Taopix Technical Requirements

Version 2015r1

Author: Taopix Support ([email protected])

Date: 27/02/2015
Document Name: Taopix Technical Requirements v2015r1.docx

Page i of iv
Contents
1. Introduction............................................................................................................................................ 1

1.1 General Requirements and Recommendations ............................................................................ 1

1.1.1 Resource Tuner Console ...................................................................................................... 1

1.1.2 SSL Certificates..................................................................................................................... 1

1.1.3 Code Signing ......................................................................................................................... 1

1.1.4 Network Requirements .......................................................................................................... 1

1.1.5 Remote Access ..................................................................................................................... 2

1.1.6 Anti-virus ............................................................................................................................... 2

2. Taopix Product Management Platform ................................................................................................. 3

2.1 Taopix Control Centre ................................................................................................................... 3

2.1.1 Software Requirements ......................................................................................................... 3

2.1.2 Software Installed by Taopix ................................................................................................. 3

2.1.3 Optional FTPS Software ....................................................................................................... 3

2.1.4 Minimum Hardware Specification .......................................................................................... 4

2.1.5 SSL Requirements ................................................................................................................ 4

2.1.6 Network Requirements .......................................................................................................... 4

2.1.7 FTPS Requirements .............................................................................................................. 4

2.1.8 Backups ................................................................................................................................. 5

2.2 Taopix Creator/Designer ............................................................................................................... 6

2.2.1 Hardware ............................................................................................................................... 6

2.2.2 Software ................................................................................................................................ 6

2.2.3 Network Requirements .......................................................................................................... 6

2.3 Taopix Production and Renderer .................................................................................................. 8

2.3.1 Taopix Production ................................................................................................................. 8

2.3.2 Minimum Hardware Specification .......................................................................................... 8

2.3.3 Taopix Renderer.................................................................................................................... 9

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3. Requirements for Taopix Desktop Only .............................................................................................. 10

3.1 Taopix Installer Maker ................................................................................................................. 10

3.1.1 Hardware ............................................................................................................................. 10

3.1.2 Software .............................................................................................................................. 10

3.2 Third Party Software Requirements ............................................................................................ 11

3.2.1 Resource Tuner Console .................................................................................................... 11

3.3 Taopix Upgrades ......................................................................................................................... 11

3.3.1 Hardware ............................................................................................................................. 11

4. Taopix Online ...................................................................................................................................... 12

4.1 Example Taopix Online Deployment: Minimum Hardware Specifications .................................. 13

4.1.1 Taopix Control Centre ......................................................................................................... 15

4.1.2 Taopix Online ...................................................................................................................... 15

4.1.3 Image Server ....................................................................................................................... 16

4.2 Network Requirements ................................................................................................................ 18

4.2.1 Data Transfer (Bandwidth) .................................................................................................. 18

4.2.2 DNS ..................................................................................................................................... 18

4.3 Backups....................................................................................................................................... 18

4.3.1 Image Volumes ................................................................................................................... 18

4.3.2 MySQL Databases .............................................................................................................. 19

4.4 Larger Deployments .................................................................................................................... 19

4.4.1 Web Server ......................................................................................................................... 19

4.4.2 MySQL Database ................................................................................................................ 20

4.4.3 Image Processing................................................................................................................ 20

4.4.4 Taopix Renderer.................................................................................................................. 21

4.5 Cloud Hosting .............................................................................................................................. 21

5. Appendix A: Software Requirements .................................................................................................. 22

5.1 Operating System ....................................................................................................................... 22

5.2 Apache web server ..................................................................................................................... 22

5.3 PHP ............................................................................................................................................. 22

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 5.4 MySQL Server ............................................................................................................................. 23

5.5 Additional Software Requirements for Taopix Online ................................................................. 24

5.5.1 Taopix TQueue Server ........................................................................................................ 24

5.5.2 ImgProc Service .................................................................................................................. 24

5.5.3 ImgProcWatcher Service .................................................................................................... 24

5.5.4 DBConvProc Service .......................................................................................................... 24

5.5.5 TextProc Executable ........................................................................................................... 24

5.5.6 PageProc Executable .......................................................................................................... 24

6. Appendix B: Firewall Port Configuration ............................................................................................. 25

6.1 Requirements for Taopix Desktop and Taopix Online ................................................................ 25

6.2 Taopix Control Centre Server ..................................................................................................... 25

6.3 Taopix Online Server .................................................................................................................. 25

6.4 Taopix Image Server ................................................................................................................... 26

7. Appendix C: Example Taopix Online Deployment .............................................................................. 27

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1. Introduction

This document describes the technical requirements for all editions of both the Taopix Desktop and
Taopix Online software packages, unless stated otherwise.

