When to upgrade the proofer controller workstation
To ensure timely system upgrades before a system fails or is no longer supported, periodically check the condition of your existing Dell OptiPlex proofer controller workstation. It may be necessary to upgrade the workstation under any of the
following conditions:
- The manufacturer warranty is nearing expiration.
- System resources such as disk space and RAM cannot accommodate installation of a software upgrade.
- A higher-performance configuration is required.
- System reliability is a concern. (Disk drives on currently shipping Kodak workstations are configured for RAID 1, for enhanced reliability.)
- System security may be a concern due to outdated operating system software—for example, see portal answer 69282, How does Microsoft ending its Windows XP support affect my proofing system?
Warranty period
The standard Dell workstation warranty period is four years, which includes a basic one-year service warranty with three-year extension. Use the computer’s service tag to check its warranty expiration date at the Dell support Web site.
- If the computer is still under the manufacturer’s warranty and no other condition is a concern, install the software upgrade.
- If the computer warranty is due to expire or another condition is a concern, upgrade the hardware as well as the software.
Disk space considerations
The actual amount of space needed for an upgrade is implementation specific and can vary greatly.
The software alone uses approximately 2 GB of free disk space. When installing an upgrade, space is needed for the new program files as well as for a migrated copy of the existing settings and data.
If you expect space to be an issue, prepare for the upgrade by clearing space or increasing the space allocated to the partition used by the software.
Transitioning to a new workstation
It is time for a hardware upgrade when a warranty is expiring or if the existing proofer controller cannot support installing and running the latest software upgrade.
New replacement workstations typically include installation of the latest software version. If a KPS backup file was created on the system being retired, the existing settings and data can be restored on the new system. This helps to ensure a smooth transition and quick return to regular operations.
For more information, see these sections in the release notes: