How much RAM do I need?

[Jens]

Hi

I'm going to install a new Small Business Server 2000 on a new PC. We have
18 workstations in the company. We want to use the new server as: DC,
fileserver, exchangeserver and ISA-server. How much RAM is necessary for
this server?

Hope somebody can help.

Regards
Jens

 

[BG250]

I would get 1 Gigabyte of ECC memory. Memory is cheap these days. I run
512MB on our NT4 server, but I run into problem when I try to open large
backup log files.
bg

 

[John R Weiss]

I'm going to install a new Small Business Server 2000 on a new PC. We have
18 workstations in the company. We want to use the new server as: DC,
fileserver, exchangeserver and ISA-server. How much RAM is necessary for
this server?

The short answer is "all you can afford"...

Your server and network setup have several potential choke points for
performance, so you should ensure you allocate your $$ resources to accommodate
each of them:

CPU: I am a fan of dual processors. If you can afford a dual Xeon/Opteron
server, get one. Two CPUs of lower nominal speed will be much more efficient at
performing multiple tasks than a single, higher-speed CPU. I still run a dual
P3-550 workstation, and it is MUCH faster than my single P3-1200 in almost every
regard.

RAM: Get AT LEAST 1 GB per CPU. If you can afford it, get 2 GB per CPU.
The less swapping to the Pagefile required, the faster the system.

HDs: A RAID 5 SCSI array will give the best combination of speed and data
safety. Get the fastest HDs you can afford, with the largest cache (e.g.,
10,000 RPM with 8 MB cache), because disk I/O will likely be your choke point
when all your users are looking for files and getting their e-mail.

NETWORK: Gigabit Ethernet from the server to the main router/switch may pay
dividends. 100 Mb Ethernet at each workstation should be sufficient. Ensure
the main router/switch is capable of autosensing/configuring for the different
speeds on a port-by-port basis.

 

[Jens]

The short answer is "all you can afford"...

Your server and network setup have several potential choke points for
performance, so you should ensure you allocate your $$ resources to accommodate
each of them:

CPU: I am a fan of dual processors. If you can afford a dual Xeon/Opteron
server, get one. Two CPUs of lower nominal speed will be much more efficient at
performing multiple tasks than a single, higher-speed CPU. I still run a dual
P3-550 workstation, and it is MUCH faster than my single P3-1200 in almost every
regard.

RAM: Get AT LEAST 1 GB per CPU. If you can afford it, get 2 GB per CPU.
The less swapping to the Pagefile required, the faster the system.

HDs: A RAID 5 SCSI array will give the best combination of speed and data
safety. Get the fastest HDs you can afford, with the largest cache (e.g.,
10,000 RPM with 8 MB cache), because disk I/O will likely be your choke point
when all your users are looking for files and getting their e-mail.

NETWORK: Gigabit Ethernet from the server to the main router/switch may pay
dividends. 100 Mb Ethernet at each workstation should be sufficient. Ensure
the main router/switch is capable of autosensing/configuring for the different
speeds on a port-by-port basis.

Thank you very for your answer.

I'm looking at a server with a XEON 2,8 GHz processor, 2x36GB SCSI 10k
harddisk and a raid controller. The server has 1,5GB RAM and the price is
ok. Would I get much more performence by adding 1GB RAM more?

Regards
Jens

 

[Gerry Voras]

Since you're talking about SBS instead of having multiple member and domain
servers each doing a single chore, I'd recommend maxing out to 4gig (the OS
limit) or as much the machine can physically handle up to 4 gig.

 

[John R Weiss]

I'm looking at a server with a XEON 2,8 GHz processor, 2x36GB SCSI 10k
harddisk and a raid controller. The server has 1,5GB RAM and the price is
ok. Would I get much more performence by adding 1GB RAM more?

I believe you will gain a lot by adding more RAM, but I cannot say for sure what
would be the most cost-effective upgrade for your situation:

If the server already has a RAID 5 controller on it, you could go to RAID 5
with a 3rd 36GB harddisk. That would add storage, speed, and data safety. This
would be my top priority. Later, you could expand the RAID 5 array with a 4th
36 GB harddisk. Most good RAID controllers will automatically adapt to the 4th
harddisk when it's added.

You have to be careful about how you add RAM. Most motherboards perform
best with identical pairs of RAM DIMMs. If you have 4 RAM slots, 4 x 512 MB or
4 x 1 GB would be best. If you can't afford 4 x 1 GB, the 1,5 GB already
installed should work for now.

If you can find a dual-processor capable system, you can set it up with 1
Xeon now, and upgrade it with the second processor later. If the extra cost for
the dual-CPU motherboard is OK, it will give you flexibility later.

 

[Jens]

Thank you for your answers.

Regards
Jens

I believe you will gain a lot by adding more RAM, but I cannot say for sure what
would be the most cost-effective upgrade for your situation:

If the server already has a RAID 5 controller on it, you could go to RAID 5
with a 3rd 36GB harddisk. That would add storage, speed, and data safety. This
would be my top priority. Later, you could expand the RAID 5 array with a 4th
36 GB harddisk. Most good RAID controllers will automatically adapt to the 4th
harddisk when it's added.

You have to be careful about how you add RAM. Most motherboards perform
best with identical pairs of RAM DIMMs. If you have 4 RAM slots, 4 x 512 MB or
4 x 1 GB would be best. If you can't afford 4 x 1 GB, the 1,5 GB already
installed should work for now.

If you can find a dual-processor capable system, you can set it up with 1
Xeon now, and upgrade it with the second processor later. If the extra cost for
the dual-CPU motherboard is OK, it will give you flexibility later.

 

[Gerry Voras]

RAM is cheap at the moment.

I believe you will gain a lot by adding more RAM, but I cannot say for sure what
would be the most cost-effective upgrade for your situation:

If the server already has a RAID 5 controller on it, you could go to RAID 5
with a 3rd 36GB harddisk. That would add storage, speed, and data safety. This
would be my top priority. Later, you could expand the RAID 5 array with a 4th
36 GB harddisk. Most good RAID controllers will automatically adapt to the 4th
harddisk when it's added.

You have to be careful about how you add RAM. Most motherboards perform
best with identical pairs of RAM DIMMs. If you have 4 RAM slots, 4 x 512 MB or
4 x 1 GB would be best. If you can't afford 4 x 1 GB, the 1,5 GB already
installed should work for now.

If you can find a dual-processor capable system, you can set it up with 1
Xeon now, and upgrade it with the second processor later. If the extra cost for
the dual-CPU motherboard is OK, it will give you flexibility later.