Which hardware? A Server stack? Security?

Server hardware specification?

Best practice is a dedicated LIMS server running Debian or Ubuntu. Quad core i7, 64GB RAM, 2 * 248GB SSD in RAID

We recommend dedicated hardware for the LIMS server - this avoids conflict betweens systems for RAM and processor cycles, and even more so between systems administrators when things go wrong. Unlikely to be with robust and secure Bika on Linux, which runs like a train with uptime measured in years

Thin browser only bench top PCs

First prize: Wall mounted touch screen tablets. Else, low spec laptops running Ubuntu

All user interaction with their data should be via their browsers, LIMS, email, spreadsheets. Currently, shared Google sheets, documents and mail are leading the pack

Working on shared documents online improves efficiency by a lot

Any good barcode printers?

Zebra GC420d/t series printers if all labels are printed form a single PC. If you want to print from elsewhere too, you need a networked printer like the GT800. Both listed at Zebra.com

We are not agents for them, but these are without a doubt the best value for money, plug and play and reliable enough to buy off the Internet

Be sure to select a standard size label. Else you have to have custom ones cut and that can be expensive. Bika's label size is 48 x 18 mm and anything slightly larger will do. Consider vinyl labels for wet samples and the labels not to smudge

Barcode scanners?

Barcode scanners you'll need a minimum of one at reception, and one each at every instrument capable of reading a USB input device (keyboard, mouse normally). This will improve TAT and accuracy by a lot. Look no further than Zebra's Symbol series, use to be Motorola's, industrial quality. Another to buy off the Internet without hesitation

They do Presentation (Blink) mode scanning, it submits a barcode when it sees one. Mounting the scanner at say the instrument, the user has both hands free to handle samples with

Don't buy too many, they'l last for years and at some point we'll find a use for 2D scanners for QR codes. A ton of information on a small label, say Sample Type, Date Sampled, etc. Just not sure where it will be needed yet

Production server stack

Bika runs like a train on secure and robust industry proven Linux. Debian and Ubuntu are the most popular

Though singular Bika/Senaite installations are good for prototyping and evaluation, maybe for production purposes in a small lab, it won't cut it on bigger volumes and more concurrent users

Industrial grade Bika LIMS production server installations include the equivalent of

• Plone, Zope Enterprise Objects
• Bika/Senaite LIMS and add-ons
• Varnish cache proxy and application accelerator
• nginX load balancing web server
• Firewall, ssl, https access and security certificate
• Mail server integration
• DNS
• Back-up and Restore procedures 

Production  and  Training instances 

We recommend installing both Production and Test/Training servers

The Training server is used for acceptance testing, and thereafter as e-learning sandbox for users to uninhibitedly test real life scenarios without fear of interrupting production

Bika LIMS Security

Any Bika Senaite LIMS implementer worth their salt, will deploy the following security measures in their installations

Data storage

Bika / Senaite data is stored in the Zope Object Database, ZODB, immune to SQL inserts, very secure and only accessible using a secure local connection. Zope is Used by many universities and corporations

The server should use a minimum of 2 disks mirrored in a Redundant Array of Independent Disks, RAID. Should the first fail, the 2nd takes over and an alert posted to the sysadmins

The database should be backed up twice a day to a second server - in case of complete server trauma, at most half a day's work will have to be recaptured

It is worth noting that Open Source systems are by definition more secure and better tested than closed source software. It offers further security in that should the vendor fail, the source code is up to date in an open repository on Github and can be re-installed

Bika recommends that labs host their LIMS servers at an independent Internet host, maintained by the lab's contracted Bika Senaite professionals, for the lab’s own account to ensure the server stays up and its valuable configuration remains preserved in case of vendor failure

Data security 

The LIMS server stack is behind an industrial strength Unix firewall.

Based on the Public Key Infrastructure, PKI, Bika is only accessible through:

An encrypted web front-end on the HTTPS protocol, the Secure version of HTTP, the Hypertext Transfer Protocol

Using the Secure Shell (SSH) protocol for technicians accessing the server back end, it uses cryptography to authenticate and encrypt connections

The LIMS sites in Bika implementations are digitally certified as authentic using SSH, the Secure Sockets Layer, at Certification Authority Letsencrypt, co-founded by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Mozilla, and researchers from the University of Michigan.

LIMS Certificates are available to users on the site’s lock icon next to its address, clicking Secure  and then Certificate is valid.