E-MDs Solution Series Hardware and Software Requirements - R06 20160128

e-MDs Solution Series 8.
0 Hardware and Software Requirements PAGE 1
e-MDs Solution Series 8.0 Hardware and Software Requirements

This document contains hardware and software requirements for e-MDs Solution Series version 8.0 along with
ancillary products. The information provided is directed toward IT professionals who have an in-depth knowledge of
computer and network equipment and functionality.
Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 2
Disclaimer .................................................................................................................................................... 2
Servers ......................................................................................................................................................... 2
Database Server ..............................................................................................................................................2
Image Server ...................................................................................................................................................4
Web Server ......................................................................................................................................................4
Fax Server .......................................................................................................................................................5
Workstations (Desktops and Laptops) ..................................................................................................... 5

Scanners..........................................................................................................................................................6
Printers ............................................................................................................................................................ 6
Card Scanner...................................................................................................................................................7
Webcams .........................................................................................................................................................7
Signature Pad ..................................................................................................................................................7
Networks ...................................................................................................................................................... 7
Remote Access and Terminal Services ...........................................................................................................7
Bandwidth ........................................................................................................................................................8
Wireless Networks ...........................................................................................................................................8
Backup and Recovery ................................................................................................................................. 8

Regarding HIPAA Requirements for Safeguarding PHI ...................................................................................8
Contacting e-MDs Support ......................................................................................................................... 8
COPYRIGHT 2016 e-MDs Inc., All Rights Reserved. Product and company names are trademarks of their respective owners. R06 20160128
e-MDs Solution Series 8.0 Hardware and Software Requirements PAGE 2
Introduction
Many variables can impact the performance of an application and best results can be achieved with careful planning and a
thorough understanding of how equipment, connectivity, and number of anticipated users can impact performance. These
hardware and software requirements are to be used during the implementation planning process. Before installing e-MDs
Solution Series software, confirm that your environment meets or exceeds the minimum requirements described in this
document.
Disclaimer
Although e-MDs may recommend processes, equipment, and/or provide contact information to assist the customer in
obtaining IT services from third parties, e-MDs is not and will not be responsible for any such services and equipment that are
provided to the customer either by the customers own resources or by third parties. e-MDs provides software and related
software support services. The customer is solely responsible for any and all information technology (IT) items (services and
equipment), including hardware, software other than e-MDs products, connections, networking, database, etc., and the
management and oversight of such items.
Performing routine backups protects your data and mitigates risk. e-MDs does not provide backup, integrity checks and
recovery services. The customer is responsible for consulting with their own IT staff or consultants to develop an appropriate
back-up plan and disaster recovery options. e-MDs agrees that the customer may copy and image the applicable e-MDs
Software database(s) as reasonable and appropriate only for such backup and recovery purposes.
Failure to properly back up your databases regularly and perform routine integrity checks puts your data at risk. e-
MDs is not in any way responsible for any damages or inconveniences resulting from lack of proper backups and
disaster recovery planning.
Servers
e-MDs Solution Series must be installed in a Windows Domain Environment. Requirements for database server, image server,
web server, and fax server are included in the following pages.
If your database server is sharing the same hardware with any other components, you must have the minimum
database requirements for the database PLUS the minimum requirements for each of those components. The
minimum requirement for SQL Server must be dedicated to SQL Server and the minimum requirements for your other
components must also be met in order to have your system function properly.
Database Server
Best performance can be achieved by limiting the applications and services on the database server; ideally, only SQL
Server should be running on the database server. Other applications and services (even anti-virus enterprise software)
can potentially impact performance.
All new implementations/installations must install either SQL 2008, 2008 R2, 2012, or 2014 Standard Edition or
Enterprise. Server requirements are detailed in the following table.
These specifications are a baseline for new customers and do not provide for projected growth of existing
customers. Established practices should look into more powerful systems.
Required Minimums for a Database Server
Small Office Medium Office Large Office Small Office

