Tips From Larry on the Cougar Mountain Accounting Software...

Larry Sweat
Technical Support & Information Systems Manager


Tech Tips-Networking

In recent months, we have encountered several network systems experiencing stability problems, file locking and sharing problems, and/or data integrity problems when running Reporting to the MAX including Point of Sale and Non-profit Versions. At first, the problematic systems didn't seem to have a pattern that pointed to a particular configuration. I heard problems with small 3 or 4-user peer-to-peer networks as  well as larger NT or 2000 networks with dedicated servers. In comparing the service tickets of these systems, we realized that all had one thing in common: Each used WIN98 workstations mixed with workstations running other versions of Windows such as NT, 2000, or WIN95. In these cases, when the WIN98 workstations were upgraded to NT or 2000 or replaced with an NT or 2000 workstation, the system settled down and functioned normally.

I don't want this to sound like a condemnation of the Windows 98 operating system. Not every network with mixed workstations has this problem. In fact, one third of the workstations on our NT 4.0 network at Reporting to the MAX including Point of Sale and Non-profit Versions are WIN98 stations and we have very few problems. I do want you to be aware that we see far fewer problems in systems that don't have WIN98
workstations. NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 are the best operating systems to use when networking Reporting to the MAX including Point of Sale and Non-profit Versions. I am not aware of any reported problems with mixing NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 in a network.