Features
and Benefits
Feature
Details
Sample
Reports
Technical
Specifications |
With regard to hardware
specifications MealService is a relatively undemanding
program:
Supported Networks
Any network protocol and server system
can be used: Microsoft® Windows™
networking, Novell or any other system which will enable
a workstation to see the file server. This is because, when
running under shared-file mode, MealService
does not run on the server itself, but on the client workstations.
Client Workstations
MealService requires Windows
95 or later as the operating system. A computer with a Pentium
100 processor is the suggested minimum hardware. Faster
processors will improve performance. Minimum
supported screen resolution is 600 by 800 pixels.
Shared File Mode or
Client/Server
Version 3 of MealService can be
run in one of two modes.
- Shared File
In this configuration, all that
is required is a simple file server, not a database
server. For two or three users, a personal workstation
configured for file-sharing could even be used as the
data repository. The advantage to the file server mode
is that a relatively low-powered network file server
is all that is required. This configuration is best
for organizations with fewer than five or six simultaneous,
intensive users.
- Client/Server
A client/server
engine is available as an option. In this mode, processing
speed is dramatically enhanced. It is suggested that
organizations delivering to over 500 clients each day,
or with greater than five simultaneous, intensive users,
consider this option. Presently,
the client/server engine runs only on Microsoft®
Windows™
(A server-version of Windows is not required, the engine
can run on a workstation. It is suggested, however,
that the server be running Windows 2000 or later). A
Linux-based engine may become a future option.
The absolute
minimum recommended hardware configuration is a 256
MHz processor and 256 megabytes of RAM. Additional RAM
is strongly suggested, as it will greatly improve performance.
Where required,
the modes can be mixed. That is, some users can access
the data through the shared file mode, and some can access
it through a client/server engine.
Architecture
MealService is written in Borland®'s Delphi™, a Rapid Application
Development tool. This language offers the end users
the advantage of a very stable product, and gives the developer
the ability to add incremental changes very quickly.
The data is in
a format known as DBISAM from Elevate
Software. It was chosen for its extreme stability, reliability,
and relatively low hardware requirements. The data engine
comes with a utility for exporting to other data formats,
where required. For accessing MealService
data directly from other applications, an ODBC driver is
also available as an option.
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