Total Users: 1-25 Total Users: 26-70 Total Users: 71-125 Total Users: 1-25
Database Server Only Database Server Only Database Server Only Domain Controller and
Database Server
One, 2.5 GHz Quad Core Two, 2.5 GHz Quad Core Four, 3.0 GHz Quad Core One, 2.5 GHz Quad Core
Processor or greater, with the Processors or greater, with Processors or greater Processor or greater, with the
ability to add more the ability to add more ability to add more
processors for processors for processors for
expansion/growth expansion/growth expansion/growth
16 GB RAM minimum (20-24 24 GB RAM minimum (28-32 32 GB RAM minimum (48-64 24 GB RAM minimum (28-32
GB RAM recommended)** GB RAM recommended)** GB RAM recommended)** GB RAM recommended)**
Operating System Hard Operating System Hard Operating System Hard Operating System Hard
Drive: RAID 1 Drive: RAID 1 Drive: RAID 1 Drive: RAID 1
(15K drives required, SAS (15K drives required, SAS (15K drives required, SAS (15K drives required, SAS
146 GB or larger) 146GB or larger) 146 GB or larger) 146 GB or larger)
Data Hard Drive: Data Hard Drive: Data Hard Drive: Data Hard Drive:
(15K drives required. SAS (15K drives required, SAS (15K drives required, SAS (15K drives required, SAS
146 GB or larger) 300GB or larger) 300GB or larger) 146 GB or larger)
Gigabit network card Gigabit network card Gigabit network card Gigabit network card
Tempdb: Create one data file Tempdb: Create one data file Tempdb: Create one data file Tempdb: Create one data file
per CPU core. Make each per CPU core. Make each per CPU core (not to exceed per CPU core. Make each
data file the same size. data file the same size. more than 8 files). Make each data file the same size.
data file the same size.
Recommended to reside on
fastest I/O system, separate Recommended to reside on
from user databases. fastest I/O system (on its own
array).
Backup device and backup Backup device and backup Backup device and backup Backup device and backup
software or Backup Service software or Backup Service software or Backup Service software or Backup Service
(Disaster Recovery Plan (Disaster Recovery Plan (Disaster Recovery Plan (Disaster Recovery Plan
should be established)* should be established)* should be established)* should be established)*
Microsoft Windows Server Microsoft Windows Server Microsoft Windows Server Microsoft Windows Server
2008 R2, 2012, or 2012 R2 2008 R2, 2012, or 2012 R2 2008 R2, 2012, or 2012 R2 2008 R2, 2012, or 2012 R2
64-bit Standard or Enterprise 64-bit Standard or Enterprise 64-bit Standard or Enterprise 64-bit Standard or Enterprise
Note that the Small Business Note that the Small Business Note that the Small Business Note that the Small Business
Server OS is not supported. Server OS is not supported. Server OS is not supported. Server OS is not supported.
Redundant power supply Redundant power supply Redundant power supply Redundant power supply
(Suggested) and UPS unit. (Suggested) and UPS unit. (Suggested) and UPS unit. (Suggested) and UPS unit.
Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Microsoft SQL Server 2008,
2008 R2, 2012 or 2014 2008 R2, 2012 or 2014 2008 R2, 2012 or 2014 2008 R2, 2012 or 2014
Standard or Enterprise Edition Standard or Enterprise Edition Standard or Enterprise Edition Standard or Enterprise Edition
64-bit with latest service packs 64-bit with latest service packs 64-bit with latest service packs 64-bit with latest service
installed. installed. installed. packs installed.
Express and Small Business Express and Small Business Express and Small Business Express and Small Business
editions are not supported. editions are not supported. editions are not supported. editions are not supported.
*A Disaster Recovery Plan should be established for all offices. This can be designed most effectively by working with a local IT
company to identify and meet the specific needs of each office.
**If exceeding 64 GB RAM, SQL Server 2008 Standard will not utilize the additional memory; however, SQL Server 2008
Enterprise Edition can utilize the additional memory.
A hardware verification call should be scheduled with e-MDs IT Support prior to installing the Solution Series software.
These requirements establish a starting point for general use, but do not necessarily reflect the optimal configuration to
support your unique requirements. The IT Support call will assist you in establishing the specific requirements to
provide the optimum specifications for your clinic at the point of implementation. Should you have a change to the
environment that houses your data, or to your practice, such as adding additional users, sites or clinic locations after
initial implementation, you are strongly encouraged to contact your IT vendor or e-MDs IT Support to discuss the
possible impacts these changes may have on your software.
Image Server
While not optimal, some offices with 1 to 5 providers elect to store images on the same server as the database. For
offices with more than 5 providers, this can result in performance degradation. The following requirements are for a
stand-alone image server.
Required Minimum Image Server
One 2.0 GHz Quad Core Processor or greater

