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Issue #25-7.31.07
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Serve It Up!
While many dental practices are looking at the modern systems like cone beam imaging and online scheduling and all of the other components in a chartless practice, often overlooked is the infrastructure that is needed to run those systems. I cannot tell you the number of practices I’ve worked with that struggle with their high tech systems and it is almost always due to a decision to not spend on developing the proper computer support for those systems. The most critical part of that is the computer server, the “lifeblood” of any dental office network. While you can certainly work with a technology consultant to choose a server, a basic understanding of the main parts should allow you to properly configure one on your own. While the cost of a decent server can run up to $3500 or so, the practice needs to decide if the integrity and safety of their data is worth that amount (and, in my opinion, the answer is always a resounding: YES!)
Hard Drives
are many varieties of hard drives found in computers. If you’ve never configured a server before, the choices can seem overwhelming. In the past, it was a choice between IDE (slower) or SCSI (faster) drives. However, a newer standard has emerged that is usually a better choice. This is called SATA, or Serial ATA. It offers certain advantages. The drives spin faster than IDE drives and the cables, which are much smaller, allow for their use in small computers where reduced airflow is a concern. Look for drives that have at least 250 GB of storage and spin at 10,000 RPM or greater.
RAID Drives
RAID, or Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks, is a system of using multiple hard drives for various reasons. For desktop computers, some manufacturers create a RAID 0 array, where the hard drives are configured to share the duties of the computer. While this increases speed, it is not appropriate for a server. The server RAID system is designed for redundancy. Multiple hard drives are mirrors of each other, which creates redundancy for the server. The concept is built around the thought that if a hard drive fails (still relatively rare), there should be a minimal amount of down time for the office to get back up and running. With mirrored drives, each drives contains a complete copy the main drive. If the first drive fails, the second drive will take over and allow the office to keep functioning. The RAID systems that are most common for servers in a dental office are either RAID 1 (two drives) or RAID 5 (three or more drives). I recommend you get a minimum of a RAID 1 (two mirrored drives) system.
Hot Swap
For most desktop systems, the hard drives are housed inside the computer, where they are not easily accessible to the user. Most dentists and dental office personnel are not comfortable opening up a computer to take out a hard drive. One option with servers is to have the hard drives accessible on the front of the computer. By simply pushing a button, a faulty drive can easily be removed from a server and replaced with a good drive, even while the server is still running. This is known as hot swapping.
Memory
Most servers will use a special form of memory known as to create a more stable system. ECC, or Error Checking Code, is designed to help correct errors. ECC RAM, coupled with a proper memory controller, is able to correct memory errors instead of letting them go corrupted, possibly corrupting your data. This usually translates into less system crashes. Get at least 2 GB of RAM for a server.
Redundant Power Supplies
All the redundancy in hard drives won’t help much if the server doesn’t have power! The power supply is an often-overlooked but still important component on the system. To eliminate loss of power as a reason for server failure, many servers will be configured with a second power supply. The disadvantage to this is that not only does it increase the size of the server case, it also tends to create significantly more noise as the power supply fan is often the noisiest element of the server.
While many offices can function without all of the above features, offices that are truly paperless or chartless should invest in a server that is designed to keep the practice running at all times.
Lorne Lavine, DMD is the Founder and President of Dental Technology Consultants. Dr. Lavine holds two prestigious certifications, the A+ Certified Technician designation and the Network+ Certified Professional. These designations demonstrate proficiency in computer repair, operating systems, network design and installation. Dental Technology Consultants provide dentists a full range of services relating to the implementation of technology.
Dr. Lavine can be reached directly at 1.866.204.3398.
Interested in speaking to Dr. Lavine about your technology concerns? Email him at Drlavine@thedentistsnetwork.net
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