importance):

• The speed of the server
• The speed of the network
• The speed of the client's processor
• The amount of RAM that can be allocated to 4D Client
• The speed of the client's graphic's system

Unlike 4D Server, Client is not significantly dependent on the speed of the disk system installed. With these considerations in mind, two types of machines stand out as cost- effective clients, assuming that running 4D Client is their principal role:

• A cheap PC equipped with a fast processor and graphics system and, if practical, a 100 base-T network card; or an Apple iMac. The iMac is a bargain at the moment for a machine to run 4D client. This is because of the machine's standard processor, a 350 Mhz G3 PPC, and network card speed (100 Base T), and low price (considering that it includes the monitor, CD ROM, networking etc).
• Apple's G4 machines are also competitive with a PC in performance terms. They are generally more expensive but faster.

What operating systems are suitable for 4D?

On a PC, if cost is not an issue, Windows NT Workstation or Windows 2000 Professional is the most stable 4D client or server operating system available.

On a Macintosh, it is 4D's experience that Mac OS 8.6/9.0 is the most reliable operating system to run 4D.

Note that anyone with a PowerPC Macintosh running Mac OS 8.1 or earlier should definitely upgrade to at least Mac OS 8.6, because this operating system version will almost certainly bring significant stability and speed increases.

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