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Joan M wrote: Even freelancers (as me) will have to adopt a software like that.
Dude seriously, if you're just a single person a Raspberry Pi will solve your needs if it runs on Linux (Windows ARM is still sluggish on Pis). If you need Windows you can get a tiny single board computer to run it for like $500 tops... probably less.
It's a single user for accounting data. You don't need much.
Jeremy Falcon
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Personally for such a small/specific task, I'd get a Beelink-type mini PC (I've come to love these little boxes). The backup concern is something else. Offline drives? Off-site drives? Even a handful of USB sticks would do it. Encrypt as needed. Don't overthink this. End of story.
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By now I am using a software in a pentium 3 computer with Windows XP which works perfectly well but that don't cope with the new legal requirements, been trying another one in my NAS PHP+MySQL based that works perfectly (performance wise) and almost well (accountant wise), but the ones I am seeing require to be able to execute Microsoft SQL Server and therefore they ask for:
Intel Xeon (*1) + 8 Gb RAM + 100 Gb SSD or SAS.
Given their crazy requirements I thought of getting something that could run that software and some of the things I have now in my NAS at the same time and make it a little future proof... so go figure...
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Can you post what software you're looking at? The specs just seem out of line. I'm not sure what your accounting software is saving, but unless it's a lot of videos, MS SQL Express would probably exceed what you need. Here's the info: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=101064
You can have up to 10GB of storage.
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I know, in fact our NAS with MySQL should be more than capable to move any amount of data we can require, but... those guys seem to point to very big companies unless you want to store everything in the cloud, then there are plenty of options.
The software is SAGE 200, don't think this will be available out of Spain.
I am looking at ODOO, let's see if those guys allow me to install their software into our NAS.
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Sage 200 is widely used in the UK, too.
Is that the only option your government requirements allow, or is it just a recommendation?
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Nope, the government issued a set of requisites for programs to follow and a few manufacturers will.
Searching for an accounting program that can do this without being cloud based is becoming more complicated than expected.
I've seen Sage 200, Vortex, A3ERP, SAP One, and a few others, maybe Odoo will be installable in the NAS we already have as it is based in PHP and Postgres and there are docker packages for that one.
Let's hope this Monday the two Odoo partners I contacted will tell me their software follow the new regulations and that I can use it with the hardware I already own.
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Joan M wrote: the ones I am seeing require to be able to execute Microsoft SQL Server
Yeah, that's probably where the requirements are coming from. I love SQL Server, but a full-blown enterprise-level relational database like that is serious overkill for a single-user system. You also might have to look into the licensing for SQL Server if that isn't included, and it ain't very cheap.
Are there alternatives that don't require SQL Server?
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Sure, by now I am using a software in a pentium 3 computer with Windows XP which works perfectly well but that don't cope with the new legal requirements, been trying another one in my NAS PHP+MySQL based that works perfectly (performance wise) and almost well (accountant wise), but the ones I am seeing require to be able to execute Microsoft SQL Server and therefore they ask for:
Intel Xeon (*1) + 8 Gb RAM + 100 Gb SSD or SAS.
Given their crazy requirements I thought of getting something that could run that software and some of the things I have now in my NAS at the same time and make it a little future proof... so go figure...
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I can't say I'm familiar with the accounting software options that exist out there, but I can't imagine even a phone would be underpowered for simple accounting tasks nowadays. In terms of technical requirements, I mean, obviously you don't wanna use a phone for that.
But a server rack? 8TB of space? 32GB of RAM? Multiple hard drives and SSDs? Are you auditing the Pentagon?
Any machine ought to do IMO for running the actual software; the real expense, I think, is going to be your backup system. And I suppose this is where you can blow any budget, depending on how crazy you wanna get. But that's really a separate thing.
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The requirements on their web site are:
Intel Xeon (*1) + 8 Gb RAM + 100 Gb SSD or SAS.
Given their crazy requirements I thought of getting something that could run that software and some of the things I have now in my NAS at the same time and make it a little future proof...
OF course I will have to store there 20 years of code, documentations, installation packages for the programs I have used and all their versions... Currently I have 6TB and I am using 80% of that.
PS: ARRRR, I have some other big files there that are not work related and kid sister safe too.
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Joan M wrote: +/- 8TB of data space available would be nice.
+/- 32GB RAM available would be nice.
Nice wishlist! Are you sure this is not overkill?
I've got a 12+ y/o tower server in my home office. It was last rebuilt about 5 years ago when one of the original spinners crapped out, now running Server 2016 and no spinners, just 2 SSDs hanging out of the side and an external drive hooked up in the back.
This old box still easily handles everything I throw at it. It's roles:
0: fileserver (all company projects/documentation/etc.)
1: webserver (public facing websites and ftp/sftp services) currently serving around 25 or so company/customer web apps.
2: database server (sql server)
3: print server
4: email server
I'm considering moving the customer web apps/databases to the cloud and getting a laptop to run everything else.
"Go forth into the source" - Neal Morse
"Hope is contagious"
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The requirements on their web site are:
Intel Xeon (*1) + 8 Gb RAM + 100 Gb SSD or SAS.
Given their crazy requirements I thought of getting something that could run that software and some of the things I have now in my NAS at the same time and make it a little future proof...
I plan to use it for the accounting software, GIT, PHP/MySQL, file server and nothing else.
Truly I'd love being able to keep my NAS and let all this go... 
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If your accounting software needs that much horsepower, something's wrong.
