SME Server:Documentation:Administration Manual:Chapter4
Chapter 4. Hardware Requirements of the SME Server
The hardware requirements of the SME Server are modest compared with other server software available today. However, because of its critical role in your office, selecting an appropriate host computer is important. The hardware requirements of the host computer depend on such things as the number of users on your network, whether you plan to use the proxy server on the server, and the speed of your Internet connection.
When you consider the requirements, please be aware of the following notes:
- The server ships with the remote access services disabled by default. Enabling webmail will increase the resource requirements of your server, in particular the memory requirement. Other remote access services, such as SSH and PPTP, are also processor-intensive. You should consider a fast processor speed if you intend to make significant use of these services.
- The server should work with any i586 or i686 compatible CPU that can run Centos 4.4.
- The amount of available RAM is one of the most important considerations for server performance as it reduces the load on the disks. If a tradeoff is required, extra RAM will usually be more beneficial than a faster CPU.
- For a dedicated connection in server and gateway mode, your server requires two ethernet adapters (also called network adapters or network interface cards). For a dialup connection or server-only mode, one ethernet adapter is needed.
4.1. Minimum Hardware Requirements
The following information outlines what we consider the bare minimum system that will function as a basic file/print server and network gateway. Note that we do not believe such a system will provide satisfactory performance for features such as webmail, remote access via PPTP, Virus and Spam Scanners, which are cpu intensive will not perform well on this platform. To utilize all the features of SME Server 7.0, please have a look at the 'Recommended' Hardware Requirements.
| Category | Specifications |
|---|---|
| Architecture | PCI-based i586 or i686 compatible processor |
| Processor speed | 400 MHz |
| RAM | 256 MB |
| Hard Drive | IDE or SCSI - at least 4 GB |
| SCSI adapter | SCSI adapter must appear on the supported list (only necessary for SCSI systems) |
| Ethernet adapter(s) | The ethernet adapters installed on your server must appear on the supported list. |
| Modem (for dialup only) | Only modems that are Linux-compatible may be used. WinModems are not supported. |
| CD-ROM drive | ATAPI or SCSI |
| Monitor | any |
| Graphics card | any |
4.2. Recommended Hardware Requirements
The following information is what we would suggest is the recommended minimum to utilize all the features of SME Server 7.0. How many users this configuration will support depends on how heavily the server will be utilized, but should be sufficient for at least 25 users.
Table 4.2. Recommended Hardware Requirements
| Architecture|PCI-based i686 compatible processor | Processor speed|1.5GHz | Minimum RAM|512 MB | Hard drive|One or more IDE or SCSI - at least 40 GB | SCSI adapter|SCSI adapter must appear on the supported list (only necessary for SCSI systems) | Ethernet adapters|The ethernet adapters installed on your server must appear on the supported list. | Modem (for dialup only)|Only modems that are Linux-compatible may be used. ~WinModems are not supported. | CD-ROM drive|ATAPI or SCSI | Monitor|any | Graphics card|any |
4.3. Hard Drive Configuration
SME Server 7 introduces a new feature - Automatic configuration of Software RAID 1, 5 or 6. RAID is a way of storing data on more than one hard drive at once, so that if one drive fails, the system will still function. In the case of RAID 6, two drives can fail and the system will still function. We highly recommend that at a minimum you utilize 2 identical drives in your sytem to take advantage of the redundancy provided by the RAID configuration.
Your server will be automatically configured as follows:
- 1 Drive - Software RAID 1 (ready to accept a second drive).
- 2 Drives - Software RAID 1
- 3-5 Drives - Software RAID 5
- 6+ Drives - Software RAID 6
4.4. Supported Ethernet or SCSI Adapters, or Tape Drives
Either one ethernet adapter (in the case of dialup connectivity or server-only mode) or two ethernet adapters (for dedicated connections in server and gateway mode) must be installed on your SME Server. Your ethernet adapters must be supported by Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.
If the computer you plan to use for your server has a SCSI hard disk, your SCSI adapter must be supported by Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.
If you intend to use the tape backup capabilities of the SME Server, you must have a tape drive that is supported by Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.