If you have a backup failure, your trans logs can fill the HDD. If they fill the boot drive with the OS, you can blue screen the server.
If the trans logs fill up a separate drive, exchange services will stop, but no server crash. So, if you are set on single spindle for the OS and trans logs, makes ure you use separate partitions. I think the 15k drives are overkill for you OS and trans logs, perosnally. I think you need more space for your trans logs. With only 3 drives for the stores, and one as a hotspare, your talking a RAID1. I suggest you add a 4th drive and run RAID5 + hotspare. Get a RAID controller that supports 128mb of cache (or more). I'd get a dual channel card and run your 2 separate arrays each on their own channel. If you opt to add a 3rd array, I'd get a second card, again with 128mb of cache or more, so each array has it's own channel. I think your performance will be fine with the box you are talking about. I've got about 400gigs of stores and only 4gigs of RAM on one of my boxes and don't have any issues. If you run into a CPU issue, you can add a second (assuming your getting a dual proc capable box, which I suggest you do) You should look at it this way, Exchange is probably one of the most important boxes in your network, because it runs your e-mail system, and people are heavily reliant on e-mail, and continue to become more reliant every day. If you go overkill now, it will make the box last longer down the road. -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Paul Hutchings Sent: Friday, January 06, 2006 3:48 AM To: Exchange Discussions Subject: Hardware Specs Advise I need to spec a replacement Exchange server. It'll be holding approximately 600 mailboxes, usage varies wildly from virtually zero to large attachments etc, it truly is totally varied. We're currently running 5.5 on a Dual 2ghz Xeon with 1gb RAM and RAID5 for the store and performance isn't an issue, but because of lack of support for 5.5 we're migrating to 2003. I'm looking at HP hardware. At the moment on price there is quite a difference between going for an ML570 vs a DL360 with an MSA30 enclosure - the ML570 is significantly cheaper. What I'm thinking right now is to go for an ML570 with 4gb of RAM, and on the disk side of things I'm thinking: Internal Channel 1 - 2x36gb 15k SCSI's for the OS + Transaction logs Internal Channel 2 - 3x146gb 10k SCSIs for the Information Store(s). A 146gb drive as a global spare, and a single 300gb 10k spindle that I can dump a backup onto each night using NT backup. I know best practice is separate spindles for the transaction logs but I'm not sure it's necessary for our usage levels, and in this configuration the logs would be on a separate channel on the RAID controller to the store so possibly we'd get better performance than if the logs were on a separate spool on the same channel as the store drives? Raid controller - thinking Smart Array 6402? CPU's - my understanding has always been that Exchange is not heavily CPU bound? I'm thinking a single Dual-Core 2.66ghz processor should be enough? All this box will do is run Windows 2003 Standard, Exchange 2003 Enterprise, and Trend Scanmail. I'd be grateful for any thoughts. -- Paul Hutchings Network Administrator, MIRA Ltd. Tel: 44 (0)24 7635 5378, Fax: 44 (0)24 7635 8378 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] _________________________________________________________________ List posting FAQ: http://www.swinc.com/resource/exch_faq.htm Web Interface: http://intm-dl.sparklist.com/read/?forum=exchange To subscribe: http://e-newsletters.internet.com/discussionlists.html/ To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Exchange List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe via postal mail, please contact us at: Jupitermedia Corp. Attn: Discussion List Management 475 Park Avenue South New York, NY 10016 Please include the email address which you have been contacted with. _________________________________________________________________ List posting FAQ: http://www.swinc.com/resource/exch_faq.htm Web Interface: http://intm-dl.sparklist.com/read/?forum=exchange To subscribe: http://e-newsletters.internet.com/discussionlists.html/ To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Exchange List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe via postal mail, please contact us at: Jupitermedia Corp. Attn: Discussion List Management 475 Park Avenue South New York, NY 10016 Please include the email address which you have been contacted with.