1.1 General Requirements and Recommendations

1.1.1 Resource Tuner Console

Taopix Desktop requires Resource Tuner Console to enable application icons for the Desktop Designer
on Windows. More details regarding this can be found in section 3.2.1. The cost of this licence is not
included in the Taopix fee.

1.1.2 SSL Certificates

The HTTPS protocol, secured using SSL certificates, is required for the shopping cart, administrative
pages and for the Taopix Online application and image servers. It is the licensee’s responsibility to
purchase SSL certificates as required from a suitable vendor; the cost of these certificates is not included
in the Taopix fee.

1.1.3 Code Signing

Microsoft and Apple have introduced features that can prevent a user from running an application that
has not been code-signed. Using a code-signing certificate to sign the application will allow the
applications to run. Windows code-signing certificates can be purchased from a number of suppliers.
Apple certificates can be obtained with a Mac developer account. The cost of these certificates and
services is not included in the Taopix fee.

1.1.4 Network Requirements

It is recommend that you use servers hosted in data centre with environmental controls, redundant power
and multi-homed network connections to ensure the best performance and reliability of service.

A permanent Internet connection using static and public IP address(es) is required for all server machines
(except staging servers).

Taopix Technical Requirements v2015r1 February 2015 Page 1 of 27

1.1.4.1 Data Rate
The minimum throughput on the network port(s) used by servers should be 100 Mbit/s; however, a gigabit
Ethernet network interface card is recommended, especially when a high volume of orders is anticipated.

1.1.4.2 Firewall and Router Configuration

It is strongly recommended that you protect your servers with a network firewall.

Some software firewalls are unsuitable for use with Taopix. A hardware firewall is preferable for best
performance; this might be a dedicated unit or a firewall provided by your data centre.

Any network firewalls or routers must be capable of supporting passive mode FTP and NAT loopback
where NAT is required.

1.1.5 Remote Access

Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) must be enabled on Windows servers and administrative access must
be configured for your Taopix support representative.

1.1.6 Anti-virus

We strongly recommend anti-virus software is installed, making sure that you configure scanning
exceptions for the Taopix folders as described in the Taopix installation guides. Taopix cannot accept any
liability for the functioning of any third-party software, including but not limited to anti-virus software.

Taopix Technical Requirements v2015r1 February 2015 Page 2 of 27

2. Taopix Product Management
Platform

Taopix Product Management Platform is a key component of both Taopix Online and Taopix Desktop; the
following requirements apply to both products.

The Product Management Platform consists of three main areas; the Control Centre web server, the
Creator/Designer client, and Taopix Production.

2.1 Taopix Control Centre

Taopix Control Centre server hosts the shopping basket, the administration web pages and the order
uploads.

Taopix Control Centre can be installed on either virtual or physical machines hosted in a datacentre or on
your local network. For best performance and reliability, using a datacentre is recommended.

The server that Taopix Control Centre is installed to must be dedicated to purpose of running Taopix
exclusively in order to ensure best performance and avoid any interference from third-party software.

2.1.1 Software Requirements

 Windows server 2012 R2.

2.1.2 Software Installed by Taopix

 Taopix Control Centre

 Apache

 PHP

 FileZilla FTP server or Cerberus FTP Professional. See FTPS Requirements section

 MySQL Server

2.1.3 Optional FTPS Software

 Cerberus FTP Professional – The cost of this licence is not included in the Taopix fee. A
minimum of a Professional Cerberus license must be purchased in order to allow unlimited
connections. The Professional license must be purchased by the licensee.

Further explanation in FTPS Requirements section below

Taopix Technical Requirements v2015r1 February 2015 Page 3 of 27

2.1.4 Minimum Hardware Specification

 2 GHz quad-core processor or better

 8 GB DDR3 RAM

 Dual power supplies (PSUs) for redundancy

 Raid-5 disk volume with sufficient storage according to volume of orders

 60 GB system disk

2.1.5 SSL Requirements

The HTTPS protocol, secured using an SSL certificate, is required for the shopping cart, administrative
pages and for the Taopix Online application and image servers. It is the licensee’s responsibility to
purchase SSL certificates as required from a suitable vendor; the cost of these certificates is NOT
included as part of the Taopix licence. Typically a wildcard certificate is most cost effective way to do this
an will provide security to your entire domain.

