Recommended server specifications

We recommend that you install Meridian on a server with the following specifications.

These specifications are recommended for the following environments:

• Minimum – Up to 50,000 documents and 15 users, or for demonstration computers.
• Recommended – Up to 100,000 documents and 30 users, or for demonstration computers.
• Best – More than 100,000 documents and more than 30 users.

Note    Lesser specifications might be insufficient to configure HyperCache. For more information, see About HyperCache.

• Dedicated server that is not used for anything other than Meridian and its database engine, SQL Server or Oracle. Two or more processors (as fast as possible) are recommended when Oracle or SQL Server are used on the same computer or with multiple active vaults.
• CD-ROM drive (optional for installation only).
• One of the Windows Server operating systems (with latest Service Pack) listed in the Supported Software document for this release of Meridian. We recommend the 64-bit editions of Windows and Meridian, particularly if SQL Server or Oracle are installed on the same computer with Meridian (not recommended). The operating system should be installed with the roles and services described in Server role requirements.

• If the vaults will not be hosted on the Meridian application server with the Hypertrieve database engine, a connection to one of the database management systems listed in the Supported Software document for this release of Meridian.

  • If any vaults will use the Oracle 5 database engine (not Oracle 3) to connect to either a local or remote Oracle server, the 64-bit Oracle Data Access Components (ODAC) must be installed on the Meridian server. For more information about database engine selection during vault creation, see Creating a new vault.
• The vault audit trail feature of the Meridian FDA Module and the subscriptions feature of Meridian Enterprise require a connection to one of the database management systems listed in the Supported Software document for this release of Meridian.

• SQL Server Compact Edition 3.5 (64-bit only) installed in advance. The Meridian Enterprise setup program will check for its existence and show a warning if it is not found. This is the default storage for external lookup tables, the user account database, and Local Workspace. This is not installed by the Meridian setup programs. An installation package is provided for manual installation.

  Note    The lookup tables (but not the user account database or Local Workspace databases) can also be stored in a server edition of SQL Server. The supported versions of SQL Server are listed in the Supported Software document for this release of Meridian. Storage in a server edition has the following limitations:

  • Lookup table entries will not be included in the vault configuration export (.met) file. Therefore, they cannot be imported for use in another vault unless that vault is also connected to the same database server.
  • Lookup tables will not be included in the vault backup snapshots and must be backed up separately.
  • Retrieving lookup table entries and using them in custom property pages requires VBScript programming. The database connection strings will be encoded in the scripting, which may pose a security risk for your organization and will require updating if the database server name is changed.

  The data can be stored in Microsoft Access tables instead if the following requirements are met:

  • An OLE DB driver is installed. Microsoft Office includes a 64-bit OLEDB driver named the Office System Driver that can be used to connect to Access, Excel, and text files. The provider name is Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.<VersionNumber>. If Office is not installed, the driver is available as a separate download from the Microsoft Download Center by the name of Microsoft Access Database Engine Redistributable. For additional information, see Jet for Access, Excel and Txt on 64-bit systems at ConnectionStrings.com.
  • The ConnectionString registry setting is configured as described in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Cyco\AutoManager Meridian\CurrentVersion\Server\UserDatabase
  • The TablesDb registry setting is configured as described in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Cyco\AutoManager Meridian\CurrentVersion\Server
  • The WorkspaceDB registry setting is configured as described in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Cyco\AutoManager Meridian\CurrentVersion\Client

  Note    Depending on how much additional data is stored in Microsoft Access (for example: document subscriptions, audit log, GCF transfer logs), the database can grow to where performance is degraded considerably. For that reason, we do not recommend using Microsoft Access for more than external lookup tables, the user account database, and Local Workspace. Store all additional data in SQL Server instead.

• One of the Internet Information Services version listed in the Supported Software document for this release of Meridian (for optional Web Access). The minimum IIS components that must be installed for proper operation of Web Access are described in Server role requirements.

  Note    If the Request Filtering feature option Allow unlisted file name extensions is disabled in IIS Manager, the following file extensions must be added to the File Name Extensions list and allowed: .dll,.gif,.png,.js,.css.

• One of the Internet Explorer versions listed in the Supported Software document for this release of Meridian (some components are used by Meridian).
• Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0 Full Profile (the Client Profile is insufficient)
• Any additional requirements for specific operating systems or Meridian releases that are documented in the BlueCielo Meridian Enterprise 2016 Release Notes.

These specifications pertain to Meridian Enterprise only. Meridian can be one system within a larger computing environment that also includes Meridian Explorer, which can serve many times more users than Meridian Enterprise. For information about Meridian Explorer system requirements and deployment, see the BlueCielo Meridian Explorer Administrator's Guide. For the best possible performance, see About HyperCache. This specification is recommended for SQL Server or Oracle installations on the same computer with Meridian.