Real World Server Requirements

[DEREKB]

Hi,
I've read all the posts I could find on the forum in relation to what spec server to use for a particular userbase. I haven't been able to find a spec for anyone using a couple of hundred web-client users. It's not clear in the posts whether they are POP3, IMAP or webclient users.

So the question is:
If anyone is using between 200 and 500 AJAX webclient users , what spec server are you using,

specifically - Processors , RAM and Hard-Disk type/array type

As a starting point can anyone recommend or estimate how may webclient users could be succesfully hosted on a server with

CentOS 5/RedHat EL5
1 x Quad Core Xeon x3353 2.66Mhz , 2x6M cache, 1333Mhz FSB
8GB dual-rank DIMM Ram
300GB SAS 15,000 rpm RAID1 drive array.

Thanks,
Derek

[DEREKB]

help or suggestions please

[Klug]

If you have room in the server box, I'd rather go with four SAS 146GB (and a RAID0+1) than two SAS 300GB.

And I'd throw in two SATA2 500-750GB for HSM and backup.

If you're short on money, then two SAS 146GB and two SATA2 500GB.

[uxbod]

Hi DerekB,

Will this installation be using FOSS or NE ? If more users are going to be added later could you justify the cost of SAN/NAS ?

Regards,

[DEREKB]

Hi,

SAN is out of budget at the moment, but we can have a second server as a cold standy.
We would be using NE version.
/opt/backup folder will be replicated to seconad standby server is case of disaster.
server will probably be dell poweredge R300 1U. datacentre co-location prices in Ireland are very expensive hence the 1U limit at the moment due to budget.

[Klug]

server will probably be dell poweredge R300 1U.

Nice little beast (shorter than a 1950 so housing costs less but available with hotplug HD and PSU). However, brand new...

You're then limited to two 3.5" HD. So two SAS 300GB seems OK.

[DEREKB]

Hi Klug,
so do you think that server with 8Gb ram would comfortably host 200 to 500 users using webclient ?

Do you have any real world examples ?

[uxbod]

Have you had a read through Performance Tuning Guidelines for Large Deployments - Zimbra :: Wiki ?

Also, if you are looking to deploy ZCS NE then Sales/Support would help you with sizing I would imagine

[DEREKB]

I will get the info from sales , but I was also just trying to get info from "real" users and real world scenarios

[Klug]

so do you think that server with 8Gb ram would comfortably host 200 to 500 users using webclient ?

We have one customer hosting 300 users on a single 4GB server and another one hosting 700 users on a two servers setup (on server with 4GB for mailstore and one server with 2 GB for MTA).