Me? I'd instantly create a VM and be done with it. Now I tend to buy higher end laptops, and I always get at least 64GB of ram. But as others have said, an itty-bitty cube PC with an external USB drive and you are done.
Charlie Gilley
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759
Has never been more appropriate.
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The requirements on their web site are:
Intel Xeon (*1) + 8 Gb RAM + 100 Gb SSD or SAS.
Given their crazy requirements I thought of getting something that could run that software and some of the things I have now in my NAS at the same time and make it a little future proof...
I agree you... something is wrong here... I have two options: paying for a monthly fee and not owning the program and therefore risking losing the data if I can't pay after a financial apocalypse (nothing that worries me much by now) or getting a massive computer and pay for a monthly fee to get maintenance... something that if I stop paying will leave me with a functional program and data.
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Joan M wrote: I could use require SSD and Windows to run.
I could see the second but I doubt the first. Unless perhaps you wanted to use floppies?
Joan M wrote: Would it be better to get a tower server? or a rack server?...8TB of data space available would be nice.
What?!?!
Just to run accounting software?
Looking at 'QuickBooks Desktop' it does suggest 16GB of memory. It is not an online solution. Storage is 2.5GB on drive.
And QuickBooks is probably overkill.
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The requirements on their web site are:
Intel Xeon (*1) + 8 Gb RAM + 100 Gb SSD or SAS.
Given their crazy requirements I thought of getting something that could run that software and some of the things I have now in my NAS at the same time and make it a little future proof...
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As others have said, a small "cube" PC should suffice.
HOWEVER I see no mention of the required operating system. Recently my nephew consulted me on new server hardware to run the latest version of their ERP software, but that was nothing compared to the OS requirement (Windows Server 2019 minimum, CALs, SQL Server, 1 license per user) which could have tripled the cost of the replacement.
What do they require? Will it run single user on Windows 10/11?
Frankly, seeing as they only require 8GB ram I doubt that it merits a Xeon with Windows Server on it.
So old that I did my first coding in octal via switches on a DEC PDP 8
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Joan M wrote: The requirements on their web site are:
I pulled the previous post from their website. Click on "Hardware and operating system requirements"
https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/product-system-requirements/system-requirements-quickbooks-desktop-2023/L36CSOf2x_US_en_US[^]
Disk Space...2.5GB of disk space
What it does say is the following. However that is just marketing noise because ANY software that is sourced on a SSD drive is going to be faster because SSD is faster. Absolutely does not mean it is required.
For the best performance, store your QuickBooks data file on a solid-state drive (SSD).
Also repeating what I said QuickBooks is likely overkill and there are alternatives. You can google the following
"QuickBooks Desktop" single user alternative
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I already have an accountant software that is super old, but it works well, the only issue is that it's not maintained anymore by the manufacturer and currently it won't pass the new legislation.
And I was trying to start another one that is based on PHP and MySQL and it makes more than what I need + it's free... but it won't cope with the legal requirements.
The idea behind that legislation is that you can be charged 60k € only because you have a program that doesn't have a hash between invoices, that doesn't keep a log of any change made in critical documents and soon that it doesn't automatically send the invoices to the government as soon they are issued, you don't have to be doing something wrong with your program, but as you could do something wrong, they can punish you...
This is crazy and creates stupid needs: the small companies can't follow up those rules and can't update their software on time and the big ones have softwares with crazy requirements that for sure I don't have.
I guess the next year will be funny for lots of small companies here...
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Joan M wrote: As soon as we have children the server, NAS, UPS..
Yeah that probably isn't a good design idea.
With children you need an entire room with a bolt lock at the top of the door. Where you can reach and they cannot (even on a chair.)
That should work until they get big enough to understand and respect 'no'.
Even better if you make sure that there is never anything fun in that room. Then even when they get older they will stay out.
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You REALLY should also backup your data to the cloud, even if it means you have to encrypt it yourself. If you get a fire, everything could be gone and that is NOT and acceptable situation for the tax department.
The good thing is that accounting software has no special hardware requirements and yes, put it in a VM in order to easily move it around.
Aside from the other concerns: don't you use an accountant to do all those things for you?
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That's why I rotate the HDD used to make copies and I place them in a different physical location every month. I really don't like to send lots of important and sensitive data into the cloud... More if that data occupies a lot of space.
Precisely the bad thing here is that any accounting software that copes with the new laws in my country have crazy requirements. Otherwise, I would have not made the post.
Nope, making the repetitive tasks (invoices, expenses, ...) reduce a lot the monthly fee of the accountant... And I can check any results, payment dates... at any moment, it's much more convenient, cheaper and fast.
Thanks for your post!
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It should be easy enough to zip your backups into a file, encrypt the file with 256 bit AES encryption, and store the encrypted file in a dropbox account or onedrive or something else.
Trusting your backup only to USB has a high risk of going wrong if a disaster should happen on the wrong moment.
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Leaving apart the safety/privacy concerns and several legal documents between our company and our customers which, in some cases specifically prevent us to use the cloud for anything, I really don't know how to automate the storage of database data in snapshot files that could be compressed and uploaded into the cloud in an easy way, now, I have the backup done automatically by my NAS, storing the settings for the NAS itself, the application settings and the data of everything (even the databases) into an external HDD to be able to perform a bare metal recovery.
I can see the advantages of having backups decentralized but I can see also the problems related to all this starting with the amount of data to be backed up, which is too big to be possible every single night and don't let me start with incremental backups nor separating that data in smaller zip files, that really don't work...
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