Standardize System Requirements Across Product Families?

[techwriter31]

We are currently using MadCap Lingo on our internal build machine (WinXP/SQL Server 2008). We would like to also implement the MadCap Feedback Server on a Windows server.

I have no familiarity with Windows Server operating systems, but we were hoping to be able to install both MadCap Lingo and the MadCap Feedback Server on the same server. But due to the different system requirements, it doesn't look like we can. MadCap Lingo doesn't currently support Windows Server. In addition, we already configured MadCap Lingo with SQL Server 2008, but MadCap Feedback Server only supports up to SQL Server 2005.

In theory, if they both supported the same operating systems and versions of SQL Server, would it be possible to host both from the same server?

MadCap Lingo Requirments:
â—¦Microsoft Windows XP with latest Service Pack
â—¦Microsoft Vista
â—¦Windows 7 (32 or 64 bit)
â—¦Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition with Service Pack 2 or later
â—¦Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Standard Edition with Service Pack 2 or later
â—¦Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Express Edition
â—¦MIcrosoft SQL Server 2008 Standard Edition

Feedback Server:
Microsoft Windows 2000
Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
Microsoft Windows XP
Microsoft Windows Server 2003
SQL Server 2005 Standard
SQL Server 2005 Express (free download from msdn.microsoft.com)
SQL Server 2000

[LTinker68]

Just out of curiosity, what's the reason for having them both on the same server? Their purposes are totally different. Lingo is for the authoring environment and Feedback is for the hosting environment ("serving" the help to the end user). Lingo is for before you build the help, Feedback is for after.

I'm not saying you can't do it -- I actually don't use either product (never had a need to, unfortunately) -- but I'm just curious why you'd want to put them both on the same server. Especially if it's a public-facing server, which should be locked down more than the computer where you use Flare and Lingo.

[techwriter31]

I think you just made me have an Ah ha! moment. For some reason, I was thinking that the server would need to be compatible with Lingo. But we could just host the Lingo TM databases on the server and connect to it from our PCs....we'll just have to use SQL 2005 instead of SQL 2008. Basically, we have an older documentation build machine that currently hosts the TM databases for MadCap Lingo. If we implement the Feedback Server, we'll purchase a new server. If possible, we'd like to consolidate these functions to a single, faster machine. But again, I have no experience with servers, so I'm not sure if it even makes sense to implement it in this way.

[techwriter31]

Update - according to the help file, it looks like Feedback Server also supports Windows Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008. The Feedback Server Installation Guide (that MadCap recommends you read prior to installing the trial version) only lists up to Windows Server 2003 and SQL Server 2005.

[RamonS]

I'd go with SQL2008 or 2008R2 exclusively, everything else is discontinued or will drop off support soon (SQL2005). As far as the Feedback Server specs go, someone didn't update a document. Generally, anything that works on SQL2005 should work on SQL2008 as well, there are only a few things that are different in a way that queries would break.

[techwriter31]

Thanks for the recommendations!