8 GB RAM
RAID 1 for operating system (15K drives required, SAS 73 GB or larger)
RAID 5 or 10 for data (15K drives required, SAS 146 GB or larger)
Gigabit network card
Backup device and backup software or Backup Service (Disaster Recovery Plan should be
established)*
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2, 2012 or 2012 R2 64-bit
Redundant power supply (Suggested) and UPS unit
*A Disaster Recovery Plan should be established for all offices. This can most effectively be
designed by working with a local IT company to identify and meet the specific needs of each office.
Web Server
A Web server is required to host e-MDs Web-based applications and the third-party services that support them.
Applications and services that require a Web server (IIS) include the following:
e-MDs Patient Portal
e-MDs eRx (ePrescribing and Formularies)
Direct Messaging
While it is possible to run these applications and services on your clinics database server, it is not considered a best
practice.
Required Software for Web Server
One, 2.0 GHz Quad Core Processor or greater

8 GB RAM
Backup device and backup software or Backup Service (Disaster Recovery Plan should be
established)*
*A Disaster Recovery Plan should be established for all offices. This can most effectively be
designed by working with a local IT company to identify and meet the specific needs of each office.
A virtual private network (VPN) tunnel must be installed on the Web server if Patient Portal will be installed. eRx and
Direct Messaging do not require VPN tunnels. There are two VPN tunnel options: SSL or IPsec VPN.
SSL is a software-based tunnel. This can be placed on the SQL server. This requires running the latest TopsData
License Support patch (available from the Support Center).
IPsec VPN is a hardware tunnel and requires an additional security device.
Note that the hardware VPN requires expert installation and configuration. e-MDs provides basic requirements,
but the clinics IT professional is responsible for completing the security devices configuration.
e-MDs has validated IPsec functionality with the Cisco ASA 5505 with AES.
Fax Server
The operating system itself determines how many modem devices can be used.
Required Minimums for FaxServer Configuration
One 2.0 GHz Processor (two cores or greater)

8 GB RAM required
e-MDs Solution Series application requires at least 2GB of hard drive space
Windows 7 Professional Enterprise or Ultimate and Windows Server 2008 R2 in either 32-
bit or 64-bit environments
Modem connected to a dedicated analog line
Additional requirements include:

The Fax Server must have a dedicated analog phone line that is not split, DSL filtered, or shared with any other
device (including a physical fax machine, Point-Of-Sale system, and so on).
To use other applications that dial out using a modem, you must have those items on separate workstations, each
with a dedicated analog line.
To use a multi-line Brooktrout card, you must have multiple dedicated analog phone lines, and Windows Server must
be used.
Modems for Fax Server

e-MDs Fax Server utilizes the Windows Fax Service API. The modem you purchase must be compatible with the
Windows operating system that is installed on the machine where you will install the Fax Server.
USB modems are supported; and for best results, we require modems that support separate channels for sending and
receiving.
For Installation and/or troubleshooting of Brooktrout cards, please see the manufacturers website.
Workstations (Desktops and Laptops)

