CCH Practice 8.x - Advantage Dbs on Server 2008 no go for now

A heads up for those running CCH products that are driven by an Advantage database back end: Advantage will not install and run on either x86 or x64 versions of Server 2008.

This is especially critical to note for accounting clients running SBS 2003 back ends that are looking to upgrade to SBS 2008 Standard or Premium this fall.

A new set of products structured around .NET and MS SQL are in the works with a hopeful release time in the fall of 2009.

CCH plans to release all information around the new products and the technologies to run them at their CCH User Conference in California October 2008. The conference brochure can be found here: CCH User Conference 2008 (PDF). More information should follow from there.

A list of the currently supported network configuration for CCH Practice:

• File Server - 100% IBM-compatible Pentium PC (PIII or higher recommended); Memory per network operating system; 512Mb+ of RAM required. 32 bit compatible for servers.
• Network Software - NetWare version 5.1 or higher, Linux (kernal [sic] 2.4 or higher), Windows 2000 Server - *Service Pack 4, Windows 2003 Server - *Service Pack 1, Windows 2000 Professional - *Service Pack 4**, Windows XP Professional - *Service Pack 2**. (* always upgrade to latest Service Packs)
• **Note: When running in Peer-to-Peer environments, a dedicated server is required.
• Network Clients - Latest versions of Microsoft Client for NetWare or Novell NetWare recommended; Clients for Windows 2000 Professional, Windows XP Professional.
• Network Topology - 10 Mbps or greater (Ethernet); 16 Mbps or greater (Token Ring); For optimum performance 100Mbps, full duplex recommended throughput network including workstation and server network interface cards, switches and hubs.

Note the absence of Server 2008 at this time.

It is also important to note that only version 8.11 of CCH Practice will run properly on Windows Vista. While we do have clients that we have managed to coerce Practice 7.x to run on Vista, only the most advanced users would understand the implications and what needs to be done to keep things stable.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists

*All Mac on SBS posts are posted on our in-house iMac via the Safari Web browser.