Agilent OpenLAB ECM: Site Preparation Checklist

Significance of the Topic

Proper infrastructure and system readiness are vital for the successful deployment and sustained performance of OpenLAB ECM 3.5. Detailed site preparation prevents installation delays, ensures compliance with vendor specifications, and supports long-term reliability in regulated laboratory environments.

Objectives and Overview

This guide functions as a checklist to evaluate and prepare computing sites according to Agilent’s minimum and recommended requirements. It defines customer responsibilities, hardware and software prerequisites for SQL and Oracle database servers, and configurations for web, file transfer, application servers, clients, scheduler services, network, and user accounts.

Methodology and Instrumentation

• SQL Database Server: Dedicated instance of SQL Server 2014 on Windows Server 2012, 3 GHz dual-core CPU, 4 GB RAM, ≥100 GB RAID storage, NTFS volumes, TCP/IP networking.
• Oracle Database Server: Standalone Oracle 12c Standard/Enterprise with UTF8 or AL32UTF8 charset, separate host for 64-bit installations, 32-bit Oracle client for connectivity, standard Oracle hardware/OS specifications.
• ECM Servers: Web, File Transfer, and Application components on Windows 2012 R2 with .NET 3.5 SP1, domain-joined static-IP servers, 3.5 GHz dual-core CPU, 4 GB RAM, 100–200 GB storage, firewall ports 80/443, 25, and database ports open; VMware ESX 5.x support.
• ECM Clients and Scheduler: Windows 7/8.1/2012 R2 clients with 2–3 GHz CPUs, 2–4 GB RAM, 40 GB+ disk, Internet Explorer 10/11, .NET 3.5+, Office and Acrobat plug-ins; scheduler inbox requiring 200 GB temp space.
• Network Service Account: Domain service user with local admin rights on ECM servers, non-expiring password, read/write/delete permissions on storage shares.

Main Results and Discussion

The checklist offers a clear, vendor-aligned framework for segregating database and application workloads, maintaining optimal performance, security, and low-latency networking. It highlights the importance of proper server naming conventions and regional settings to support US English collations.

Benefits and Practical Applications

Adhering to this structured preparation guide mitigates installation risks, reduces downtime, and ensures a validated environment for regulated data management. It streamlines collaboration between IT and laboratory personnel and accelerates deployment timelines.

Future Trends and Opportunities

Future developments may include containerization and cloud-native architectures for scalable ECM deployments, automated infrastructure provisioning, and enhanced integration with laboratory automation and monitoring platforms to drive operational efficiency.

Conclusion

Thorough site preparation lays the foundation for a reliable and compliant implementation of OpenLAB ECM 3.5. By following this checklist, organizations can configure their environment to meet Agilent’s best practices and achieve long-term system stability.