I recently worked on a series of articles relating to fast recovery for Exchange Server 2007. In working on the paper and looking at what it takes to design this kind of environment, I came across a cool tool.
That tool is the Exchange 2007 Mailbox Server Role Storage Requirements Calculator or the E2K7 MBX storage calculator. The second variation is actually the file name for the tool. You see, the calculator is actually an Excel spreadsheet.
It is not a plain spreadsheet by any means. In fact, the information and formulas imbedded in it are quite complex. The calculator has six tabs for storage calculation and one with information on version changes (currently Version 16.0). The six tabs for calculation are: Input, Storage Requirements, LUN Requirements, Backup Requirements, Log Replication Requirements and Storage Design.
The Input tab is broken down into four configuration steps: server, mailbox and client, backup, and log replication. In these sections you input such information as the version of Exchange 2007 (RTM or SP1). You can choose which high-availability option you want, if any, and set the deleted-item retention policy (in days). You also can choose the number of mailboxes, broken down into three tiers of user configuration if necessary. In these configurations, you can choose the projected amount of mailbox growth and an estimate of messages sent and received per mailbox, per day.
You can add information about your backup plan (VSS or streaming) and choose backup frequency. Lastly, you can configure the network throughput and your organization's Recovery Point Objectives (in hours).
Once you are done inputting the information, you can see what the storage requirements would be for your plan. The output includes number of servers needed for your solution, as well as disk space for databases and logs, disk space requirements for Standby Continuous Replication (SCR), LUN design suggestions, and even suggestions for the type of storage you choose (RAID 1+0, RAID 5, or RAID 6).
This tool is great whether you are planning or have already set up Exchange Server 2007 in your environment. You can see the total extent of the tool at the Microsoft Exchange Team Blog. It will explain in more detail than I could put in a blog. In fact, it would be crazy to reinvent the wheel and repeat what they have already done very nicely.
You can download the actual storage calculator from the Microsoft Exchange Team Blog site or click this link E2K7 MBX Storage Calculator
The Exchange 2007 Mailbox Server Role Storage Requirements Calculator is a great tool for your Exchange environment. After all, we know that when it comes to storage, size does matter!
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Ron Barrett is president of RARE-TECH, an IT Training and consulting company. He has been a technology professional for over a decade, working for several major financial firms and dotcoms. Barrett is a specialist in network infrastructure, security and IT management.
He is a co-author of The Administrator's Guide to Microsoft Office 2007 Servers, How to Cheat at Administering Office Communications Server 2007, and the Real MCTS/MCITP Exam 620 Preparation Kit and has been a contributor to Windows 2000 Enterprise Storage Solutions and Exam Cram �70-244-Supporting & Maintaining NT Server 4.
He has also contributed to several industry magazines and was featured in the book Tricks of the Windows Vista Masters. He has worked for Microsoft writing research and analysis documents for Windows Server 2008, Windows HPC, and PerformancePoint Server 2007. He has also created screencasts on Windows Server 2008 Administration for Linux Admins.
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