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.
• Microsoft Core XML Services 6 64-bit (msxml6_x64.msi) only before running the Meridian 32-bit setup program (setup.exe) on 64-bit computers running Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 or prior Windows versions. Installing this component is not necessary on Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008 or higher because it is included with Windows.

• 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.

• 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 (64-bit only) installed in advance. The Meridian Enterprise setup program will check for its existence and will not continue if it is not found or the following registry values are set. 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 if the following considerations are acceptable:

  • 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

• Internet Information Services version 6 or higher (for optional Web Access). The minimum IIS components that must be installed for proper operation of Web Access are described in Server role requirements.

  Notes

  • If in IIS Manager the Request Filtering feature option Allow unlisted file name extensions is disabled, the following file extensions must be added to the File Name Extensions list and allowed: .dll,.gif,.png,.js,.css.
  • If the computer is running a 64-bit version of Windows and Web Access is installed by a 32-bit Meridian Enterprise setup program, set the registry keys described in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\InetStp\Components in theBlueCielo Meridian Enterprise Administrator's Guide. In this configuration, the Meridian website must run in a 32-bit application pool. For more information on how to create a 32-bit application pool, refer to Running 32-bit Applications on 64-bit Windows (IIS 6.0) in Microsoft TechNet.
• Internet Explorer 8 or higher (some components are used by Meridian).
• NEW  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 2014 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 with 32-bit servers, see About the High Performance Option. For larger deployments, see About HyperCache. This specification is recommended for SQL Server or Oracle installations on the same computer with Meridian.