>1) Server-oriented machine: Intel PII 440BX motherboard (single processor),
>Pentium III 500, 256 MB RAM, 3 9.1 GB Ultra2 SCSI drives, and AMI MegaRAID
>EXP300 U2 LVD 1 chnl 32 MB
bad, bad, bad overkill, unless your "school" is the University of Texas, U.
Michigan, or UCLA. Then it's just simple overkill vbg
>2) NON-Server-oriented machine: Microstar Dual PII 440BX AGP w/2ch UWSCSI
>motherboard, one Pentium III 500, 256 MB RAM, 3 9.1 GB Ultra2 SCSI drives,
>and Adaptec AHA2940U2W SCSI LVD controller.
ditto.
Grab an old Pentium 200, install NT4 workstation, 64 megs RAM, a coupla
gigs of IDE disk and let 'er rip.
Your beancounter will say "I KISS YOU" vbg
When/if the users complain about slowness (they won't), watch your task
manager to see if the mail server is really the culprit, and then add 64
megs RAM.
The disk channel bandwidth, (all that msg spooling/unspooling, logging, and
mailbox reading/writing) is the biggest load, so if you're a hardware
jockey, put in 2 or 3 IDE RAID disk controller boards, like from Promise
FastTrack 66 or 3ware.com and pairs of cheap IDE drives. One disk channel
for Imail\spool, one disk channel all virtual mail domains\userboxes. This
will still cost a lot cheaper than either of the godzilla boxes above you
lust after.
When that Imail box gets overloaded (it won't), still resist buying a busty
godzilla box, but find another P200 and build one of these, for free:
http://IMGate.MEIway.com, to offload incoming/outgoing SMTP deliveries from
the Imail box, which also will say: I KISS YOU.
Len
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