Microsoft KB Archive/98963

= Mac Srv: Hardware Recommendations =

Article ID: 98963

Article Last Modified on 10/30/2006

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Mail for Appletalk Networks 3.0
 * Microsoft Mail for Appletalk Networks 3.1

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This article was previously published under Q98963



SUMMARY
The following is a hardware recommendation to assist customers of versions 3.0 and 3.1 of Microsoft Mail for AppleTalk Networks in choosing hardware that will maximize the performance of your mail server.

There are four major considerations that should be given when setting up a mail server. They are disk speed, network access, CPU and memory allocation.

Disk Speed
Disk speed is probably the most important consideration when assembling a dedicated production mail server. Microsoft Mail stores all information in a single combined file on the hard disk. Every time a user request is processed by the server it will more than likely result in a disk read or write. Seek time of the disk is more important than network transfer rate because all blocks of data that are needed will need to be sent across the network which would be slower than the transfer rate of the mail server. The assembly of those blocks can be done in a shorter time frame with a faster disk access time.

NOTE: Network Managers should always ensure the most current disk drivers, appropriate disk interleaves, and correct SCSI terminations are being used to maximize performance.

Network Access
The faster the network speed the better when considering a mail server. A mail server is only as fast as its slowest link. Most computers will process faster than the network can be read from or written to. Therefore, the faster that information is received and returned to the network, the faster the CPU can go on to processing user requests.

CPU
The following table associates a range of recommended users with Apple CPUs. Your actual tolerance levels may be lower or higher depending on the amount of processing and physical configuration of the server.                                                     RECOMMENDED CPU                          CHIP        CLOCK   USERS -

Macintosh 128K               68000         8     5-25 Macintosh 512K               68000         8     5-25 Macintosh XL                 68000         5     5-15 Macintosh Plus               68000         8     5-25 Macintosh 512Ke              68000         8     5-25 Macintosh SE                 68000         8     5-25 Macintosh II                 68020        16     15-50 Macintosh IIx                68030        16     20-80 Macintosh SE/30              68030        16     20-80 Macintosh IIcx               68030        16     20-80 Macintosh SE FDHD            68000         8     5-25 Macintosh IIci               68030        25     70-110 Macintosh Portable           68HC000      16     15-30 Macintosh IIfx               68030        40     120-170 Macintosh Classic            68000         8     5-25 Macintosh LC                 68020        16     15-50 Macintosh IIsi               68030        20     60-100 Macintosh Portable           68HC000      16     15-30 Macintosh Classic II         68030        16     20-80 Macintosh Quadra 700         68040        25     160-180 Macintosh Quadra 900         68040        25     160-180 Macintosh LC II              68030        16     20-80 Macintosh Quadra 950         68040        33     165-190 Performa 200                 68030        16     20-80 Performa 400                 68030        16     20-80 Performa 600                 68030        32     75-120 Macintosh IIvi               68030        16     20-80 Macintosh IIvx               68030        32     75-120 Macintosh Color Classic      68030        16     20-80 Macintosh LC III             68030        25     70-110 Macintosh Centris 610        68LC040      20     140-160 Macintosh Centris 650        68040        25     160-180 Macintosh Quadra 800         68040        33     165-190 Workgroup Server 60          68040        25     160-180 Workgroup Server 80          68040        33     165-190 Performa 405                 68030        16     20-80 Performa 430                 68030        16     20-80 Performa 450                 68030        25     70-110 Macintosh LC 520             68030        25     70-110 Macintosh Quadra 660AV       68040        25     160-180 Macintosh Quadra 840AV       68040        40     170-200 PowerBook 165                68030        33     80-130 Performa 410                 68030        16     20-80 Performa 460                 68030        33     80-130 Performa 466                 68030        33     80-130 Performa 467                 68030        33     80-130 Performa 475                 68LC040      25     160-180 Performa 476                 68LC040      25     160-180 Performa 550                 68030        33     80-130 Macintosh Color Classic II   68030        33     80-130 Macintosh LC 475             68LC040      25     160-180 Macintosh Quadra 605         68LC040      25     160-180 Macintosh Quadra 610         68040        25     160-180 Macintosh Quadra 650         68040        33     165-190 Performa 560                 68030        33     80-130 Macintosh LC 550             68030        33     80-130 Macintosh LC 575             68LC040      33     165-190 Power Macintosh 6100/60      PowerPC 601  60     160-180 Power Macintosh 6100/60AV    PowerPC 601  60     160-180 Power Macintosh 7100/66      PowerPC 601  66     160-180 Power Macintosh 7100/66AV    PowerPC 601  66     160-180 Power Macintosh 8100/80      PowerPC 601  80     160-180 Power Macintosh 8100/80AV    PowerPC 601  80     160-180 Performa 575                 68LC040      33     165-190 Performa 577                 68LC040      33     165-190 Performa 578                 68LC040      33     165-190 Workgroup Server 6150        PowerPC 601  60     160-180 Workgroup Server 8150        PowerPC 601  80     160-180 Workgroup Server 9150        PowerPC 601  80     160-180 If your CPU is not listed, match the closest clock speed and chip set to determine recommended user limits.

Memory Allocation
While memory is important, it is not as critical as the above three items. Server memory settings typically need to be set higher on larger installations of mail as the server must merge huge lists of users from other servers. Servers will not utilize &quot;excess&quot; memory allocation. However to ensure a smooth running server, allocating higher amounts of RAM than expected will improve reliability of the server.

The above information is only basic recommendations to help you to assemble the ideal server for your network. They are not concrete numbers. For more information on these guidelines, contact Microsoft Product Support Services.

Additional query words: 3.00 3.10 macintosh system configuration information

Keywords: KB98963

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