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| Hardware configurations for supporting
different levels or sizes of Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), Knowledge Databases and Software Tools
are described in this section. These are meant only for illustrative
purposes and the actual configurations will be depend upon the specific
requirements of the laboratory or biotechnology company.
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| The following illustration depicts a simple computer
configuration of low cost PC Workstations that are networked using a
standard 10/100MB Ethernet. The operating system is Microsoft Windows
2000/XP Professional with Microsoft Access as the database. The Admin &
Assay PC Workstations should have a minimum configuration of 1GHz processor
speed with 128 MB RAM and a 40GB hard drive. The Analysis and Data Mining PC
Workstations should have a minimum configuration of 1.5GHz processor speed
with 256MB RAM and multiple 60GB hard drives. The hard drives are to handle
the storage requirement for the large number of image files and multiple
databases. The illustration also includes a Barcode printer to underscore
the requirement for labeling Targets, Samples, Slides/Chips and Lab Notebook
Protocols with barcodes. Also, since this is a standard network Laptops and
other PCs can simply be connected. The BxArraytm database
resides on one of the PC Workstations and is accessed through file sharing
with the limitation that it is not a full client/server database system.
This means that writing simultaneously from multiple PCs can not be handled
by the database while writing asynchronously can be done. The size of each
database should not be larger than about 1.5GB to minimize the time to
perform complex data mining queries. Backup of files can be done by burning
CDs and in the near future DVDs. Macintosh computers can only share files
with PC Workstations through a server; therefore, Research Configuration -
Intranet below is the configuration that is needed for laboratories with
Macintosh's. |
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| This is basically the same as the Research
Configuration-Simple except that this contains a Database Server to handle
medium size client/server databases that will allow simultaneous
transactions. The client/server databases could be Microsoft SQL Server
2000, DB2 or Oracle. The workstation operating systems could be a mix of Microsoft Windows 2000/XP
professional, MAC OS or Unix. The MAC OS or Unix workstations are
supported only through web applications. The server operating systems could
be a mix of Microsoft Windows 2000/XP servers, Unix or Linux. It also has an
Intranet server to allow the laboratory to use web based applications on its
internal data. A larger printer has been added to meet the demands of the
larger system. Also added is a tape backup system for disaster recovery,
but alternative methods are also available. |
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Notes from Microsoft: on Services for Macintosh
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| Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Services For
Macintosh (SFM) is a thoroughly integrated component of Microsoft
Windows 2000 Server, making it possible for computers running Windows and
Macintosh OS to share files and printers. After Services for Macintosh is
set up, that computer can function as a file server, remote access server
and print server for Macintosh computers. In addition, Windows 2000 Server
can perform the functions of an AppleTalk® router.
With Services for Macintosh, Macintosh computers need only the Macintosh
operating system software to function as workstations; no additional
software is required. You can, however, set up the optional Microsoft User
Authentication Module (MSUAM), which provides a secure logon to the
computers running Windows Server. |
| The production configuration has network infrastructure
like that of the Research Configuration - Intranet with the addition of more
powerful servers and large scale storage units called SANs. The operating
systems for the servers can be Microsoft Windows 2000/XP servers, Unix or
Linux. The Client/Server databases can be Microsoft SQL Server 2000, DB2,
Oracle or any other database capable of handling terabytes of data.
A data server has been added to handle the processing of the increased
number of raw image files. |
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