RE: [ActiveDir] disk configuration

[Mulnick, Al]

Either of those configurations would work depending on what performance you would need.  For optimal configuration, you first want to separate the I/O stream for Log files. That's because they tend to be very write expensive and they are typically sequential I/O. Separating that to a separate I/O stream to a high-speed write set of spindles, provides the first greatest performance benefit.  In other words, RAID 5 won't provide the same level of performance since you typically get a 4x increase in write latency with RAID 5 vs. 0.  Putting the db on either RAID 5 or 1 is going to give similar results in the low-end, but likely would get faster response in the high-end due to splitting the data across spindles.  RAID5 is read optimized up to a certain number of disks.    I think in your case, given the parameters and limitations without knowing how large you need to scale a single DC, the three mirror set would be my choice.  With Active Directory it's often better to scale out than scale up for DC's.  If you need that extra bit of performance, you may want to consider using a separate enclosure and a RAID 5 or 0+1 configuration for your DB's.   My 0.02 (USD) anyway.   Al From: Nathan Casey [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, May 11, 2004 11:38 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [ActiveDir] disk configuration I have a question about the best way to separate the AD DB and AD log files. My standard server build is a Compaq DL380 with six 36GB drives and one Compaq Smart Array 5i Controller. Normally I mirror the first two HD's for OS and apps use the other four disks for RAID5 with hot spare. For Active Directory would it be best to use my standard configuration and put the AD DB on the mirror with the OS and put the AD log files on the RAID5 or should I take the six disks and make three mirrors: Mirror1 = OS and apps Mirror2 = AD DB Mirror3 = AD logs   Any advice would be appreciated.