RESOURCE CENTRE MANUAL
HEALTHLINK WORLDWIDE
6.3 Hardware and software
Computer specifications are continually changing, so it is important to obtain
up-to-date advice before purchasing or accepting any equipment. It is
recommended to choose a computer with a well-known brand name. These can
be more expensive, but more reliable.
Regardless of changing specifications, the process for deciding what to obtain
remains the same. It is important to decide:
• what the computer will be used for
• how many programs it will run
• how much data will be stored on the computer
• how fast the computer will need to work
• how the use of the computer might change or increase in the future.
The following equipment will be needed: computer with CD-ROM or CD-RW
drive, printer, cables, back-up facilities, modem, UPS device, anti-virus software,
and software for communications (e-mail and Internet), word processing and
other functions as required.
Computer A fast, high-capacity computer with a CD drive will be needed for a
resource centre planning to offer information services such as internal and
external database searching, current awareness and repackaging services, or
access to the Internet. The following is the standard specification for a computer
for a resource centre in early 2003. It is meant only as a guide, as it will quickly
become out-of-date.
533 MHz Intel Pentium 4 processor with 512Kb cache
256 Mb SDRAM (random access memory)
20 Gb IDE hard disk
17-inch screen colour SVGA (15.7-inch VIS .28 dot pitch)
20/48x CD-ROM drive
1 parallel port, 2 serial ports, 2 USB ports
UPS (uninterrupted power supply)
Back-up facilities: 3.5-inch diskette drive, and either 250Mb zip drive, 2–8Gb
DAT drive, or CD-RW drive in place of CD-ROM drive
56 Kbs (kilobytes per second) modem
Windows 2000 Professional or Windows XP Professional operating system.
Guidance on buying IT equipment, including the latest recommendation for a
computer specification (updated every six months) is available at:
http://www.lasa.org.uk/knowledgebase
A CD-ROM (read-only) drive can read information that has been recorded onto
a CD-ROM, a disc that stores large amounts of data. This could be anything
from publications, to databases, video or audio files. It can be internal (part of
your computer) or external (a separate box that can be attached to your
SECTION 6: COMPUTERS, ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION AND DATABASES
5