Port 433 is required for Taopix Control Centre using SSL

2.1.6 Network Requirements

At least one public and static IP address with a corresponding DNS ‘A’ name is required. The DNS name
is used by Taopix Designer to connect to Taopix Control Centre when placing orders and also when
checking for updates. It is embedded within all license keys generated by Taopix Creator.

The DNS name must be distinct from your main company web site. We suggest a sub-domain, for
example orders.example.com, photobook.example.com or taopix.example.com.

Taopix sends notification emails, such as order confirmations. In order to do this, Taopix requires access
to an SMTP server, for example on port 25 or 587. No SMTP server is provided by Taopix.

2.1.7 FTPS Requirements

In order to use Explicit FTPS without CCC and behind a firewall, you must open a wide range of PASV
ports in both the FTP Server and the firewall. It is required that a port range is opened (and forwarded if
necessary) in the network firewall if FTPS is to be used in the Taopix system. Please note you can
alternate the ports to whatever suits the network administrator.

If a wide range of ports cannot be opened on the network firewall then Taopix will need to use Cerberus
FTPS software. This software requires a license and the cost of this licence is not included in the Taopix
fee.

If a wide range of ports can be opened then FileZilla FTP Server can be used

Taopix Technical Requirements v2015r1 February 2015 Page 4 of 27

2.1.8 Backups

It is the licensee's responsibility to ensure that sufficient backup measures are in place for their data,
however we would suggest the following as a minimum.

2.1.8.1 Taopix Folders

It is strongly recommended that the Taopix folder, typically C:\TAOPIX\, is backed up on a regular basis,
particularly the MediaAlbumServer folder which contains orders submitted by end-users and application
data used by AutoUpdate.

In addition to regular backups, we strongly recommend using a RAID volume for the Taopix folder to
improve data availability and protect your data from drive failure.

2.1.8.2 MySQL Databases

It is recommended that all MySQL databases used by Taopix be backed up at least once daily.

Taopix Technical Requirements v2015r1 February 2015 Page 5 of 27

2.2 Taopix Creator/Designer
Taopix Creator is used by the licensee to create photo gift products. Taopix Designer is used by the
licensee’s customers (end-users) to design their projects and place their orders.

The Creator and Designer software is the same application, run in different modes, and therefore has the
same system requirements. The Creator/Designer application does not require a dedicated computer.

2.2.1 Hardware

 Minimum Ram 2GB (4GB recommended)

 Minimum 2GB free hard disk space in order to store backgrounds, masks and scrapbook items

2.2.2 Software

Operating system support for:

 Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8 (x86 or x64 architectures only)

 Mac OS X 10.4.x, 10.5.x, 10.6.x, 10.7.x, 10.8.x, 10.9.x and 10.10.x

NOTE: Taopix Creator/Designer no longer supports the PowerPC architecture. Support for Mac OS X
10.4.x and 10.5.x will be discontinued in the near future. For Mac OS X, only genuine Apple Mac
computers are supported.

2.2.3 Network Requirements

The Creator/Designer client is used by the administrators and the end-users. The administrator uses the
client in ‘Creator’ mode to create products and license keys. The client needs to check the server for the
current products and license key version and then upload any updates.

The following access is required from the administrator’s Creator client to the web server:

 HTTPS access to check the product and license key versions (to the URL defined in the license
key)

 FTP access to upload the product and license key updates (to the URL set in the server
configuration)

The end-user uses the Creator/Designer client in ‘Designer’ mode to create projects, place orders and
upload order data. This client also needs to check for product and application updates.

The following access is required from the end-user Designer client to the web server:

 HTTPS access to check for Product and Application Updates and to place orders (to the URL
defined in the license key)

 FTP access to download updates and upload order data (to the URL set in the server
configuration)

Additionally, the application will need to launch the operating system’s default web browser to open the
shopping cart; therefore the default browser must be correctly set in the system. Administrative rights on
the local machine are required during installation. Taopix makes no changes to the Windows registry.

Taopix Technical Requirements v2015r1 February 2015 Page 6 of 27

Please note that certain types of Active Directory roaming profiles may require additional configuration
when the profile is not store in the default location. If roaming profiles are used, a test installation is
necessary to verify what additional work may be required.

Taopix Technical Requirements v2015r1 February 2015 Page 7 of 27

2.3 Taopix Production and Renderer
Taopix Production and Taopix Renderer work together to download incoming orders and render them into
print-ready files. Taopix Renderer is required when using the ‘Project Elements’ order format to render
project files into a format that Production can then convert into print-ready files.

Note: Taopix Online uses the ‘Project Elements’ format exclusively, therefore Taopix Renderer is a
requirement for Taopix Online but is optional for Taopix Desktop depending on the workflow you choose

Depending on order volumes, you may wish to install Taopix Production and Render on separate
machines.

