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
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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 "excess" 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.