The CPU chip should be of Wintel design, preferably larger that one gigahertz (GHz); also, it is recommended the CPU chip be supported by the manufacturer for an extended period of time, an example is the Intel embedded series of CPU chips. The CPU should contain at a minimum of 256 megabytes (MB) of RAM; 512 MB to 1 gigabyte (GB) is preferred. The case should be equipped with adequate EMF shielding and vibration buffering devices. The case design should be of such ascetics that it meshes well with the cash drawer in an integrated, or stacked, design; as well as, function in a distributed, or under the counter, configuration. The CPU should have a fully redundant data storage system; an example is the server contains dual hard drives that are mirrored by a RAID device. The hard drives contained in the server should be a minimum of 40 GB, 80 GB is preferred. The server should possess adequate input/output port to support the various peripherals that need to be attached; a minimum of six serial ports (RS-232) and four USB ports are required; four to six powered USB ports(12 and 24 volts), and four to six powered (RS-232) ports (5 and 12 volts) are preferred.…
