Typically we see performance issues in peer to peer PC networks.
The speed at which the program runs is totally dependent on a few different factors, including (but not limited to) the amount of memory on your server computer or the amount of free hard drive space on your server (you may have a lot of space being taken up by other kinds of data unrelated to WinPOS, such as photos, documents, music files or others).
If WinBPS has been used for a long time the data files could have gotten very large. Even though this is typically not the issue we recommend to purge data files. Purge functions are located in Main menu -> System maintenance -> Purge Functions. Purging old data will shrink the size of the data files, which in turn will speed up the program somewhat.
We've had reports of the program running slowly as the result of spyware on the server. A PC heavily infected with spyware would run slowly, which in turn would cause any programs connected to it (like WinPOS) to run slowly.
Virus protection software will also cause the system to run slow. It is recommended that the WinBPS program TW.EXE should be EXCLUDED from the anti-virus software and ideally EXCLUDE the WinBPS LIVEDATA data folder.
The network also has to be considered. If you are using wireless (or "Wi-Fi") networking (something we do not recommend), the program would run slower since Wi-Fi networking is inherently slower than wired Ethernet. Wi-Fi is also susceptible to problems due to interference from other wireless devices like cordless telephones, and that interference can cause WinPOS to run slowly.
As for wired Ethernet networking, the Ethernet wireing itself can pick up interference from electrical devices as fluorescent light fixtures, HVAC units ..etc, so it's important to avoid all electrical device with the Ethernet cables. Again, any such interference picked up by this wiring would cause WinPOS to run slowly. We recommend 1gb networking with cat5e cabling.
The BEST network implementation for WinBPS is to utilize Windows Terminal Server. Windows Terminal Services is a component that is included with Windows Server 2012 and Windows 2016 Server operating systems. If you were to install Windows 2012 or 2016 Server on your shop's Server computer, your workstation computers would then access the Server using the Windows "Remote Desktop Connection" program, which is included with every copy of Windows 7, 8 and 10. While we would normally recommend this solution for shops with 5 or more stations, we do have customers that are using it with as few as 3.
The reason Terminal Services is faster is because in a Peer-to-Peer network, the data is constantly flowing back and forth between your Server and the WinPOS program running on your Workstation, however, in a Terminal Server environment, the Workstations literally open a "window" to your Server and runs WinPOS from there. It's very similar to when we use our Remote Desktop program to log into your computer at your shop; we are controlling your computer on your end through a window on our end, but no data is flowing back-and-forth between the two. Since the data is not flowing back-and-forth between your Server and your Workstation in the Terminal Server environment, the WinPOS program runs extremely fast.
Terminal Server Benefits
- WinBPS is installed on only the server and runs a server speed for all users
- Windows Server operating Systems are fast and stable
- Low cost of implementation on larger networks
- SPEED
- Remote access thru the internet is simple and fast