The number of workstations required by an office or clinic will vary based on the physical layout of the facility, the
number of staff members, and general operating procedures.
Please note that although clinics have successfully run e-MDs Solution Series on the Windows 8 platform, e-MDs
cannot recommend Windows 8 at this time. Internal verification is underway and updates will follow later.
Required Minimums for Workstations
One 2.0 GHz Processor (two cores or greater)

8 GB RAM required
10 GB of free hard drive space
Minimum display resolution requires a monitor capable of 1024 X 768 pixel resolution.
However, when utilizing only the Bill module a monitor capable of 1280 x 768 pixel
resolution is required.
Windows 7 Professional Enterprise or Ultimate (Windows 8 and Windows 10 are in testing
at this time) in either 32-bit or 64-bit environments
Microsoft Office 2010 or 2013** (32-bit Version only)
Browser minimum requirements:
Microsoft Internet Explorer v10 and above
General:
Allow SSL (TCP port 443) through firewalls to *.emds.com
WLAN access in all administrative areas
Available network capacity of 5Mbps/sec (download) and 5Mbps/sec (upload) per 100 users
at peak utilization
End-to-end network round-trip time of 120ms or less from user workstation
Network (packet) loss of 1% or less from user workstation
**Microsoft Office Starter and Home and Student versions are not supported with e-MDs Solution
Series. It is required that all workstations run the same version of Microsoft Office. Additionally,
alternative productivity suites are not supported (Open Office, Google Docs, and so on).
Scanners
Document scanners should meet the following minimum requirements:
Automatic Document Feeder
TWAIN 32 Driver
SCSI or USB interface
Duplex scanning capability is required.
Best results for use with Solution Series are consistently achieved with Fujitsu fi series scanners. Fujitsu ScanSnap
scanners are not compatible. e-MDs does not support or require all-in-one scan solutions.
Important! FastForms requires a driver capable of black and white or greyscale mode. It will not work in color
mode.
Printers
e-MDs Solution Series utilizes the Windows Printing API. Printers should comply with the PCL 5 or 6 printer protocol.
Network printers are required for performance, scalability, and manageability. e-MDs does not support or recommend
all-in-one printer solutions. Network printers should be added as a local printer via TCP/IP port on each workstation.
Card Scanner
The card scanner is used for scanning insurance cards and/or drivers licenses. e-MDs does not currently support
OCR. If applicable, a document scanner can be used to scan cards. Best results for use with Solution Series are
consistently achieved with AmbirScan DocketPort devices.
Webcams
Webcams to be used with Digicam require a TWAIN driver which must be compatible with the workstation operating
system.
Newer webcams that include software with a TWAIN driver can be difficult to find. For more information on this please
go to the Support Center and search for the KB article titled: How do I use a Webcam to take patient photos?
If you have multiple devices that utilize TWAIN drivers (webcam and scanners) installed on the same workstation a
new TWAIN source must be selected in Solution Series each time you change devices. Alternately, you can avoid this
step by setting up only 1 device per workstation.
Signature Pad
The signature pad does not interface directly with the e-MDs software. It interfaces with Microsoft Word. To use the
signature pad, build a Word form that includes the signature module and then save the form to DocMan.
Support for the signature pad and Microsoft Word is provided by their respective producers.
Networks
Due to the security and auditing features incorporated to comply with HIPAA standards, implementation of the e-MDs software
in a Windows domain environment is required. DNS service must be set up on the Domain Controller for internal address
resolution. (Setting up DNS to resolve externally can impede network performance and negatively impact e-MDs application
response time.)
The planning and installation of a network should be performed by (or with the assistance of) an experienced IT professional.
In particular, the configuration of wireless and/or terminal service networks should be performed by an expert in these
technologies.
Cabling should meet Cat5e or Cat6 specifications. No hubs should be used on the network. Switches or more powerful
routing devices should be used depending on your network architecture. Simply having Cat5e or Cat6 does not mean that
it is certified to work with gigabit.
Gigabit LAN (1000Mbps) for clinic infrastructure.
e-MDs recommends you use a physical hardware firewall as opposed to a software interface.
Remote Access and Terminal Services

