Last updated: 18. October 2019
For a smooth operation it is very important to ensure that the computers on which you are going to install the farmerswife (fw) Server and Client applications meet the system requirements specified here. We also recommend to run the farmerswife Server application on a separate dedicated machine, to ensure maximum performance.
All mentioned 3rd party software or hardware is subject to the respective 3rd parties supplier support. Farmers WIFE S.L. accepts no responsibility for any changes that may be carried out by 3rd parties which may directly or indirectly affect the functionality or performance of the software.
fw Server application
Operating System (OS):
Windows:
Windows Server 2016, 2008 R2 Standard 64bit (and later) and Windows 10 Pro 64bit (and later).
NOTE: Due to known low-level WIFE-Server-to-fwClient connection issues on any 32bit Windows, running the fw Server application on a 32bit environment can no longer be “recommended”; but the WIFE Server will still run on a 32bit Windows OS.
Mac:
macOS Catalina 10.15 is NOT supported yet!
macOS Mojave 10.14.x, macOS High Sierra 10.13.x, macOS Sierra 10.12.x ... these 3 versions are recommended.
OS X 10.11.x El Capitan, OS X 10.10.x Yosemite, OS X 10.9.x Mavericks, OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, can also still be used if needed. The old version OS X 10.7 Lion and OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard should NOT be used anymore, due to lack of support for Java 1.8 or later.
Note: The farmerswife Client desktop application and farmerswife Server application are both still 32bit apps and are still supported to be run on 64bit macOS Mojave or lower.
Note: Native 64bit support macOS is in active development; currently looking very promising to be ready within Q9 2019.
Linux:
The only tested and maintained Linux flavor is Ubuntu 18.04 LTS x64.
The WIFE Server-side PDF printing functionality is not supported on Linux.
IMPORTANT: Running the WIFE Server on Linux is only available for large or multi site facilities on a case-by-case basis; skilled in-house Linux IT Administrator(s) are prerequisite and an additional “LinuxSupport” agreement is mandatory.
You MUST have a skilled in-house Linux IT Administrator to use farmerswife Server on Linux; we don’t provide support on how to use Linux or maintain Linux as an operating system.
Hardware:
For best performance we recommend using a dedicated machine only running the WIFE Server application. Ideally it's installed on its own hard-drive. And "Full Backups" are set to be stored on a different hard-drive or network share.
If the WIFE Server is run on a virtualized OS, its proper configuration has to be ensured. The underlying hardware has to always provide the needed resources as stated within this document. Typically the hardware used for virtualized systems is not ideal; use the “Speed Test” button on the fw Server application using the "DemoDB" as a helper to verify and compare the test results. Note: the "Speed Test" can take 5 min. or more to finish.
Server Processor:
A fast CPU (3GHz +) and a good portion of L2 or L3 Cache are strong variables in the WIFE performance equation.Important: the WIFE Server application will only utilize 1 CPU and 1 core of a multi-core CPU. Choose a fast CPU (highGHz) plus high amount of L2/L3 cache over amount of slower CPUs/cores. Chose Intel over AMD processors. This also applies when the WIFE Server is run on a virtualized system!
In regards to farmerswife Play see the separate documentation.
Server Memory:
Juggling a lot of memory is what the WIFE Server application heavily relies on!
A minimum 3GB RAM available per WIFE Server instance +1GB for the OS is required. We recommend using a system with fast 6GB or 8GB of RAM.
Server Storage / Disks:
Fast hard drives make the WIFE database backup process faster, which frees up time to handle the actual work performance.
Solid-state drives (SSDs) now on the market really make a performance difference and we recommend using them. Our clear second recommendation is to use fast SAS (15,000rpm) hard drives with 16MB or more cache. Provide at the very minimum 60GB of free disk-space, plus additional disk space according to your individual needs for storing data to be used within the system.
