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System requirements

When you install the Thinkwise Platform there are a number of hardware requirements and guidelines for the various components. These requirements and guidelines are described here. Software requirements are listed in the Thinkwise Lifecycle policy.

The performance of Thinkwise applications is, of course, dependent on the hardware but to a considerable extent also on the design of your application. Tips about performance tuning your applications can be found here.

If you have any additional questions regarding the installation please contact your Thinkwise representative.

Backup​

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The Thinkwise Software Factory is the production environment for your developers. It is important to have a backup strategy in place to ensure that you can recover from any data loss.

Cloud hosting​

It is possible to host the Thinkwise Platform and end products in a cloud environment and access it from a Windows or Web user interface, using cloud providers that offer (Windows) Virtual Machines.

Dedicated SQL Server cloud solutions, such as Windows Azure SQL Database, are also supported as long as the required features are available. These solutions often offer a stripped-down version of SQL Server, without support, for example, for Integration Services, CLR procedures, Full Text Search and Profiling.

Database management systems​

The Thinkwise Platform supports the following database management systems:

  • SQL Server
  • IBM i DB2 (AS400)
  • Oracle Database

The Software Factory development environment and the Intelligent Application Manager are delivered on SQL Server. If you do not have an SQL Server environment then such an environment must be set up.

The supported versions of the database management systems are described in the Lifecycle policy.

SQL Server editions​

note

Check the release notes to see which version of SQL Server is supported by your version of the Thinkwise Platform.

All editions of SQL Server, including the free Express edition, are supported. Be aware that there are differences in the supported features regarding, for example, scheduling and database mail. A requirement for your development environment is that the Full-Text Search feature is supported and installed.

.NET Framework​

note

Check the release notes to see which version of the .NET Framework is supported by your version of the Thinkwise Platform.

Indicium Application Tier​

The Thinkwise Indicium Application Tier is a required component if you install the Software Factory and IAM. It is a .NET Core application. The preferred deployment method is using a Microsoft Internet Information Services application server. The minimum requirements with regard to the application server depend on the expected load that the Application Tier must be able to handle, for example:

  • The number of concurrent users
  • The size and nature of the application
  • The amount of data in the application
  • Organizational requirements regarding performance

The minimum hardware requirements are as follows:

Minimum requirement
Memory1GB RAM
Disk space1GB free

Thinkwise User Interfaces​

Thinkwise Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) are available for desktop, web and mobile devices. The Software Factory development environment requires the Windows GUI.

Universal GUI​

The Universal GUI requires a modern browser. See also the Lifecycle policy.

Windows GUI​

The Windows GUI is a desktop client and requires the Microsoft .NET Framework. Minimum hardware requirements for the Windows GUI are:

Minimum requirements
Processor1GHz
Memory2GB RAM
Disk space500MB free
Monitor1600 x 900 resolution
.NET Framework4.7 (2-tier) / 4.7.2 (3-tier)

The Windows GUI is compatible with 64-bit environments.

Terminal Services and Virtualization​

The Windows GUI is also suitable for use via Remote Desktop Services or in combination with Desktop (VDI) or Application Virtualization, such as:

  • Microsoft App-V
  • Microsoft Remote Desktop Services (RDS)
  • Citrix XenDesktop
  • Citrix XenApp
  • VMWare View
  • VMWare ThinApp

Depending on the amount of data and the use of the application the Windows GUI requires at least 350MB RAM memory per user.

For more information about RDS server requirements, see:

Web GUI​

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In accordance with our lifecycle policy, the Web GUI is no longer supported. The Thinkwise Platform version 2023.3 is the last version to support the Web GUI. The Universal GUI is the Web GUI's successor. It matches the Web GUI's functionality and more. For more information, see the blog post on the Thinkwise Community.

The ASP.NET Web GUI uses a Microsoft Internet Information Services web server and can be used in all common browsers.

The table below provides an overview of the minimum hardware requirements to run the Web GUI. To give a well-founded recommendation, your specific situation must be analysed first. A load test of your current web environment may be required.

The following factors affect the system requirements:

  • The number of concurrent users
  • The size and nature of the application
  • The amount of data in the application
  • Organizational requirements regarding performance

Minimum hardware requirements:

Minimum requirements
Processor2 GHz dual core
Memory4 GB RAM
Disk space500 MB free

Depending on the amount of data and the use of the application the Web GUI requires a basic minimum of between 100 and 200 MB RAM plus between 2 and 20 MB per user.

In addition to the above information you should also take into account the provision of a web address to make the Web GUI via Internet. You can find more documentation about this here.

Cloud platforms​

The following platforms are supported:

Reporting​

The Thinkwise Platform supports various reporting solutions for creating integrated reports. Some of these solutions require additional report designer licenses and runtime components to be installed.

Please be aware that there may be license fees involved.

Reporting solutionDesigner licenseRequires runtime
DevExpressProvided by ThinkwiseNo
Crystal ReportsPaidYes
Microsoft WordWordYes (Word)
Aia Software ITPPaidYes
I-net Clear ReportsDependsYes

DevExpress reports on Linux​

You can generate DevExpress reports on .NET 8. This allows Indicium to generate reports on Linux.

Please note:

  • Reports targeting DB2 sources are not supported.
  • You must install and update the dependencies mentioned here.
  • On Linux, Indicium uses the .NET 8 version of the DevExpress reports plugin by default. Windows will continue to use the .NET Framework 4.7.2 version by default, but you can use the .NET 8 plugin by changing the Runtime app setting to NET:
{
  "Reporting": {
    "DevExpress": {
      "Runtime": "NET"
    }
  }
}

Drivers​

Certain features of the Thinkwise Platform require additional drivers to be installed. Click on a link for more information.

Exchange integration​

Applications developed with the Thinkwise Platform can make use of the Thinkwise Exchange Connector to synchronize emails, appointments, tasks and contacts. Exchange 2010 or higher is required.

More information on the Exchange Connector can be found here.

Monitoring​

The Thinkwise platform offers extensive options for monitoring the quality and continuity of Thinkwise applications. In addition to this, however, it is essential to also monitor the infrastructure, such as network, servers and PCs, and mobile devices with an appropriate solution.

Microsoft System Center, PRTG, Zabbix or Nagios can, for example, be used to monitor the network and resources on servers.

For Mobile Device Management you can use, for example, Microsoft Intune, Citrix XenMobile, VMWare Airwatch or MobileIron.

Remote access​

Thinkwise wants to offer you optimal support. To achieve this it is necessary that Thinkwise can offer support remotely. There must therefore be a method available for remote login for authorized Thinkwise employees.

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