Terms, Requirements & Specifications for concurrent users
Features
- Access to the database by concurrent users up to the number of licenses issued in the User agreement.
- Users are managed via your internal account administrator via User Management Link.
Prerequisites
- Windows 2016 server or higher available on a network or a cloud with RDP access.
- Workstations with an operating system installed of Windows 10 or higher. Estimating Link is compatible with Windows 10 Pro and higher.
- The Construction Link Server Configuration Tool program available in the download section of the website
- A current Subscription or Maintenance and Support Agreement
Network Installation
Estimating Link for windows is a multi-user program when used over a dedicated server-based network. This means that more than one person can work in a project at the same time. Each user’s workstation must have an access key installed for the program to run and the workstation needs to have access to a network server that has Microsoft’s SQL server on it.
To ensure adequate performance and reliable storage and network communication, Microsoft Windows 2016 Server or higher is recommended for modern server hardware.
Using a workstation operating system to act as a server, is not a supported configuration.
The Construction Link provides the Estimating Link Server Configuration tool that will install with Microsoft’s SQL express server on a Windows server. If the program is going to be used in a multi-user environment, the server must allow users to access the SQL server through the windows firewall. It should also be noted that this reads and writes constantly to the database. An antivirus program running on the server will greatly diminish performance of the program if the antivirus does not exclude the SQL server.
It should also be noted, that if there are other instances of Microsoft’s SQL server running on the server, they must allow for at least 2 GB’s of ram be available for the Estimating Link database.
We also offer a server soft key for network or terminal (RDC) installation, your IT person should call our support staff for assistance.
Multi-User Overview
Estimating Link performs its multi-user functions by connecting to an SQL database on a Windows Server. Estimating Link program does NOT need to be installed on the server. The Construction Link provides a server configuration tool (Setup_Server.exe) to configure the server to add our instance and database to an existing SQL Standard server or to install the 2014 SQL Express provided with our program. The SQL instance on the server must have permission on the Windows Firewall to allow users to access the SQL database. The instance name and database name will have to be set on each workstation through the programs menu option Setup, Options, Database. Our default names are provided for the initial setup. 🗒️Note for Legacy/Enterprise Customers still using keys: The memory keys will still need to be attached to the workstations regardless of where the database resides unless a server key has been provided by the Construction Link sales and support. A memory key/dongle does not need to be installed on the server. See Adding a New User & Connecting to Server in the manual for instruction on how to setup the workstation.
Operating System Requirements
To ensure adequate performance and reliable storage and network communication, the server should be running Microsoft Windows 2016 or a greater Server, 64 bit. The workstation should be running Windows 10 Pro or higher for the operating system.
🗒️Note: Using a workstation operating system (peer to peer) to act as a server is not a supported configuration.
Minimum Server Hardware Guidelines
The following are guidelines based on utilizing Estimating Link with 5 simultaneous users. If the server is being used for other purposes, or there are more than 5 simultaneous Estimating Link users, these system components may need to be increased in order to meet your needs.
It is highly recommended that you consult with a qualified networking professional that can adequately analyze your needs and determine an appropriate server for your company.
Number of Users Accessing the Server Requirements
For customers having 2-10 users:
The new TCLI Estimating Link 3 Server Configuration Tool, (Setup_Server.exe) will install Microsoft SQL Server Express 2014 R2 on an existing Windows Server 2016 or higher. We recommend using a server with a minimum of 16 GBs of RAM.
For customers having 10 to 20 users:
We recommend purchasing Microsoft SQL Server 2016 Standard Edition 64-Bit running either on an MS 2016 or greater Server operating system with a minimum of 16 GBs of RAM, using the Estimating Link 3 Server Configuration Tool to configure the database.
For customers having over 20 users:
We recommend purchasing Microsoft SQL Server Standard or Enterprise Server 2016 or higher on the Processor License per Core, with a minimum of 32 GBs of RAM, and using the Estimating Link 3 Server Configuration Tool to configure the database. Disk capacity will depend on the number and size of projects, but at least 100 GBs of usable disk space are recommended.