Most of us do not have the time, energy or brain power to understand the ins-and-outs of our technology architecture. Isn’t that what we pay IT guys to worry about?
While normally I would wholeheartedly agree with that sentiment, there are some decisions that are outside of their hands and need to be addressed by yours truly. This blog post deals specifically with such a decision.
THE PROBLEM
If you are currently on Visual RAMS-Pro version 6 you are working on an application that is nearly 20 years old. You may have updated VRP6 and on the last version of VRP6 called Ultimate. That was released over 7 years ago! Though Version 6 is durable and could hypothetically last you for the next 30 years, there are external forces that make that impossible. Version 6 was ideal for Windows XP/Server 2003 in a Client-Server environment but we have seen some strange anomalies when Version 6 is operating in a Client-Server environment and you are using Windows 10 operating system. We have seen data corruption, slower than normal processing, the inability to run some processes, and unknown errors. Microsoft sent out a warning to those who are moving to Windows 10 (https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4034314/smbv1-is-not-installed-by-default-in-windows). In short this Microsoft KB details Microsoft’s plans to uninstall/remove SMB V1 from Windows 10, in favor of SMB V2+. The issue is that VRP Version 6 needs SMB V1 to communicate in Client/Server setup.
SOLUTION #1– Move away from Client-Server Architecture. Over the past few years we have been warning our customers that a client-server architecture is no longer recommended with VRP6, with the changes outlined above it will be increasingly impossible to support VRP6 at all. Now that everyone is upgrading to Windows 10, the issues we have been encountering has been magnified. If you remain on VRP6 and want to upgrade your operating system to Windows 10, you must move from a client-server architecture to a Remote Desktop (Terminal Services) architecture. This move redirects all input (that would typically be done on a client’s machine) over the network onto the Terminal Server, where all the application execution occurs. All data process occurs on the server rather than being sent across the network to be processed by the client machine. The images below give you an idea of the difference between the two models:
SOLUTION #2– Move to AlpineLive. Alpine can host your VRP application (any version) in its AlpineLive environment where the RDP (Terminal Services) Architecture is deployed and supported. It’s hosted environment is in a secure, Tier 4 facility that ensures minimal, if any, down time, and no loss of data. Studies have shown that utilizing such an affordable service far outweighs the cost and exposure you have hosting on your premise.
BOTTOM LINE– If you want to upgrade to Windows 10 O.S. and are currently operating Visual Rams-Pro version 6 in a Client-Server environment you will need to anticipate extensive problems like data corruption, slower processing times, and unusual errors. Please contact our team at 1 (888) 852-7267 if you have any further questions or you have interest in moving to AlpineLive. If you want to better understand the advantages of a RDP (Terminal Services) environment over a Client/Server environment CLICK HERE and you can read the article.