2.3.1 Taopix Production

Taopix Production downloads incoming orders and converts them into print-ready files (JPEG or PDF,
depending on your configuration). It also provides an interface for a production manager or customer
services agent to view a list of current and past orders.

Taopix Production does not require a dedicated computer, although depending on volume of orders this
may be preferable.

2.3.1.1 Software Requirements

Supported operating systems:

 Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8 (x86 or x64 architectures only)

 Mac OS X 10.4.x, 10.5.x, 10.6.x, 10.7.x, 10.8.x, 10.9.x and 10.10.x

NOTE: Taopix Production no longer supports the PowerPC architecture. Support for Mac OS X
10.4.x and 10.5.x will be discontinued in the near future. For Mac OS X, only genuine Apple Mac
computers are supported.

2.3.2 Minimum Hardware Specification

 2 GHz dual-core processor or better

 4 GB DDR3 RAM

 1 TB disk space (according to volume of orders)

In order to create a custom ‘job ticket’, a copy of Adobe Acrobat Standard or Professional is required
although this does not have to be installed on the Production workstation.

Taopix Technical Requirements v2015r1 February 2015 Page 8 of 27

2.3.3 Taopix Renderer

The primary considerations for rendering orders are CPU processing power and storage space. The more
powerful the CPU processing power available to the server, the faster orders can be rendered into print-
ready files. Sufficient memory (RAM) is required to render large orders, and enough disk space is
required for the incoming orders and print-ready files.

2.3.3.1 Software Requirements

Supported operating systems:

 Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8 (x86 or x64 architectures only)

 Mac OS X 10.5.x, 10.6.x, 10.7.x, 10.8.x,10.9.x and 10.10.x

NOTE: For Mac OS only genuine Apple Mac computers are supported. Taopix Renderer no longer
supports OSX 10.4.x or below or the PowerPC architecture

2.3.3.2 Network Requirements

The Production Client is used to produce the print ready files and track the order through production. This
client accesses the database for the order status, downloads the order data and writes the competed files
to the local system.

The following access is required from the Production client to the web server:

 HTTPS access to check the database status of the orders (URL set in the application)

 FTP access to download the order data (URL set in the application)

2.3.3.3 Other Considerations

Taopix Render should have read/write access on the local machine or a network share in addition to
read/write access to any hot folder(s) used by workflows or output devices.

Taopix Technical Requirements v2015r1 February 2015 Page 9 of 27

3. Requirements for Taopix
Desktop Only

The requirements in this section only apply to Taopix Desktop; please disregard this section if you have
not opted to purchase Taopix Desktop.

3.1 Taopix Installer Maker

Taopix Installer Maker allows the licensee to create applications that can be installed easily by the end-
user. These installers can be branded to match the licensee’ or one of their customers. Typically this will
be installed on the same computer as Creator.

3.1.1 Hardware

 Minimum Ram 2GB (4GB recommended)

 Minimum 4GB free hard disk space in order to store the installers, including products,
backgrounds, frames, masks and scrapbook items.

3.1.2 Software

Operating system support for:

 Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8 (x86 or x64 architectures only)

 Mac OS X 10.4.x, 10.5.x, 10.6.x, 10.7.x, 10.8.x,10.9.x and 10.10.x

NOTE: Mac OS X is required to build a Mac installer and a Windows operating system is required to
build a Windows installer.

NOTE: Taopix Creator no longer supports the PowerPC architecture. Support for Mac OS X 10.4.x and
10.5.x will be discontinued in the near future. For Mac OS X, only genuine Apple Mac computers are
supported.

In order to create installers for Windows with custom icons, the third-party application ‘Resource Tuner
Console’ is required; this is a commercial product that must be licensed separately and is not included
with your Taopix software. For further information please see the section ‘Third Party Software
Requirements’ on page 11.

The licensee will also need software to create a Windows .ico file that contains all of the different size
icons required by Microsoft Windows (16 x 16, 32 x 32, 48 x 48, and 256 x 256 pixels). Various software
packages are available to do this; one application we have used is 'GConvert' available from
http://www.gdgsoft.com. This is in addition to any software the licensee will need to design the icons.

Taopix Technical Requirements v2015r1 February 2015 Page 10 of 27

3.2 Third Party Software Requirements
IMPORTANT NOTE:

The following third party software is required in addition to the Taopix software. This software is not
licensed by Taopix and is not included in your software pack. It is the licensee’s responsibility to ensure
that they purchase the appropriate licenses for their organisation.

