Tops Server & Network Requirements

Internet Speed Requirements

Accessing Tops from a satellite location or from home requires a reliable Internet connection. The speed at which you can upload and download information will greatly affect performance. The minimum requirements below should be increased based on the workload of the practice.

Wireless vs. Wired

Whenever possible, a wired connection is strongly preferred to a wireless connection. Ethernet is 10 to 100 times faster, more secure, and more reliable. Wireless should be used only for those workstations that cannot be wired.

Things that can negatively affect the speed of Tops in your practice:

• Too many machines on a single Wi-Fi access point.
• Allowing your patients access to a Wi-Fi guest network.
• Stone, mirrors, and other building materials can block Wi-Fi signals.

Use a wired connection whenever possible!

The Internet Connection

Contact the Tops Integration team when the network wiring, switch, and router have been installed and connected to the Internet.

Internet guidelines:

• Static public IP address
• Minimum of 50 Mbps download/20Mbps upload speed (increase speeds for multiple offices)

Please use the information below to configure the internet service.

Get a static public IP address

Purchase a static public IP address from your ISP.

Speed options

If you will be connecting to the main office from one or more satellite locations, be sure the speed of your internet meets our requirements.

Remote connections to the office with speeds lower than 50 Mbps download/20 Mbps upload speed are possible, but performance will be less than desirable. 

Network Configuration

The Tops network configuration is designed to provide maximum network security, minimal configuration hassles, and smooth support access. The network configuration must be set to our specifications.

Server IP address

When you configure the network settings, you will assign a manual IP address that has the form 10.x.x.166 or 192.x.x.166. Whichever IP address it is assigned, please be sure to set the address to end with .166.

Router settings

A router should be placed between the modem and the ethernet switch.

• Give the router the static public IP address for the office.
• The router should be configured to act as the network DHCP server and NAT server.
• Any firewall on the router should be disabled.
• Port forward the following TCP ports:
• 22 (SSH) private/22public
• 5432 private/5432public
• 9125 private/9125public

Don't set up a VPN

Tops is designed to be used from remote locations without a VPN. All data handled by Tops uses Blowfish encryption for maximum security. A VPN adds complexity to your network configuration and will diminish performance.

Workstation IP configuration

When configuring the Tops workstations, you will set the machine to use DHCP.

Common Network Setup Errors

• More than one device is serving DHCP and NAT. Only the router should do this.
• Workstations are set with their IP addresses configured manually.
• The workstations are given public IP addresses instead of local (private) IP addresses in the form 192.x.x.x or 10.x.x.x.
• Not all three ports are being forwarded to the Tops server’s private IP address.
•  The three ports are being forwarded to the incorrect private IP address.
• The Tops server has an IP address ending in something other than .166.