Sun Fire X4150 Server 1RU Storage Solution for 1000 Mailboxes in Microsoft Exchange 2007

September 2008

Introduction

This document describes a Microsoft Exchange 2007 primary storage solution on the Sun Fire X4150 server with an SAS RAID controller that is targeted for an environment in which there are mailboxes for 1000 users.

With this solution, one rack unit (1RU) can accommodate 1000 mailboxes with no external storage and can be scaled by adding additional Sun Fire X4150 servers. The Sun Fire X4150 server offers an excellent choice for small, medium, and large businesses and can set a new standard in performance, expandability, and efficiency in 1RU.

For more details, see the list of contents below.

Download the document as PDF.

Contents

• Introduction
• Disclaimer
• Features
• Solution Description
  • Targeted Customer Profile
  • Tested Deployment
• Best Practices
  • Core Storage
• Test Result Summary
  • Reliability
  • Primary Storage Performance Results
  • Streaming Backup and Recovery Performance
    • Database Read-only Performance
    • Log Read-only Performance
• Conclusion
• Appendix
  • Microsoft Exchange Server Jetstress: Performance Test Result Report
  • Microsoft Exchange Server Jetstress: SoftRecovery Test Result Report
  • Microsoft Exchange Server Jetstress: SoftRecovery Test Result Report 2
  • Microsoft Exchange Server Jetstress: Streaming Backup Test Result Report

For More Information

Here are additional Sun resources:

• Sun Fire X4150 Server downloads
• Sun training courses at http://www.sun.com/training/, for example, Sun Fire X4150 Server Installation and Administration (WET-6280)
• Discussions, such as the Storage Forums (available from the Hardware tab)
• Sun Fire X4150 document collections at http://docs.sun.com:
  • Windows Server 2003 R2 Preinstall Documentation
  • Sun Fire X4150 Server - Installation and Operation Documentation
  • Sun Fire Server HBA (Host Bus Adapter) Documentation
• Wikis:
  • Storage Administration wiki
  • BluePrints wiki, especially the Storage BluePrints
  • BigAdmin wiki's Storage Tech Tips page
• Related web sites and articles:
  • Sun storage web site
  • Sun Fire X4150 Server web site
  • BigAdmin Storage Resource Collection
  • InfoWorld "Lab test: Sun's X4150 shows the beef" article
  • PC Magazine "Hands On with the Sun Fire X4150" article
• Support:
  • Register your Sun gear
  • Services
  • SunSolve Online
• Events of interest to users of Sun products
  • Worldwide developer events and Sun Tech Days
  • Current events