3.2.1 Resource Tuner Console

What is it? Resource Tuner Console is required in order to include custom

desktop icons (.ico files) in your application. Without this application
Taopix Installer Maker cannot create Windows installer files.

Approximate cost: $199 (USD)

Purchase from: www.heaventools.com

3.3 Taopix Upgrades

When Taopix Ltd releases a new version, you may wish to test this with your existing systems and check
they don’t affect your specific configuration or workflow. This also provides an opportunity to reapply any
customisations you may have made to web or email templates and test your changes.

In order to do this, this we suggest that you provision a staging server for testing purposes. We have
outlined the recommended requirements for a staging server below:

3.3.1 Hardware

Hardware can be a desktop PC or server running Windows XP or above; either on dedicated hardware or
in a virtual machine.

The software required (aside from the operating system) will be provided by the Taopix engineer at the
time of the installation.

Taopix Technical Requirements v2015r1 February 2015 Page 11 of 27

4. Taopix Online

The following requirements only apply to Taopix Online; please disregard this section if you have not
opted to purchase Taopix Online.

The required specification for Taopix Online can vary widely, depending on a number of factors such as:

● Order volume, which will influence the number of concurrent end-users and the number of
projects stored on the server

● Number of images uploaded by end-users

● Number of images used per project

● Number of pages per project

● File size of images uploaded

● Order conversion rate (e.g. projects ordered versus projects abandoned)

● Peak periods of activity

The required specification can increase significantly during peak periods, such as weekends, evenings,
holidays or special annual occasions. Additional capacity may be needed to handle the extra server load
during these periods.

Due to the highly variable nature of the system specifications, the suggested configurations that follow
should be used only as a guide. Beyond the minimum specifications in the Example Deployment section
of this document, it is the licensee’s responsibility to determine the appropriate hardware and software for
their needs.

For a bespoke estimation of the required specification for your installation, please contact your Taopix
representative.

Taopix Technical Requirements v2015r1 February 2015 Page 12 of 27

4.1 Example Taopix Online Deployment: Minimum Hardware
Specifications
An example deployment for Taopix Online comprises of three server machines:

Server A Server B Server C

Taopix Control Centre* Taopix Online Taopix Image Server

Windows Server
Windows Server Windows Server
2 GHz dual-core processor
or better 2 GHz quad-core processor 2 GHz quad-core processor
or better or better
8 GB DDR3 RAM
8 GB DDR3 RAM 4 GB DDR3 RAM
60 GB system disk
60 GB system disk 60 GB system disk
Sufficient storage based on
the volume of orders 6 TB separate disk volume for
storing images; preferably
*part of Taopix Product
using hardware RAID-5 or
Management Platform
RAID-1+0

In this configuration:

 server ‘A’ serves the shopping cart and customer account pages;

 server ‘B’ serves the HTML5 Designer web application using Apache and PHP;

 server ‘C’ is used for CPU-intensive image processing.

Please note that if you have purchased both Taopix Desktop and Taopix Online, you will use the same
Taopix Control Centre server shared between both software packages. In other words, only one Taopix
Control Centre server is required.

The above servers can be either virtual or physical machines hosted in a datacentre or on your local
network. For best performance and reliability, using a datacentre is recommended.

The above servers must be dedicated to the purpose of running Taopix exclusively in order to ensure
best performance and to avoid any interference from third-party software.

Taopix Technical Requirements v2015r1 February 2015 Page 13 of 27

Taopix Production and Taopix Renderer can be installed either on a server or a desktop machine. It is
recommended that they are installed on a separate desktop machine, so that they do not affect the
performance of the above servers. Taopix Production and Renderer convert the incoming order queue
into print-ready files.

As explained above, this is a suggested configuration and may not be suitable for your needs. To ensure
an accurate estimation of the specification required, please contact your Taopix representative.

Taopix Technical Requirements v2015r1 February 2015 Page 14 of 27

4.1.1 Taopix Control Centre

A web server that hosts the shopping cart and customer account pages, which is part of the Taopix
Product Management Platform.

Please see the section ‘Taopix Control Centre’ on page 3 for the minimum requirements for Taopix
Control Centre.

Please note that existing Taopix licensees using the desktop Designer will already have a Control Centre
server; this server can be upgraded and used by Taopix Online.

4.1.2 Taopix Online

A web server running Apache and PHP to host the web application. This server should be able to cope
with a high number of concurrent connections and a high number of requests to Apache/PHP.

