This page describes the server requirements for hosting different versions of Softadmin®.
A cloud Softadmin® system consists of a web site hosted as an Azure App Service and an Azure SQL Database. The two halves must be located in the same data center. It is also possible to host the cloud edition on a Windows server, for example for development purposes.
Web Server
The app service should use the ASP .NET V4.8 runtime stack.
If using a Windows server the requirements are the same as for the Server edition.
Database Server
There are no special requirements when running as an Azure SQL Database.
When running on a Windows server only the latest version of SQL Server (currently SQL Server 2022) is supported.
Performance requirements
The performance requirements may vary significantly from one system to another, so it is always recommended to fine-tune the configuration for the specific system. Below are some recommendations for the built-in menu items and deploy process. The system itself may have higher or lower requirements.
Note: This article was written in November 2024. The pricing and performance models provided by Microsoft may change at any time, which could affect the recommendations.
For production databases, we recommend:
- The "Hyperscale" service tier, using the "Serverless" compute tier.
For staging databases, we recommend either:
- The "Hyperscale" service tier, using the "Serverless" compute tier with 2 vCores for no administration, but at a potentially higher price.
- The DTU-based "Standard" service tier, with an administrator swapping between low and high numbers of DTUs depending on system usage. See recommendations below.
vCore-based purchasing model
General purpose
Generally, the Hyperscale model is preferable. The "General Purpose" model may be used in some scenarios when large amounts of data are stored but not frequently accessed, and where the price is more favorable. However, this model has significantly lower I/O performance compared to "Hyperscale" with the same number of vCores configured. The minimum requirement for deployment is 0.5–2 vCores. Scale the number of vCores based on the system's needs.
Hyperscale
Generally, this offers the best price/performance model. The minimum requirement for deployment is 0.5–2 vCores. Scale the number of vCores based on the system's needs. Using "Serverless" instead of "Provisioned" compute tier typically offers better pricing.
Business critical
This provides the best performance, but at a very high cost. The minimum requirement for deployment is 2 vCores. Scale the number of vCores based on the system's needs.
DTU-based purchasing model
Basic
Not supported.
Standard
This model may be suited for systems with low usage and organizations willing to manually scale the resources up and down. The minimum requirement for deployment is 400 DTUs. A very low-usage system may, however, operate with 10-100 DTUs. This model may be well-suited for a staging system that sees little to no usage except during testing periods. For example, the system might use 400 DTUs for one hour during deployment, 100 DTUs during testing over a few days, and 10 DTUs when not in use. The cost is billed per hour configured at each level. The downside is that an administrator must manually manage these changes.
A low usage system has all of the following characteristics: few concurrent users, low system complexity and/or data volume, none or small file transfers.
Premium
"Hyperscale" often give better price-performance ratio.