Merlinia OutBack is a client/server system with minimal resource requirements. The server part connects to all clients in the company, manages all updates from the clients, and makes sure everyone sees the same data.

Please note the current version of Merlinia OutBack supports Microsoft Windows only. There are currently no plans for other platforms.

OutBack Server

The server part of OutBack runs as a service. It may run on the same computer where the data store is located, but this is not a requirement.

System requirements for OutBack Server:

• Microsoft Windows 2000, XP, 2003 or Vista. The machine on which you install the OutBack Server can be either a Workstation or a Server. It is important, however, that the machine where you have installed OutBack Server is a member of a domain.
• 10 MB space on the hard disk.
• Memory usage is approximately 5 MB for 10 users, 10 MB for 50 users, 15 MB for 100 users, etc. Note that this is highly dependant on the amount of information OutBack Server receives from the data store.
• CPU usage is quite low. The OutBack Server service should only use a few minutes of CPU time per day on a server with appropriate hardware for the number of users. Only during start-up is the service likely to consume a significant amount of CPU power.
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 SP1. Or later version.

Data stores:

OutBack Server must work together with a data store containing information about the employees and resources. The data store is used as a read-only source, unless the self-contained text database is used. For internal data, for example the in/out away status, OutBack Server makes use of a separate proprietary storage system.

Data stores supported by OutBack Server:

• Microsoft Exchange 2000 or 2003.
• Lotus Domino 5.0. It must have at least service update 5.0.2b installed.
• Microsoft Active Directory.
• Any other DAPI or LDAP compliant data store.
• An ODBC compliant database.
• OutBack's own self-contained text database. The data may be exported from an existing data store such as Microsoft Exchange 5.x and then adapted for use with OutBack Server. Merlinia OutBack comes with tools for creating and maintaining the text database.

OutBack Client

Supported Systems

• Windows Vista (Enterprise, Business, Ultimate)
• Windows XP Professional SP2
• Windows 2000 Professional SP4

Microsoft Outlook (versions 2000, 2003 or 2007), or Lotus Notes 6.0 or newer should be installed on relevant clients if OutBack is supplied with calendar integration.

Hardware Requirements

• 800 MHz processor
• 256 MB RAM
• 12 MB free hard disk space

General Requirements

• Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0.50727 or newer must be installed on all machines that run any OutBack component. If this version of .NET is installed, a folder called:
  “C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727” should exist on the PC.
• Microsoft Windows Installer 3.0, 3.1 or newer.
• OutBack uses various ports for communication between OutBack modules and for the system to work properly these ports must not be blocked by a firewall or similar security product. By default OutBack uses the following ports:
  - 13000: Communication between OutBack Server and OutBack Client.
  - 47701-47799: Communication between OutBack Server and OutBack Calendar Connector/Merlinia Administrator.
  If default ports are changed during installation, you must of course make the appropriate changes to your firewall.
  

OutBack can run on all modern Windows-based network systems.

For more information about Microsoft products you can visit Microsoft's web site.

OutBack can be connected to various telephone systems, becoming the ultimate tool for the telephone receptionist.
Click here for more information.

Integration with a telephone system may imply additional system requirements. See the web pages about the telephone system in question.