Memory (RAM) and CPU power are the most important considerations when choosing a specification for
the web server to ensure that PHP has enough memory to handle multiple requests concurrently and
enough CPU capacity to process requests quickly.

This specification assumes that the Taopix Online databases are hosted on the Taopix online server. In
this configuration, the amount of disk space required by the web server is minimal; we recommend a
minimum of 60 GB.

4.1.2.1 Software Requirements

 Windows 2012 Server R2

4.1.2.2 Software Installed by Taopix

 Apache

 PHP

 Taopix Online

 MySQL Server

4.1.2.3 Minimum Hardware Specification

 2 GHz quad-core processor or better

 8 GB DDR3 RAM

 Dual power supplies (PSUs) for redundancy

 60 GB system disk

Taopix Technical Requirements v2015r1 February 2015 Page 15 of 27

4.1.3 Image Server

A server to process images, in addition to providing storage for those images.

An image server will require extra CPU power to process many images in parallel, and enough storage
space to accommodate both the original-size images and multiple sizes of image thumbnails.

The image processing is CPU-bound, meaning that the amount of CPU power is the most important
consideration when choosing a server specification. High I/O throughput is also an important
consideration.

Due to the high amount of CPU processing required, the image server must be a separate machine to the
main web server in order to prevent slowing down the web application.

Additional image servers may be added to increase storage and image processing capacity.

4.1.3.1 Software Requirements

 Windows 2012 Server R2

4.1.3.2 Software Installed by Taopix

 Apache

 PHP

 Taopix Online

4.1.3.3 Minimum Hardware Specification

 2 GHz quad-core processor or better

 4 GB DDR3 RAM

 Dual power supplies (PSUs) for redundancy

 60 GB system disk

 6 TB (terabytes) disk volume for image storage, using a separate drive letter, preferably using
hardware-backed RAID-5 or RAID-1+0

Please note that image volume(s) must be mounted on separate drive letters, and no files or folders
should be stored on those volumes except the images stored by Taopix. Failure to adhere to this
requirement will affect the calculations used to determine free disk space on the image volumes and
consequently could cause Taopix Online to suddenly cease working correctly.

Taopix Technical Requirements v2015r1 February 2015 Page 16 of 27

4.1.3.4 Image Server Storage Requirements
For each image uploaded by an end-user, Taopix creates several copies of that image in varying sizes,
called ‘For Placement Only’ (FPO) images. These FPO images are then stored with the original image
uploaded by the end-user.

In addition to creating FPO images of varying sizes, a further set of FPO images will be generated and
stored for each of the Perfectly Clear Auto-Enhance and Red-Eye Removal features available in Taopix.

Using this information, we can estimate the amount of space required for each image.

4.1.3.5 An Example
For a 16 megapixel JPEG image of 4.8MB in size, the FPO images may use a further 1 MB of space.

If the image enhancement functions are enabled in varying combinations (no enhancement, red-eye
removal, auto-enhance, red-eye removal and auto-enhance together), the FPO images may take up 4MB
of space in addition to the original image file.

Let’s assume that we have 1TB (1,048,576 MB) of free disk space on the image volume. Allowing for one
set of FPO images (no enhancement applied), each 16 megapixel JPEG of 4.8MB might occupy
approximately 6MB.

Therefore, a 1TB image volume might be sufficient storage for approximately 174,762 JPEG end-user
images of 4.8MB each.

4.8MB (original) + 1.2MB (FPO images) = 6MB total per image

1,048,576 MB / 6MB = 174,762 JPEG end-user images

Please note that this example is intended only a guide and is not an accurate calculation as actual sizes
may vary. When calculating storage requirements, please also take into account the factors described on
page 12 as these will have a strong influence on the amount of storage required.

Taopix Technical Requirements v2015r1 February 2015 Page 17 of 27

4.2 Network Requirements
4.2.1 Data Transfer (Bandwidth)

Data transfer will vary widely according to the number and size of images uploaded by end-users, in
addition to other factors. Please contact your Taopix representative who will be able to estimate the data
transfer according to your specific installation.

4.2.2 DNS

A DNS ‘A’ record must be configured for each of the Control Centre, Online and image servers.

All DNS records configured in Taopix must be resolvable both internally on the network where the servers
are hosted and externally from the public Internet. When accessed from the public Internet, the DNS
records configured for Taopix must resolve to a publicly accessible and static IP address.

For example:

control.example.com

online.example.com

images.example.com

4.3 Backups
It is the licensee's responsibility to ensure that sufficient backup measures are in place for their data,
however we would suggest the following as a minimum.

