Dell PowerVault 770N, Deployment Manual

Page: 13 / 73

Planning a Deployment
Feature Pack Deployment Guide 13
Low-Capacity Scenario
The low-capacity scenario supports up to 250 mailboxes on one Exchange 2003 server.
Table 1.1 Low-Capacity Scenario for Exchange 2003
Configuration
Component
Specifications
Capacity One Exchange 2003 server and one Dell PowerVault NAS Storage Server 2003
system, supporting a total of 250 mailboxes
Windows Storage
Server computer One Dell PowerVault NAS Storage Server 2003 system
512 MB of RAM
Four disk drives for storing Exchange databases
One Gigabit Ethernet adapter and one 10/100 or greater Ethernet adapter
Exchange server One Gigabit Ethernet adapter and one 10/100 or greater Ethernet adapter
Disk drive The Exchange databases are stored on a RAID-5 volume that spans four disk drives
on the Windows Storage Server computer. The Exchange transaction logs are
stored on the direct attached storage (DAS) drive on the Exchange server.
Network A dedicated network between the Exchange server and the Windows Storage Server
computer that uses a crossover cable
A 10/100 Ethernet hub connects the Exchange server, the Windows Storage Server
computer, the domain controller, and client computers
Figure 1.1 Recommended Configuration for the Low-Capacity Scenario
Low-Capacity Disk Drive Configuration
In the low-capacity scenario, the Exchange databases are stored on a RAID-5 volume that spans
four disk drives on the Windows Storage Server computer.
File transfers are most efficient when Exchange databases and transaction logs are stored
separately, as shown in Figure 1.1. Store Exchange databases on the Windows Storage Server
computer, and store transaction logs on the direct attached storage (DAS) drive on the Exchange
server. Physically separating the transaction logs and databases adheres to Exchange best
practices and ensures that the writing of transaction logs does not interfere with the writing of
the databases.