Setting up the network hardware

Unless you are an expert, employ a networking consultant to set up your network hardware. Show the consultant these requirements for the host computer, and the hardware and software requirements for the workstations in the ‘Installing AccountEdge’ chapter of the AccountEdge Getting Started Guide.



Requirement	Description
Operating system	Mac OS X 10.4 to 10.6
Hardware	Accessing Company Files: PowerPC G5 or later with 1GB RAM Hosting Company Files: Intel Based Mac with 1GB RAM or more (Intel based Macs are recommended) 250 MB available hard disk space for program installation
Network	Wired Ethernet network: 100Base-T or faster Airport wireless network: Airport Extreme Cards installed on all computers Airport Exteme Base Station TCP/IP must be enabled on all computers



Networking	Local area network (LAN), peer-to-peer
Windows host	Windows XP (Service pack 3) or Vista (Service pack 1) or Windows 7
Equipment	Pentium processor, with 1GB RAM, or better Older computers may need a network interface card (NIC)
Protocols	Ethernet (10BASE-T twisted pair cable, shielded or unshielded) or Fast Ethernet (100BASE-TX twisted pair cable, shielded), with Windows networking (NetBIOS, NetBEUI, or TCP/IP)

When several users work with a company file simultaneously, it must be stored on a host computer to which each user has access. Consider these tips for choosing a suitable host:

▪	Host the company file on the most powerful computer Users on workstations will enjoy better performance if the company file is stored on the most powerful computer in your network—the fastest with the most memory.

▪	Host the company file on a backup computer If you store all your important files on a central host that is backed up frequently, it is a good idea to also store your company file on that host. Then the company file will be backed up along with all your other vital data.