There
are a number of configuration issues and settings that must
be taken into account when upgrading or replacing computers
or servers running Standard Conveyancer (SC). When planning
any such work, you or your networking consultant should
call us well ahead of time to ensure minimal disruption.
This
memo is an outline of the issues involved when upgrading
SC workstations or servers, not a comprehensive guide. It
is meant only to give you a preliminary list of issues that
need to be dealt with in conjunction with Standard Solutions
Technical Support.
General
considerations for all upgrades and replacements: Whenever
you move SC to a new server or workstation, or operating
system, the program will prompt you for an authorization
code when you attempt to start it. Please bear in mind you
can only get an authorization code from Standard Solutions
during business hours (9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.) unless you
make other arrangements with us ahead of time.
In
all cases we need to know the entire mix of operating systems
on the network to ensure your SC is configured to compensate
for inconsistencies between operating systems and the various
versions of Microsoft Word. There are many potential issues
when mixing Microsoft operating
system versions.
Your
office uses pcAnywhere with a modem or TCP/IP connection
for Standard Solutions to do remote service. It is imperative
that this connection capability not be disabled during any
upgrading or replacing of computers. This is exactly the
time when you are most likely to need remote service. If
upgrading to a new operating system you may need to upgrade
your copy of pcAnywhere as well.
Please
also keep in mind that it is vitally important to have good
backups of your data before attempting to move programs
or upgrade workstations.
Moving
files when replacing the server (network installation) or
replacing the computer (single-user installation): Most
of the SC files reside on your server, unless you are using
the program on a single stand-alone computer. Your "server"
may be a dedicated server or may be one of the workstations
running the program (a peer-to-peer system).
If
you are moving the SC files to a new server, or onto a new
single stand-alone computer, the following folders must
be moved: c:\sc and c:\wp51. If you are using SC with Quicken
for automated check writing, you may also need to locate
the Quicken data and move that as well. While copying, you
must not be running SC, Quicken and any backup programs
on any of the workstations or on the server, or you may
lose data.
When
you move data onto a new server or stand-alone computer
it must be copied to the exact same file location as the
old. Also, the server location where the files are copied
to should be mapped on your workstations as the same drive
letter as the old server location. This will eliminate the
work of reconfiguring all the internal SC settings on each
workstation individually.
Configuration
settings when replacing a network workstation or a single
stand-alone computer: When replacing a computer, there
are several configuration settings to be transferred from
the old to the new workstation. These include environment
variable settings, stored in autoexec.bat or in the System
Properties, which are unique for each SC workstation on
your network. These settings need to be in place, and the
computer needs to be rebooted, before attempting to start
SC on the new workstation. There are also settings needed
in the config.sys or config.nt files. Also, often on Windows
2000 or higher the command.com file needs to be copied into
the root directory.
Upgrading
operating systems on a network workstation or on a single
stand-alone computer: When migrating to a new operating
system (either on an existing computer or when replacing
a computer) you need to be concerned with the same configuration
settings as if you were replacing the workstation. Even
if the settings are preserved during the operating system
upgrade they may need to be changed due to differences in
the operating systems.
Additional
issues for printing: If you print SC documents from
Microsoft Word (97, 2000, or XP), Word macros need to be
enabled. If you need to print SC documents to a network
printer from WordPerfect 5.1, a printer port needs to be
captured or a "net use" for the printer needs
to be set. This should generally be done, if possible, even
if you are not planning on printing from WordPerfect. In
addition, if migrating to a new computer or operating system
there are internal SC printing settings that may need to
be adjusted.