4.3.1 Image Volumes

It is strongly recommended that all image volumes are backed up on a regular basis. Image volumes
store the images uploaded by end-users, and therefore any data loss could prevent or delay end-users
from placing their orders.

The data stored on image volumes is organised in directories by date; the images in the more recent
directories are most likely to be used in projects that are in-progress.

Once a file is created on an image volume it is not modified; as such image volumes are well-suited to
incremental backups in combination with a regular full backup.

In addition to regular backups, we strongly recommend using RAID for image volumes to improve data
availability and protect your data from drive failure.

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4.3.2 MySQL Databases

It is recommended that all MySQL databases used by Taopix be backed up at least once daily.

4.4 Larger Deployments

For installations where a high number of end-users or high order volume is anticipated, a larger
infrastructure is required. The following paragraphs suggest techniques that may be used by an
experienced IT engineer to scale Taopix Online for a larger deployment. If you are in any doubt with
regards to your installation and the specifications required, please contact your Taopix representative.

Large deployments will expand upon the example deployment explained above in the following ways:

● Increased hardware specification (‘vertical’ scaling)

● Additional instances or workers (‘horizontal’ scaling)

● Identifying services that require a dedicated server machine to prevent services from fighting for
resources

As such, it is recommended that you read the Example Deployment section of this document before
continuing.

The number of servers required and their specifications can vary widely; as such this section will focus on
ways to increase capacity for each component in Taopix Online rather than recommending a specific
configuration. For an estimation of the required specification for your needs, please contact your Taopix
representative.

4.4.1 Web Server

For large deployments, the web server will need to handle many requests, especially XHR (‘AJAX’)
requests, as end-users design their projects in parallel.

A web server’s capacity can be increased by moving any services that do not depend on Apache to a
separate server machine.

It may also be necessary to tune your Apache and PHP configuration to properly utilise the resources
available.

Taopix Technical Requirements v2015r1 February 2015 Page 19 of 27

You may wish to consider increasing the hardware specification. Increasing the number of CPU cores
first, and the amount of RAM second, will enable Apache to handle a higher number of requests per
second.

When a hardware upgrade (vertical scaling) is not an option or when high availability is important, you
may wish to consider adding a second web server machine with a load balancer to distribute requests
between both machines. Using this configuration, several web servers can work in parallel to handle a
high number of requests.

To prevent a single point of failure, you may wish to add a second load balancer with a failover function.

4.4.2 MySQL Database

For large deployments, it is recommended that the Taopix Online databases be hosted on a separate
MySQL machine.

MySQL’s my.ini should be configured appropriately depending on the resources available. On a server
machine running only MySQL, configuration options relating to memory usage and caching can be
increased to increase performance.

If your MySQL server is already running on a dedicated machine, you may consider increasing the
server’s hardware specification. Memory (RAM) is an important consideration for database servers;
having sufficient memory will allow MySQL to retrieve results with less hard disk reads which by
comparison can be very slow. Increasing hard disk I/O throughput, using faster disks (e.g. 10-15K RPM)
in a redundant and striped RAID configuration and using dedicated storage and disk controllers, might
also be considered. Finally, ensure that your network interface card is sufficient so as to avoid causing a
bottleneck.

4.4.3 Image Processing

Additional image volumes and image servers will likely be required in order to process a large number of
images in a timely manner.

Taopix image processing is CPU-bound, meaning that CPU capability is the most important factor when
deciding on a server specification. Additional CPU cores will allow more images to be processed in
parallel.

Additional server machines can be added to handle large numbers of images; either in the form of an
image server which can process, store and serve images over HTTPS, or a server that has access to
image volumes over the network and is dedicated to image processing.

Taopix Technical Requirements v2015r1 February 2015 Page 20 of 27

An image server that stores and serves images can be installed and configured in the same way as your
initial image server. Once created, it can be added in Taopix Control Centre in the ‘Image Servers’
section in the ‘Taopix Online’ menu. Adding a server in this way is a relatively easy way of increasing your
storage and image processing capacity.

Should you wish to add servers for the sole purpose of processing images, you will need a way for those
servers to access the images stored on the image volumes.

4.4.4 Taopix Renderer

Multiple instances of Taopix Renderer may be deployed to process larger volumes of orders in parallel. In
this scenario, Taopix Renderer Load Balancer is used to distribute Renderer jobs between the available
Renderer instances.

For more information on Taopix Renderer Load Balancer, please contact your Taopix representative.

4.5 Cloud Hosting

For guidance on how to deploy Taopix Online in a cloud environment, please contact your Taopix
representative who will be able to advise according to your specific requirements.

