Microsoft makes the following recommendations for domain controllers -
Number of Users
CPU Needed
Required RAM
Up to 3,000
486DX/33 MHz
16 MB
7,500
486DX/66 MHz
32 MB
10,000
586, MIPS, ALPHA
48 MB
15,000
586, MIPS, ALPHA
64 MB
For the Primary Domain Controller(PDC), conservatively, we would recommend
a P5/90 or greater with 64MB of RAM for upto 5000 users, and 128MB of RAM
for more than 5000 users. The Backup Domain Controllers(BDC) should have
the same amount of RAM but could have less processor power. The more of
the SAM database that is cached in memory, the quicker your users will get
a sign-on
to the network. This improves the performance of administrative
tasks as well.
A redundant BDC should be present reasonably near other locations with BDCs
for fault tolerance. Additionally, a BDC with similar configuration as the
PDC should exist so it may be promoted in contingencies such as disaster
or maintenance.
WINS
In sizing Windows Internet Naming Service infrastructure servers it is important
to be aware of the magnitude of the WINS databases. These databases can
get quite large (on the order of 40-MB to 100-MB) in an enterprise environment.
Since RAM is measured in nanoseconds and hard disk access is measured in
milliseconds, building the WINS servers so that the entire database resides
in RAM should provide for optimum performance.
DHCP
With DHCP, the speed of the network and location of the server is more important
than the amount of memory. A 486/66 with 32MB will adequately service one
subnet, remembering that the network interface card is the weak link in
the system.
File/Print Services, Application Services
The minimum system memory configuration for an NT server is 16-MB of RAM,
however we recommend a starting point of 32-MB. Application servers such
as SQL, Lotus Notes, or Oracle servers running on an NT platform each have
their own additional memory requirements. A formula for the additional RAM
necessary for an SQL server is:
System Memory + 5-MB of database kernel + 2% of data + 50kB * number of
users = Total Memory
These formula amounts will change with each application server and version
release and the software manufacturer should be consulted for the current
configurations.
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