This article lists the recommendations on the software and hardware specifications in order to seamlessly use the FORM's Data Collection Platform for your business needs.
Follow these recommendations to keep the application stable and secure.
System Software Requirements
The FORM Data Collection Platform maybe deployed on a single server with minimum requirements including an operating system with the Java runtime, an application server and the database server installed on it.
For security and performance reasons, we recommend using a web server that would route the traffic to the application.
Some of the application functions require SMTP servers to distribute emails, resolve domain names, validate email addresses, etc.
Although all of the system components may be installed on a single physical server, it is highly recommended to have both the database server and the web server (if used) deployed on some separate physical hardware.
| Operating system | any 64-bit OS compatible with Oracle Java (JDK) 11.0.3 |
| Web server (optional) | Apache HTTP server 2.2 or higher, IIS 10 |
Database server | MySQL 8 MS SQL Server 2019 Oracle 19c |
| Additional software | one or more SMTP server, DNS server |
Minimum Hardware Requirements
The choice of the hardware required to run the FORM Data Collection Platform largely depends on anticipated amount of system activity (e.g. number of respondents, forms, reports and forms/reports complexity), as well as, the maximum number of concurrent requests that the system may experience during the peak hours.
Hardware requirements outlined below correspond to the minimal hardware setup required to get the system running while collecting a few thousands of form submissions daily.
If firewalls or any other software or hardware installed prevent the Platform from being able to communicate with the required services (such as databases, NS servers, SMTP servers, etc.) or from being accessed by users, such hardware and software should be configured before the installation.
If the web server is being used, the communication between the application and the web servers should be allowed as well.
| Sever Memory | 12GB minimum is sufficient for most use cases; the systems where high load is expected may require more memory. |
| HDD | We recommend to install the Platform on a system where RAID is preconfigured. Two SCSI or SAS drives with 148GB capacity configured as a RAID 10 or an external RAID system are recommended. |
| Database Space | 200GB allocated for the database is sufficient in most use cases. However, the more data is collected through the platform, the more disk space is required. We recommend to plan the extensions of disk space if large volumes of data are going to be collected using the Platform. We also recommend to reserve space or replication and backups in the production systems. |
| Network Connectivity | At least one dedicated IP address. |
The detailed requirements will be provided in the installation instructions shipped with the installation package. Please read these instructions carefully before rolling out the application. |
Standard Installation Packages
Typically, FORM delivers its self-hosted solutions as a custom package, with the software configuration and the installation instructions provided according to the unique environment configuration that customers may have.
However, delivering such a custom deployment package may take some time needed to put together the package and compile the proper installation instructions.
The FORM’s Data Collection platform is also available in pre-configured installation packages, which are readily available for certain environment configurations. They can be delivered much faster than a custom package build.
The FORM’s Data Collection Platform installation packages are currently available for the following configurations and platforms:
Microsoft Windows-based system | Web Server (optional): Microsoft IIS 10 Operating System for Application server: Microsoft Windows Server 2019 Application Server: Apache Tomcat 9 Database: Microsoft SQL Server 2019 |
Linux-based system | Web Server (optional): Apache Web Server 2.2 Operating System for Application Server: Linux (Red Hat enterprise Linux is recommended) Application Server: Apache Tomcat 9 Database: MySQL 8 |
Packages include: application binaries, configuration templates, database data structures, initial installation data, instructions and the manual for the installation. All files are compressed and available for downloading per request.
For all other systems configurations, FORM will provide a custom deployment package, with optimized configuration settings and detailed installation instructions.
Please read the SAML Single Sign-On Configuration for the Self-Hosted Applications and Branded Accounts to know the configuration settings in the application and on the Identity Provider side that should be made to make SAML Single Sign On possible. |