In order for MCS Software Products to successfully run on your District's network, certain system requirements must be met prior to installation and usage.
Security Update
End-of-support for .NET Framework 4.5.0
As of October 23, 2019, all MCS products will end support for running on the .NET Framework 4.5.0. The minimum supported version will be .NET Framework 4.5.2.
Rationale
Due to regulatory security compliance requirements, and in order to protect you and our other customers, we are ending support for older network protocols on all of our servers. Unfortunately, the Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5.0 does not support the newer protocols necessary to communicate with our servers and many other resources on the internet that will also be complying with these changes. Upgrading to .NET Framework 4.5.2 or newer will ensure that your PCs are equipped with the ability to continue to function as the older protocols are phased out.
Impact
Any PCs that remain on .NET Framework 4.5.0 may have trouble connecting to various services and experience unexpected behaviors and error messages. Known services that will be affected include, but are not limited to the following: MCS Cloud, News and Announcement Feeds, Send-Data-To-Tech, MySchoolApps.com integration, Check-the-web-for-updates, critical-upgrade-checker, MealViewer integration, Artemis API support (vending, online ordering, etc.). As other resources on the internet adopt the newer protocols, you may find there are service interruptions with other systems, such as online vendor ordering integrations, electronic claim submissions, student-information-system integrations, etc.
NewtonPOS Serving Lines (or “cash registers”) are not expected to be impacted by this change. All communication between NewtonPOS serving lines and the manager’s workstation utilize proprietary communication protocols that are not affected.
Affected Operating Systems
Workstations running Windows 8, Windows 8.1, or Windows 10 are not impacted. These operating systems included .NET Framework 4.5.2 or newer when they shipped.
Servers running Windows Server 2012, Server 2012 R2, and Server 2016, and newer are not impacted. These operating systems included .NET Framework 4.5.2 or newer when they shipped.
Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 are potentially affected. We recommend applying windows updates to include the latest version of .NET available, or downloading directly from Microsoft at https://www.microsoft.com/net/download/all.
Windows Vista is no longer supported by Microsoft and Windows Server 2008 is no longer in mainstream support; however, you may be able to install .NET Framework 4.5.2 or newer if you are running the latest service packs and security updates that enable TLS 1.2. These operating systems are not officially supported by the MCS software product line, but may continue to function.
Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 will not be able to install the .NET Framework 4.5. nor support the newer security protocols. These operating systems are not supported by Microsoft nor by the MCS software product line.
Windows Server:
The following Windows Servers are supported:
- Windows Server 2008 R2 (*NOTE: Microsoft has announced End of Life support for January 14, 2020. You may read additional details about Microsoft's EOL here.)
- Windows Server 2012
- Windows Server 2012 R2
SQL Server:
The following SQL Servers are supported:
- SQL Server 2012
- SQL Server 2014
SQL Server 2016
Important Information Regarding SQL Servers
The MCS Product Line is tested on SQL Server 2014 & 2016. Any older supported versions, although not tested, will be supported as issues are identified. Newer versions will be supported as they are released.
SQL Server Version Releases
Only the latest service pack of a given SQL Server version is supported.
Backups:
Each District/District IT Department is responsible for coming up with their own backup solution. For additional information about what is expected for backups, refer to Recommended Server Backup.
Virtualization:
MCS HSS supports running our product suite on virtualized servers; however, it is critical that the virtualization software is properly configured for SQL server to perform satisfactorily. MCS HSS does not provide support for the virtualization environment itself.
Server Requirements:
| Minimum/Supported | Recommended |
Operating System | Microsoft Windows 2008 R2 Server (*NOTE: Microsoft has announced End of Life support for January 14, 2020. You may read additional details about Microsoft's EOL here.) NOTE: Used as a Server Only | Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 |
Processor | Dual Core Processor | 4 Core Processor |
SQL Server Version | SQL Server 2012 | SQL Server 2016 |
| .NET Framework | .NET Framework 4.5.2 (Full) | .NET Framework 4.7.2 (Full) |
Hard Drive Space | 100 GB | 100 GB (Hardware RAID 10 array/SSD) |
Memory (RAM) | 8 GB | 16+ GB (0 to 25 schools) / 24+ GB (25 – 50 schools) / 32+ GB (50 – 100 schools) |
Networking | TCP/IP | TCP/IP |
Large School Districts
Contact Support for custom recommendations for districts larger than 100 schools.