To give you a benchmark, I am running Exchange 2003 / Windows Server 2003 enterprise on a P2500 dual P1.4 Ghz with 2 Gigs of RAM. I have a Raid1 setup with 3 X 73gb drives (The 3rd drive is a hotspare). I have 35+/- people and unlimited mailbox sizes. However, I archive old e-mails after 12 months. I have 3 partitions - 12GB for the OS, 50GB for the information store, and 10GB for the logs. I don't run any public folders. No one has ever asked for old e-mails and we are a private company so SOX doesn't apply.
It loafs. The only time it actually gets above 50% utilization is when I am backing it up. I back the information store and logs daily and weekly to a P2400 (2 X 866mhz/ 1gb RAM) with 6X 73GB drives, RAID 5. I run Cat5e cables, and I have Gigabit cards in all my servers/switches.
If you are going for a new Dell box, get a P2800 or P2850 with maybe a dual 3.0Ghz, 4GB RAM and 3X73GB or 3X146GB drives and set up a RAID1 with the 3rd drive as a hot spare, like I have done. You don't need a split backplane although it would be nice. The above config will maybe get above 15% utilization once or twice a day if lots of e-mails are going back and forth (usually between 8:00 am and 11:00 am). If you have the money and can get a 3X3 split backplane(I'm not sure Dell offers it in the 2650/2600), set up 3X36GB drives for the OS and the 3X73GB or 3X146GB for the information store(s) and logs. Best practice says you should put the information store and logs on separate partitions.
Go for on-line backup. Use one of your old servers that has lots of slots on it and load it with the highest capacity disks you can get your hands on and use it for on-line backup. Make sure it has a DVD/Writer in it so you can periodically write all the necessary data to a DVD and take it to an offsite location. Set up a RAID 5 on the disks.
Thank you. This is actually the configuration I already got from Dell but was wondering (because its quite expensive) if it was overkill. But I guess this would be good for several years (excluding Exchange updates). My configuration was 2GIG RAM though we were trying to reduce the expense slightly.
entropy1980
6 Posts
0
June 8th, 2005 04:00
Jingle2
104 Posts
0
June 9th, 2005 18:00
techhelper1010
1 Rookie
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8 Posts
0
June 13th, 2005 20:00
mcolman
161 Posts
0
June 17th, 2005 02:00
Hi There:
To give you a benchmark, I am running Exchange 2003 / Windows Server 2003 enterprise on a P2500 dual P1.4 Ghz with 2 Gigs of RAM. I have a Raid1 setup with 3 X 73gb drives (The 3rd drive is a hotspare). I have 35+/- people and unlimited mailbox sizes. However, I archive old e-mails after 12 months. I have 3 partitions - 12GB for the OS, 50GB for the information store, and 10GB for the logs. I don't run any public folders. No one has ever asked for old e-mails and we are a private company so SOX doesn't apply.
It loafs. The only time it actually gets above 50% utilization is when I am backing it up. I back the information store and logs daily and weekly to a P2400 (2 X 866mhz/ 1gb RAM) with 6X 73GB drives, RAID 5. I run Cat5e cables, and I have Gigabit cards in all my servers/switches.
If you are going for a new Dell box, get a P2800 or P2850 with maybe a dual 3.0Ghz, 4GB RAM and 3X73GB or 3X146GB drives and set up a RAID1 with the 3rd drive as a hot spare, like I have done. You don't need a split backplane although it would be nice. The above config will maybe get above 15% utilization once or twice a day if lots of e-mails are going back and forth (usually between 8:00 am and 11:00 am). If you have the money and can get a 3X3 split backplane(I'm not sure Dell offers it in the 2650/2600), set up 3X36GB drives for the OS and the 3X73GB or 3X146GB for the information store(s) and logs. Best practice says you should put the information store and logs on separate partitions.
Go for on-line backup. Use one of your old servers that has lots of slots on it and load it with the highest capacity disks you can get your hands on and use it for on-line backup. Make sure it has a DVD/Writer in it so you can periodically write all the necessary data to a DVD and take it to an offsite location. Set up a RAID 5 on the disks.
Hope this helps.
MCOLMAN
techhelper1010
1 Rookie
•
8 Posts
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June 20th, 2005 18:00
Thank you. This is actually the configuration I already got from Dell but was wondering (because its quite expensive) if it was overkill. But I guess this would be good for several years (excluding Exchange updates). My configuration was 2GIG RAM though we were trying to reduce the expense slightly.
Thanks -
mcolman
161 Posts
0
June 21st, 2005 18:00
No Problemo.
Glad I could help.
MCOLMAN