Compaq ProLiant 6000 Performance of Microsoft Exchange Server 5.0 on Compaq Pr - Page 3

ECG052.0897 WHITE PAPER (cont.) 3... EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Compaq ProLiant 6000 is the flagship of Compaq's server product line. This server is an ideal deployment platform for Microsoft Exchange. With the current version of Microsoft Exchange Server (version 5.0), the ProLiant 6000-class system with two processors and 256 MB of RAM can easily accommodate user loads of up to 3000 users (Medium profile). A ProLiant 6000-class system with one processor and 128 MB of RAM can support up to 2000 users. Future versions of Exchange Server will allow this platform to scale beyond the 3000-user limit and maximize the full power of the Compaq system architecture. Compaq tested the ProLiant 6000 in two hardware configurations at various user loads (see Test Configuration below). Configuration A was a single-processor system with 128 MB of RAM and an entry-level disk subsystem. Configuration B was a two-processor system with 256 MB of RAM and a more scalable disk subsystem. Before encountering limits in Exchange Server, both configurations showed excellent scalability at various user regressions (see Performance Results). As the leader in the Intel-based server market, Compaq is uniquely positioned to be the server of choice for deployment of GroupWare and Messaging systems such as Microsoft Exchange Server. The entire Compaq server product line offers scalable server platforms positioned at key price points offering differentiated feature sets. From the ProSignia 200 and ProLiant 800/850R to the ProLiant 2500 through the ProLiant 6000 and beyond, Compaq servers represent the ultimate combination of price/performance, manageability, integration, and ease of use. When deploying messaging systems like Microsoft Exchange Server, one must consider not only the performance and capacity of the server but also the price/performance. Several competing hardware vendors offer RISC-based platforms capable of supporting equivalent user loads, but provide these systems at significantly higher cost. Only Compaq delivers industry-leading performance combined with lowest total cost of ownership. Another important consideration is the mission-critical nature of GroupWare and messaging within your organization. It is one thing to be able to support 3000 users on a single server, and another thing to recover from the loss of productivity when this single potential point of failure is unavailable. The question is not whether you can support thousands of users on a single system, but whether you want to. Compaq has invested heavily in GroupWare and messaging applications in several areas. First, applications like Microsoft Exchange Server have been optimized and integrated for Compaq servers and provided on Compaq SmartStart. SmartStart allows users of Exchange Server to integrate with confidence by facilitating the installation of Exchange Server on Compaq servers without errors. Another area of significant investment is the Intranet/GroupWare Engineering group at Compaq. This group supports applications like Exchange Server and ensures their optimal performance and integration on Compaq servers. Compaq has engineering resources working on site at Microsoft with various BackOffice groups like the Exchange team to ensure tightly coupled integration and superior performance on Compaq servers.