Workstation HW & OS Requirements
The CeRTNA APEX client software can be run on either a physical Windows workstation or on a Windows Virtual Machine. The sections below describe the requirements for both.
Hardware Requirements
The following workstation specifications are designed to satisfy the requirements for running APEX and are current as of July 10, 2023:
- Processor: Intel i5 or greater
- Memory: 8 GB Minimum / 16 GB Recommended
- Disk Storage: 100 GB Recommended (Depends on your environment. See note.)
- USB Port: Available USB 2.0 port (See note.)
- Network Adapter: 100 Mbps or higher.
Notes:
- The SafeNet eToken requires a USB 2.0 style port. USB-C adapters are not supported.
- CeRTNA exchanges files with the recording vendor software using a Windows folder. This folder can be either a local folder on the local hard drive of the workstation, for example the C: drive, or it can be a shared network folder, for example \\your_server\shared_folder\. If you use a network share, the CeRTNA ERDS workstation will need to have network access to the shared folder or UNC path where the CeRTNA ERDS XML transactions will be accessed for submissions, stored upon retrieval, and or picked up for return. Please refer to the section Folder Structure in the Workstation Installation Guide for a description of how the standard CeRTNA ERDS folder structure should be created.
- In most cases, the Disk Storage requirements for CeRTNA are minimal. The XML files that are submitted by an agent or returned by a county are moved to a PROCESSED subfolder and APEX automatically keeps the subfolder cleaned up based on a “Number of days to keep files” setting in CeRTNA's agent and/or county configuration record. The current default setting for the “Number of days to keep files” is 45. The larger that number is, the more storage space that will be used. Allocating 100 GB of storage space will most likely cover any storage requirements needed by APEX.
- If you will be using a standalone workstation, you will need a security cabinet for your ERDS workstation. You can click this link to see a security cabinet that CeRTNA recommends.
- If you will be submitting transactions, you may need to acquire a scanner and scanning software. The brand of scanner/software is left up to the submitter, however, any scanner/software selected needs to be able to produce, black & white, CCITT T.6 (Group4-Compressed), 300 dpi, TIFF image files.
Virtual Machine Requirements
CeRTNA does not specifically support Virtual Machine (VM) configurations. These are dependent on the Virtualization Platform that is in use in your organization. This said, CeRTNA currently uses Microsoft's Hyper-V platform and we are able to create VM's for various types of testing. We have successfully tested the APEX client running on a Windows 10 VM, Windows 11 VM, Server 2012 VM, and Server 2016 VM. In each case the APEX client software works as expected.
The only method that CeRTNA can directly support for connecting to a virtual machine (VM) is using a Microsoft Remote Desktop Client. If you are using our ERDS platform, you will need to have your Remote Desktop Client configured for USB Passthrough and/or support for Smart Cards. Two factor authentication using a SafeNet e-Token is required on the CeRTNA ERDS platform and this is why the USB Passthrough configuration is required. On the CeRTNA G2G platform, USB passthrough does not need to be configured because the G2G Platform is a closed platform that does not use USB tokens.
There are several benefits to using a Virtual Machine for your ERDS & G2G workstations:
- You do not need a security cabinet for the VM. It is expected that your virtualization host will be in a secured computer room and potentially in a secured server cabinet in the computer room. (This is in contrast to an ERDS workstation sitting in a security cabinet in the general work area where recorder or agent staff resides.)
- Virtual machines are easy to back up, replicate, and/or move.
- Virtual machines can have snapshots taken before maintenance operations take place, for example upgrading the Operating System and/or applying Windows Updates.
If your organization decides to use a Virtual Machine for your ERDS/G2G workstation, your organization will be expected to provide support for the VM.
Operating System Requirements
CeRTNA will certify and support the CeRTNA ERDS software (APEX) and the required tools on the following Microsoft Windows platforms:
- Windows 10 Professional (32-bit or 64-bit versions.)
- Windows 11 Professional (64-bit version.)
- Windows Server 2012 Standard/Enterprise (Installed as a VM.)
- Windows Server 2019 Standard/Enterprise (Installed as a VM.)
Important: Home Editions of Microsoft Windows operating systems are not supported because they do now have support for Local Security Policy.
SafeNet Token Drivers
ERDS users will be provided with a SafeNet USB token that fulfills the requirement for two-factor authentication. You will need to download and install the SafeNet Authentication Client 10.7 token drivers. The driver installation program can be downloaded from the following URL:
https://support.certna.org/Downloads/SAC107.zip
When installing the driver software, you can accept all the default settings.