Capacity planning is the process of ensuring that a system has enough resources to perform optimally. Ideally, capacity planning should be done before you implement SMS, however it is often a good idea to review your planning assumptions after you have deployed SMS. To review the guidelines for capacity planning, see the SMS version 1.2 Concepts and Planning, Chapters 10 and 11.
Capacity planning guidelines generally focus on computer CPU, disk, memory, and networking capabilities. The following guidelines should be observed for SMS site servers:
A fast CPU is required.
The site server requires a fast Pentium, Alpha, or MIPS CPU. In certain cases, multiple CPUs are recommended.
A large, fast, NTFS disk is required.
The site server should have a fast disk formatted as NTFS. Multiple drives or drive arrays are recommended. The disks should have at least 500 MB free; 1 GB free space is recommended. If possible, each major application (Windows NT Server, SMS, SQL Server) should have its own physical disk.
At least 24 MB memory is required.
A site server running only Windows NT Server and SMS should be configured with at least 24 MB. A site server running SQL Server in addition to Windows NT Server and SMS should be configured with at least 32 MB. Additional memory should be allocated to other major applications (such as Microsoft SNA Server or the Windows NT Server Services for Macintosh). In certain cases, up to double the required amount of memory is recommended.
A fast network interface is required.
The site server must communicate with many other servers (some in its own site, some in remote sites).