Open Dental Server and Backup Support in Tampa Bay
Open Dental lives on one Windows server: the MySQL/MariaDB database service and the shared OpenDentImages (A-to-Z) folder. ClearMax Labs supports that server for dental practices across the Tampa Bay area, remotely: the operating system, a static IP and a fixed name, antivirus exceptions and exclusions for Open Dental, a database-aware backup with a tested restore, a UPS, and patching after hours.
Last updated: October 2026
What does the Open Dental server need to be?
A dedicated computer running the MySQL or MariaDB server and holding the database and files, per Open Dental's requirements page. Windows 11 and recent Windows Server versions are supported. A server name under 15 characters, SSD or NVMe drives and a UPS are recommended. Windows 11 shares allow 20 connections.
What we set up for it:
- Windows Server, not a desktop. A Windows Pro desktop acting as the server is the most common red flag: no server-grade drive, often no UPS, and an update cycle that reboots it whenever it likes.
- A static IP address and a fixed name. Every workstation finds the database by that name or address. Rename or re-address the server and every PC stops opening Open Dental at once. Set once, left alone.
- A firewall rule for the database port. Open from inside the practice and nowhere else.
- A UPS. A power blip becomes a clean shutdown instead of a corrupted database.
Why does a plain file copy not back up Open Dental?
A plain copy works only in narrow cases. Open Dental's manual allows it on MyISAM databases, not InnoDB, and says backing up while the database is in use takes specific software. The restore also needs matching MySQL and Open Dental versions, and the OpenDentImages folder is copied separately.
A database is written constantly while the practice is open. If a backup job copies the live files at two in the afternoon, the first file and the last file describe two different moments. The result looks like a backup and will not restore.
A database-aware backup asks the database for a consistent copy: Open Dental's own backup tool, a database dump, or a snapshot that pauses writes while it is taken. The A-to-Z folder is copied alongside it, because a chart without its images is half a chart. One copy stays in the practice, one goes off-site for the day the server or the building is the problem.
When was your restore last tested?
A backup is a theory until a restore proves it. Every practice runs a backup. Far fewer can name the date a restore was last tried. The test: restore the latest database copy to a test instance or a spare machine, open it with an Open Dental client, and check that the most recent appointments and images are there. Write down the date, put the next one on a schedule, and keep it. The test also answers how long the practice sits without a chart while the database comes back.
Which antivirus exclusions does the server need?
Open Dental's antivirus page asks for two things. Where a scanner blocks or quarantines Open Dental, create an exception for it. Where the antivirus runs its own firewall, open port 3306, the MySQL port, on the server only, or use the Windows firewall instead. Real-time antivirus stays on every computer.
On top of that, we keep the database data directory and the A-to-Z folder out of real-time scanning, on the server and each workstation. Without that, scanning slows every read, and a scanner can quarantine or corrupt a database file. We record what was excluded and when, and rebuild it if the practice changes antivirus products.
When should the server be patched?
After hours, on a schedule, with active hours set so Windows Update cannot restart the server during patient care. Workstations follow the same schedule, and the Open Dental client on each PC is kept at the server's version, because one PC on the old version will not open the chart. The eConnector is checked after every restart, since a reboot that does not bring it back is a texting outage.
When is it time to replace the server?
When the drive reports errors, when the disk cannot hold another year of imaging, when the Windows Server version is out of support, or when the "server" was a desktop PC all along. Replacement is a project, scoped and quoted after the assessment. ClearMax builds the new server, sets the name and address, applies the exclusions and firewall rule, and tests the backup before anything moves.
The database move, and any Open Dental version upgrade that comes with it, is coordinated with Open Dental Software under your subscription. The engine, the schema, the upgrade and any conversion from another practice management system are theirs. The hardware, Windows, the network and the backup are ours.
Common questions about the Open Dental server
Who owns the database, the vendor or you?
The data is yours. The database engine, the schema and the program are Open Dental Software's. The server it sits on, the backup that protects it and the restore that proves the backup are ClearMax's.
Does Open Dental Software back up our data for us?
Not for a server in your practice. Open Dental's backup page puts that on the practice: back up the MySQL data folder and OpenDentImages at least daily, encrypt the copies, keep one off the office network, and test a restore on a computer outside it. RAID is not a backup.
We set up that backup and run the restore test.
What is the A-to-Z folder?
It is where Open Dental stores images and documents: a folder named OpenDentImages by default, usually on the server's C drive, with lettered folders A through Z. It sits outside the database, so it is shared and backed up alongside it. Open Dental loses track of renamed or moved files.
Can Open Dental be cloud-based?
Yes, as Open Dental Cloud, a hosted version run by Open Dental Software for US practices it accepts. The practice still needs reliable high-speed internet and manages its own computers. Open Dental Cloud backs up the database and images folder automatically; the backups are encrypted and stored off-site.
If the server is down right now, start with the Open Dental down page. If it is up but crawling, the slow Open Dental page has the checks. Otherwise, the contact page has the number and the form.