Remote Access to use the e-MDs Solution Series applications is not built into the e-MDs software. e-MDs suggests,
for security purposes, the use of a hardware VPN to provide point to point tunneling. When the VPN connection is
established, users would then need the Remote Desktop or (RDP) application to remote to a local machine on the
network, or to a Terminal Server. If Solution Series is running on a Terminal Server, the operating system of the server
must be Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, or Windows Server 2012 R2.
The e-MDs support team cannot provide assistance in the configuration of a Terminal Server environment.
The configuration and setup of terminal services is a network function and a responsibility of the clinics IT professional.
In addition, users who wish to scan, take patient pictures, or fax in this environment will need to do so through the use
of a fat client, a third-party FTP software, and/or ensure enough bandwidth is available to directly transfer images and
faxed documents, which can often be large files.
Bandwidth
Bandwidth is a great concern when using a robust application that requires uninterrupted transfer of data. e-MDs
requires a minimum of a 5 MB down x 1MB up (5x5) for a VPN and fat client direct connection. This should be
considered a minimum starting point. Your specific bandwidth requirements will vary based on the size of the office
and the usage of the applications.
Wireless Networks
Wireless Networks provide freedom to move about the office, but they also present additional security and connectivity
issues. e-MDs requires a site survey by an expert in wireless implementation. Such a survey will identify the dead
zones in your office or facility that will require installation of access points or antennas.
Backup and Recovery

Methods and procedures to be used for backing up patient data must be considered in the implementation planning process.
e-MDs strongly encourages all customers to set up a nightly SQL Maintenance Plan to backup and re-index your
databases.
Note that state laws vary in terms of retention requirements for medical data.
The DocMan Images folder (or equivalent) must also be backed up routinely.
e-MDs recommends some form of offsite backup rotation.
e-MDs also strongly encourages all customers to develop a disaster recovery plan.
Regarding HIPAA Requirements for Safeguarding PHI

HIPAA Security Rules require documentation of procedures for safeguarding electronically stored and transmitted
protected health information (PHI). It is the responsibility of the clinic to develop a plan for safeguarding data and
meeting other contingency requirements.
Contingency planning includes describing the formal processes in place to analyze and inventory the types of
data that are stored electronically and to protect the integrity of that data in the event of emergency, disaster,
theft, or system failure of any kind.
Contacting e-MDs Support

If you need assistance, please contact e-MDs Customer Support by creating an e-ticket on the e-MDs Support Center or
by calling our Support line at 512-623-6955 (Monday through Friday, 7 am 7 pm central time).

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e-MDs Solution Series 8.

0 Hardware and Software Requirements PAGE 1

e-MDs Solution Series 8.0 Hardware and Software Requirements

Workstations (Desktops and Laptops) ..................................................................................................... 5

Backup and Recovery ................................................................................................................................. 8

Contacting e-MDs Support ......................................................................................................................... 8

Required Minimums for a Database Server

Small Office Medium Office Large Office Small Office

Required Minimum Image Server

One 2.0 GHz Quad Core Processor or greater

Required Software for Web Server

One, 2.0 GHz Quad Core Processor or greater

Required Minimums for FaxServer Configuration

One 2.0 GHz Processor (two cores or greater)

Additional requirements include:

Modems for Fax Server

Workstations (Desktops and Laptops)

Required Minimums for Workstations

One 2.0 GHz Processor (two cores or greater)

Remote Access and Terminal Services

Backup and Recovery

Regarding HIPAA Requirements for Safeguarding PHI

Contacting e-MDs Support

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