Chapter 4: Selecting Hardware for Exchange

Chapter 4: Selecting Hardware for Exchange

Introduction

Hardware resources are an emotive topic. Software engineers want their software to work well and not encounter difficulties imposed by what they see as insufficient system configurations. System administrators want to run with correct configurations too, but are often restricted by operational or financial constraints.

In general, Exchange servers require more hardware resources than the computers used for LAN Post Offices. This reflects the demands of the Windows NT operating system as well as the expensive functionality available within the server, especially in the system management subsystem. Installations upgrading from Microsoft Mail need to reconsider the system configurations they use today to see whether the computers can be used with Exchange. Anyone else beginning to use Exchange needs to go through the same process of analysis and determination of the right configuration for their needs.

It's foolish to begin any project with "just enough resources". Always plan to be successful and expect growth to happen. Electronic mail systems are characterized by rapid growth in user interaction with the system. As people become more familiar with electronic mail they'll send and receive an increasing volume of messages and provoke more demand on the system, and if the system can't handle the demand users will perceive a reduced level of service.

The important elements of any computer configured to run Exchange are:


	?	The power of the CPU


	?	The amount of memory (RAM)


	?	The number and capacity of the...

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Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5: Planning, Design, and Implementation

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