Spec for an Exchange Server

[enjay]

We're a fairly small school, roughly 500 users in total. Do you reckon our server - 2x 2.83Ghz Quad Xeon processors, 4GB RAM, I'm guessing 64-bit since it apparently has 32- and 64-bit PCI slots - could handle running Exchange, or would we be better off looking at a second server for it?

[glennda]

We're a fairly small school, roughly 500 users in total. Do you reckon our server - 2x 2.83Ghz Quad Xeon processors, 4GB RAM, I'm guessing 64-bit since it apparently has 32- and 64-bit PCI slots - could handle running Exchange, or would we be better off looking at a second server for it?

That should handle it pretty okay - possibly a touch more ram (6gb/8gb for future proofing). I have two seperate servers with the same processors and 8gb ram for about 850 users each

[enjay]

What else are your two servers doing though? Perhaps I should clarify that this is our and only server, so it is a file-and-print server, SIMS server, SQL server, everything-else-we-need server. Would asking it be a mail server as well kill it?

(We might be about to take a lot of the load off it though, as we're looking at VLEs at the moment, some of which come with their own dedicated server)

[EduTech]

What else are your two servers doing though? Perhaps I should clarify that this is our and only server, so it is a file-and-print server, SIMS server, SQL server, everything-else-we-need server. Would asking it be a mail server as well kill it?

(We might be about to take a lot of the load off it though, as we're looking at VLEs at the moment, some of which come with their own dedicated server)

Are you going to run them as VM's? because if you are then yes you could up the spec's slightly and then run other VM's on the same Box.

[enjay]

Hadn't really thought about the exact how of it yet, in case everyone said "no, you'd be mad to even try"...

[MatthewL]

Microsoft have a toolkit on their site some where where you put in your information and it tells you what you need.

Been discussing it this afternoon but not got the toolkit to look at yet.

[glennda]

Hadn't really thought about the exact how of it yet, in case everyone said "no, you'd be mad to even try"...

The processors would be fine for what Edutech has said - we have one of our vm hosts running 14 vms from two quad core processors with 64gb ram. If you could afford the extra ram get it and then virtualise and install a couple of servers as I think adding exchange to your current system might just well slow it down a touch!

[Simcfc73]

Currently I have a T710 2 x quad core running 8 sas drives and 16gb ram which is running Sims SQL and Exchange on the same box as well as a couple more small hyper-v clients.

I don't intend to keep it on the server forever though. *runs like a dream though*

Is it 500 mailboxes? if so then ignore my message.. we are only running 125ish

[enjay]

It would be 500ish mailboxes, but only 300 or so would actually get any noteworthy use, as the other 200 would be for the Primary kids.