Taopix Technical Requirements v2015r1 February 2015 Page 21 of 27

5. Appendix A: Software
Requirements

5.1 Operating System

Version required: Windows 2012 Server R2.

This should be a clean install of the operating system; the components below will be installed by your
Taopix representative.

Customers who have Windows 2008 Server R2 do not need to upgrade. Existing system deployments on
Server 2008 are still supported.

Other operating systems, including Linux or other versions of Windows, are not currently supported.

5.2 Apache web server

Version required: Apache 2.2.x

Taopix Online and Control Centre use Apache web server to host the web application.

Typically the Apache server for Taopix Online will need to handle a high number of concurrent
connections, to cope with multiple end-users designing photo gifts at the same time.

The Apache modules required by Taopix will be installed by your Taopix representative and are listed in
Appendix B of the Taopix Online Installation Guide for your reference.

5.3 PHP
Version required: PHP 5.4.x for Control Centre and Online.

PHP 5.2.17 for Control Centre for existing customers is still supported but we would recommend
upgrading if possible.

Taopix runs using PHP as an Apache module.

Taopix Technical Requirements v2015r1 February 2015 Page 22 of 27

5.4 MySQL Server
Version required: MySQL 5.6.x

A MySQL database is used to store details of images uploaded by end-users and project data.

Typically the load on this MySQL server will be heavy since it will be accessed very frequently as end-
users design photo-gifts in parallel.

For most installations, MySQL databases for Taopix Online will be installed on the server that hosts the
Taopix Online web application. For larger installations, we recommend hosting the MySQL databases on
a separate server.

Taopix Technical Requirements v2015r1 February 2015 Page 23 of 27

5.5 Additional Software Requirements for Taopix Online
5.5.1 Taopix TQueue Server

Version required: As supplied by Taopix

Taopix TQueue is a message queue server that queues and prioritises jobs that run in the background,
such as image processing.

5.5.2 ImgProc Service

Version required: As supplied by Taopix

ImgProc processes end-user images into a format usable by Taopix.

5.5.3 ImgProcWatcher Service

Version required: As supplied by Taopix

Checks when an image has completed processing and updates the database accordingly.

5.5.4 DBConvProc Service

Version required: As supplied by Taopix

DBConvProc processes offline files uploaded by Creator, such as products, and inserts them into the
Taopix Online database ready for use. It is also used to generate project files ready for rendering.

5.5.5 TextProc Executable

Version required: As supplied by Taopix

TextProc processes user-input text ready for display in the browser using the Taopix ProType engine.

5.5.6 PageProc Executable

Version required: As supplied by Taopix

PageProc applies various layout algorithms to a page.

Taopix Technical Requirements v2015r1 February 2015 Page 24 of 27

6. Appendix B: Firewall Port
Configuration

6.1 Requirements for Taopix Desktop and Taopix Online

The below requirements apply to all Taopix servers used by both Taopix Desktop and Taopix Online.

Port 443 must be open to secure Taopix with an SSL certificate over HTTPS. SSL/HTTPS must be
enabled on all servers, i.e. the Control Centre, Online and Image servers for Taopix to function correctly.

Where possible, access to port 3389 should be restricted to authorised IP addresses only to help prevent
unauthorised access.

6.2 Taopix Control Centre Server

The following ports must be open on the firewall, both incoming and outgoing:

Port 21 FTP command port

Port 443 HTTPS protocol
Port 3389 Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)

Passive FTP ports; exact port range at the discretion of the licensee, should be a sufficiently wide range
of ports to handle the volume of orders. (This may not be necessary with some firewalls).

Port 25 must be open for outgoing connections from the Control Centre server to allow Taopix to send
email notifications.

6.3 Taopix Online Server

The following ports must be open on the firewall, both incoming and outgoing:

Port 443 HTTPS protocol

Port 3389 Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)
Port 5000 TQueue messaging server

Additionally, port 5000 should only be accessible to 127.0.0.1 and the IP addresses of Taopix image
servers that form part of the installation. The TQueue server must not be accessible to the public Internet.

Taopix Technical Requirements v2015r1 February 2015 Page 25 of 27

6.4 Taopix Image Server
The following ports must be open on the firewall, both incoming and outgoing:

Port 443 HTTPS protocol

Port 3389 Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)

Port 5000 must be open for outgoing connections to the Taopix Online server, preferably using the
local area network (LAN) rather than over the Internet.

Taopix Technical Requirements v2015r1 February 2015 Page 26 of 27

7. Appendix C: Example Taopix
Online Deployment

Taopix Technical Requirements v2015r1 February 2015 Page 27 of 27