-------------------------------------------------------------------- SearchWin2000.com's Exchange Tip -------------------------------------------------------------------- TODAY'S EXCHANGE TIP: Configuring an Exchange Server ==================================================================== SPONSORED BY: Quest Software ==================================================================== Quest Software � Spotlight on Exchange for Real-Time Diagnostics Take the pulse of your Exchange systems at a glance. Spotlight quickly pinpoints bottlenecks and provides extensive drilldown capabilities to keep your environment running smoothly. No other tool reveals, in real time, the actual server processes and flow of data in your Exchange environment! Download your free trial copy at http://www.quest.com/landing/searchwin2k_exchange.asp. ==================================================================== "Configuring an Exchange Server" By Adesh Rampat It doesn't make any difference if you're installing a new Exchange Server or if you're upgrading the one you have. Do it right, and you'll get good performance and reliability. Don't, and you'll get performance that has users wondering where their email went. This tip offers some considerations on configuring an Exchange Server. -------------------------------------------------------------------- The CPU: An Exchange Server with an Intel Pentium Pro Processor running at 200 Mhz successfully services approximately 160 clients with an old processor that is no longer available. Any Pentium III available today can handle this load. Because Exchange runs as separate processes it takes advantage of additional CPUs, so get dual processors if you can. Memory: Minimum memory configuration should be 256MB, but as with anything else Microsoft, the minimum is really that. Get more. And make sure the Exchange Server handles only Exchange-based applications. Hard Drive Configuration: Use SCSI drives for speed and for security. Use hardware RAID for the Exchange databases, and disable write-back caching to reduce the risk of corrupted Exchange databases. (If the server goes down in the process of a write, and caching is enabled, the data that was stored in the cache is lost.) The Exchange transaction logs should be on separate disks. Having them on single disks can reduce the lifespan of the disk. Tape Drive: Use SCSI DLT tape drives. The tapes can hold more information than those with competing technologies, perform backups faster, and have a longer life cycle. Network Interface Card: 100MB per/sec. is your minimum speed. The network interface card should not be integrated on the system board, but should be on a separate PCI slot. This way, if the NIC fails, you don't have to replace the entire motherboard. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Adesh Rampat has 10 years experience with network and IT administration. He is a member of the Association of Internet Professionals, the Institute for Network Professionals and the International Webmasters Association. He has also lectured extensively on a variety of topics. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Want to discuss Exchange issues with your peers? Check out the searchWin2000 Exchange forum at http://searchwin2000.discussions.techtarget.com/WebX?[EMAIL PROTECTED]^[email protected]. ==================================================================== ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DID YOU LIKE THIS TIP? ==================================================================== Whether you loved it or hated it, why not let us know? E-mail us at mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] to sound off. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ==================================================================== LAST CHANCE TO WIN AN MP3 PLAYER! ==================================================================== This is the final week of our TIP CONTEST! Don't miss out on this final opportunity to win a Sony Vaio 64MB MP3 Player, valued at $300! As an added bonus, the winner will be the first person in our Tip Hall of Fame! Submit your tip now at http://searchwin2000.techtarget.com/tipsIndex/0,289482,sid1_tax5e3,00.html. (Categories include Administrator, Developer, Exchange, Migration and Security.) ==================================================================== FEATURED BOOK ==================================================================== "Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server Administrator's Guide" Author: David McAmis Publisher: Prima Publishing Published: Dec. 2000 Whether you are administering an Exchange Server for 10 users or 10,000, this book provides you with the technical information you'll need to successfully manage Exchange 2000 Server. This invaluable resource is perfect for you, the system administrator, who installs and manages the day-to-day operations of Exchange Server. http://www.digitalguru.com/dgstore/product.asp?isbn=0761513906&ac_id=78 ==================================================================== If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter simply reply to this message with "REMOVE" in the subject line. 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