Screen resolution Server:
1024 x 768 minimum; 1280 x 1024 recommended
Network:
The typical local network (LAN or WAN) speed of 100Mbit or more is ideal for the WIFE Client application. Bandwidth is not the main factor, unless of course it’s completely used up due to other heavy data traffic. Slow network latency typically encountered when connecting from outside the LAN, or on using VPN connections, or hosting the fw Server on a cloud based solution are the main sources for slow performance for the end users.
3rd party software "Java":
IMPORTANT: The Web Client, Mobile Web Client and fwPlay are all powered by a built-in web-server. This requires "Java" to be installed on the fw Server host machine.
We recommend to always stay on the latest version of Java by manually upgrading. IMPORTANT: If you let Java update itself automatically, this can interrupt the Web Client, Mobile Web Client and fwPlay. A host machine restart is the first recommended action after any update.
Note: Legacy Java 1.6 and 1.7 are deprecated; we strongly recommend to un-install any of these old version should they still be installed on your fw Server host machine!
With the release of version 6.5 we recommend to remove any and all "Java (Oracle)" versions from the farmerswife Server host machine. Instead install "Open JDK", see the instructions here: How to replace Java (Oracle) with OpenJDK
Optional 3rd party software "MySQL"
For the optional MySQL data interface when hosted on Windows and Mac ONLY use the legacy MySQL v5.1.73 and on Linux use MySQL v5.0. Later version are not being used or tested on our side.
fw Client application
Operating System (OS) for the farmerswife desktop Client software
Note: Native 64bit support for the fw Client Desktop application on Windows has been implemented in version 6.5; use the "Windows-x64" installers.
Note: Native 64bit support for the fw Client Desktop application on macOS is still in active development; currently looking very promising to be ready within Q4 2019.
Windows:
Windows 10 (recommended), Windows 8 and Windows 7
IMPORTANT: Windows Vista and Windows XP Home / Pro are not supported by Microsoft anymore, we therefore advise against using them.
Mac:
macOS Catalina 10.15 is NOT supported yet!
macOS Mojave 10.14.x, macOS High Sierra 10.13.x, macOS Sierra 10.12.x ... these 3 versions are recommended.
Mac OS X 10.11.x El Capitan, 10.10.x Yosemite, 10.9.x, OS X 10.8, OSX 10.7 and OS X 10.6 can also still be used if needed. Older OS X version are no longer supported.
Linux:
A native and usable WIFE Client for Linux is available, but it’s not actively supported.
Processor Client machine:
For example a Intel 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor (minimum).
Memory Client machine:
Recommended at least 1GB RAM for the farmerswife Client software, but at least 512MB available RAM. For the main heavy users even more. Please note that we're now more often seeing a lot higher needed memory usage. Especially on big databases and using the Financial Reports. These can reach into 3 to 4 GB of needed available memory by using the new Windows-x64 6.5 farmerswife Client desktop app.
Screen resolution Client machine
96dpi at 1200 x 800 minimum (since v4.10); 1280 x 1024 or more recommended for main heavy users.
Note: Lower screen resolutions will prevent some functionality to not be usable.
iOS farmerswife app
Use our free native universal iOS farmerswife app (for iPhone and iPad) from Apple’s App store (search for: farmerswife); the latest iOS 8 optimized version is v5.0.825, or for iOS 7 it's v5.0.59 or for iOS 6 it's v5.0.34.
Web browser based Web Client and Mobile Web Client
The web browser based access via the Web Client is optimized for Safari, Chrome and Firefox; also usable with Internet Explorer v9 or later since fw v4.11.
IMPORTANT reminder: The Web Client, Mobile Web Client and fwPlay are all powered by a built-in web-server.
This requires "Java" (on fw v6.5 use "OpenJDK") to be installed on the fw Server host machine; see above info within the "3rd party software "Java" and optional "MySQL"" section.
The Mobile Web Client is optimized for the Google Chrome web browsers on Android, Windows Mobile and other mobile devices.