NetCIL Installation
Guide
Applies to: All NetCIL
versions
Updated: 3/24/2020
The following instructions are designed to assist qualified
IT personnel in the installation of a NetCIL database system. These instructions assume basic familiarity
with Windows operating systems and networking. For more information, please contact us.
Operating System
Requirements
NetCIL will run on any of the Windows operating system
versions that are currently supported by Microsoft. The list includes Windows 10, Windows Server
2012, and newer server editions. Older versions are no longer supported by
Microsoft. These systems can still be used, but it’s strongly recommended that
you upgrade to supported systems, if for no other reason than for the sake of
security. Please remember that your NetCIL database will contain a great deal
of sensitive information. If you operate a network in your office, it is
recommended that you not use “Home” editions of Microsoft
Windows. “Home” editions are only
capable of five simultaneous connections to a database, and they have other
networking restrictions that limit their utility in a business
environment. Upgrades to professional
versions of all Microsoft products are available to non-profits at very
reasonable rates from:
Application Software Requirements
At least one licensed copy of the full version of Microsoft
Access is recommended in order to facilitate management of a NetCIL database.
In order to take full advantage of NetCIL capabilities, all users should have
licensed copies of at least Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel. It is now also
recommended that you use the 64-bit versions of MS Office, as long as all of
your computers are equipped with at least 4Gb of memory, which is usually not
an issue. NetCIL applications can also
be run with the 32-bit versions of Office. NetCIL is compatible with the
following MS Office versions: 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Office 365. Please
note that Microsoft no longer supports Office 2010. The royalty-free versions
of Microsoft Access are sufficient to run NetCIL applications; They are
available from the Downloads section of the NetCIL website:
https://netcil.com/Downloads.aspx
Installation
Environments
NetCIL can run stand-alone on a single computer, on a
peer-to-peer network, or on a traditional client-server network. For multi-user environments, the recommended
configuration is to install all NetCIL components on the local drives of a
server, and configure users to connect to client applications via Remote
Desktop (RDP). The more-traditional configuration, where client applications
are installed on workstations, connected to a file server that is stored in a
shared folder (usually on a server) is also supported. The RDP configuration
offers better performance and is more fault-tolerant, but it requires a
somewhat more complex configuration. We have a sample system, using Windows
Server 2019 on an Amazon Web Services (AWS) instance that we can show you for
reference. In fact, Amazon allows non-profits a very generous credit for AWS through
Tech Soup; If you decide to establish your own AWS account, we will gladly
furnish you with a complete image of our Windows Server 2019 instance. For more
information, please contact us.
There are four components to the NetCIL database system:
More information about
replication is available by viewing this help
topic.
A traditional client-server installation is shown in the
following graphic:
In this configuration, the only NetCIL component that is
stored in a shared location is the MS Access database that contains all NetCIL
data. The applications NetCIL Client, NetCIL Manager, and IRLog are installed
on all client workstations, and all data transfer occurs over the local area
network. This configuration works well, but it requires a high degree of
network efficiency and robustness. Network interruptions that occur during data
write operations can cause file server corruption. Such issues are easily
correctible as a general rule; However, doing so requires that all connections
to the file server be closed before doing so. This configuration is not
recommended for remote use, with or without a VPN connection, as network
bandwidth limitations will inevitably affect performance. If however you can
configure individual workstations with secure, remote access applications, this
scheme can work quite well.
The next graphic shows the configuration for thin-client
application use via services like Remote Desktop or Citrix:
In this instance, all NetCIL components are installed in shared
locations that physically reside on a network server. All data traffic occurs
within the server, and only graphical information is transmitted between the
server and client workstations. This arrangement offers superior performance
even on a local area network, and it is highly recommended for off-premises
operations that use Remote Desktop Services. NetCIL installations on Amazon AWS
or Microsoft Azure use this configuration.
All data resides in the NetCIL File Server. Almost all users will require the NetCIL
Client application in order to enter and read data. Exceptions are “front desk” personnel who
normally handle telephone and walk-in referrals. NetCIL IRLog is designed to handle those
tasks. Supervisory personnel will need
NetCIL Manager in order to perform database configuration functions and to run
agency reports.
Virtual Private Networking (VPN) connections are not needed
in order to use Remote Desktop, but performance will not be affected if VPN is
used. VPN use is in fact encouraged in
order to provide an additional layer of security.
Installation Procedure
As indicated above, there are some differences in the
installation structure depending on the method that you choose for operation. The
preliminary steps are however identical. By default, NetCIL applications
attempt to connect to a file server named “C:\NetCIL Data\NetCIL File
Server.accdb”. You can of course install a file server on any drive and in any
directory, as long as the appropriate permissions are granted to users as
explained below. If you change any of the default locations, NetCIL
applications will display a file open dialog box when first run, asking for the
location of the file server. Once identified, the path information will be
stored in the system’s registry. The information will be used for subsequent
operations, including software updates, so that unless the file server is
moved, you won’t need to specify the file server path on a given system more
than once. The following steps assume the use of all default path names; Modify
them as you see fit.
For proper file management, it’s recommended that you disable
the option to hide file extensions for known file types as indicated below
(View… Options… Change folder and search options). When there is an open connection to an Access
database, (“.accdb” file extension) an accompanying
record-locking file (“.laccdb” extension) is created,
and it’s helpful to be able to distinguish between the two. The presence of the
record-locking file indicates that there is an open database connection. In
order to perform file server maintenance, all connections must be closed.
The next
graphic shows the same settings for a Server 2019 system using Active Directory
with a NetCIL group:
C:\NetCIL\NetCIL Client.exe
C:\Program Files
(x86)\NetCIL\Manager\ NetCIL
Manager.exe
C:\Program Files
(x86)\NetCIL\IRLog\IRLog.exe