PTP System Requirements

Before installing the latest version of the PTP Suite, please ensure that the systems you are using meet or exceed the minimum platform, hardware and software requirements, including service packs, detailed below. 

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Disclaimer

If you have software installed that is not listed below, we strongly recommend that you review the lists of supported software and upgrade as soon as possible. IRIS can not guarantee that the latest version of our software will install successfully or perform effectively, if you are not using versions of the software listed below.

IRIS does not recommend the use of a wireless connection. Any troubleshooting needed will require a wired Ethernet connection.

Using PTP over a VPN connection without a Terminal Server is unsupported and IRIS offers no guarantees it will work.

Running SQL Server and Exchange on the same server while possible, is not recommended, as it may impact the performance of the software.

Certain features of PTP Software (notably Filing by Internet to HMRC and Companies House) and online technical support assistance, require a broadband internet connection.

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Microsoft products – end of life

Microsoft has announced that the following products have or will go out of extended support:

• SQL Server 2012 – July 2022
• Windows 8.1 – Professional only – 10/1/2023
• Office 2013 – 11/4/2023
• Windows Server 2012/2012 R2 – 10/10/2023

This means that while your IRIS product may continue to work using the above versions, IRIS will no longer test in these environments and will not be able to offer support to customers using them. Remember that being on an older version of any software means that you are not getting the latest security updates. We advise that you are always on the latest versions.

What you need to do next

Our recommendation is to move to the latest versions of the Microsoft software:

• SQL Server 2012 – SQL Express 2019 or SQL Server 2019
  Note: SQL Express is free but has a limit on the number of users / connections.
• Windows – Windows 11
• Office 2013 – Office 2016, 2019 or Office 365 the industry standard
• Windows Server – Windows Server 2019

The following table will help you plan your upgrades:

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Click the links below to jump to a section:
Hardware Requirements
Supported Platforms
Software Requirements
Virtual Environments
Microsoft Windows 10 EOL

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Hardware Requirements

The requirements below are a guide; a minimum specification for running IRIS products on a dedicated server with 1-3 users.
Important: The number of applications running on the server and users you have on the system, will affect performance. For example, for 5-10 users, double the specification below; for 10-20+ users, quadruple the specification and so on.

Note: We are happy to provide advice on this subject; however, we recommend that you speak to your IT service provider to ensure you have sufficient hardware to run your practice.

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Supported Platforms

Note: Microsoft SQL Server Express is only recommended for installations of up to six users. Express versions of SQL Server have a database size limit of 10GB.
Important: Customers who have over 10 users SHOULD use either Workgroup (only available in SQL 2012), Standard or Enterprise versions of SQL Server.

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Software Requirements

Microsoft .NET Framework 4.8 as a minimum (mandatory from Autumn 2021 v21.3.583 release)

The Autumn release of the PTP Accounts Production v21.3 requires our Workstation Setup to be run to ensure that new prerequisites are in place.
We are advising that .NET 4.8 and MSVC 2019 are installed on the workstation prior to installing the Autumn release.

• To install .NET 4.8, click here.
• To install MSVC 2019, click here.

Important: Installed versions of Office apps are compatible with IRIS Software; their browser based equivalents are not.

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Virtual Environments

We test our products in virtual environments including PCs (HyperV) and Terminal Services along with virtualised hardware i.e. Server/Terminal Server(s)/configuration clusters.

To provide optimum performance in a virtualised cluster, our recommended setup is to have the Application, SQL and Terminal Server/s on separate virtual machines.

We do not specifically test against the following virtualised environments. Many customers have however, stated that they use these environments without a problem:

• Citrix
• VMWare
• Remote Apps

If you do come across an issue, we will try and help you narrow down the area in the virtual
environment that is causing the problem but cannot guarantee resolution in any untested platforms.

Remote Access including Terminal Server access
Remote access to PCs, Servers and Terminal Servers is tested via Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Connection on all supported platforms.

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Microsoft Windows 10 EOL

Enter WINVER<CR> in the search box to identify the Edition and version of Windows 10 on your PC. In general, if Windows Updates are enabled you can expect the version of your Windows 10 to be updated automatically.

Windows 10 is identified by both Edition and Version details. End of Life (EOL) details differ between Editions. The table below defines where those Editions and Versions sit in terms of End of Service with regards to the Microsoft Modern Life Cycle Policy which our own Support policy follows.

Note: While IRIS products may continue to work using an EOL operating system, they will not be tested in these environments and we will not be able to offer support to customers using them.

Important: From October 2020, you will not be able to install IRIS on any of the Editions / versions which have reached the EOL status dated May 2020 or before.

* Serviced for 30 months from release date per policy updated at September 6, 2018.

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