What boot.ini option to use for Exchange 2003 server

[johnny99]

Can anyone help me with an advice on what boot.ini options to use on a Exchange 2003 server running both Exchange 2003 enterprise edt. and Windows 2003 adv. server.
The server will initialy have 6 GB memory.

I haven't found any info on what type of memory Exchange 2003 will use (AWE og PAE)

/johnny

 

[snootalope]

I'm sure you've seen this kb at M4 already.. It'll help you out some what:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;328882&Product=exch2003

Not sure about the Enterprise edition though.. So you're running to OS's on the same machine that's hosting exchange 2003??

Snoots

 

[johnny99]

It is just one Dell 2650 server with 6 GB ram running Windows 2003 Adv server and Exchange 2003 enterprise edition.

I have read the article, but I can't see that it realy says anything about Exchange 2003.

/johnny

 

[TruBlu01]

I believe Exchange 2003 will only see 4GB of ram. Make sure to use the 3 switches in the ini file.

 

[johnny99]

What 3 switches?
/3GB /PAE /USERVA=3030 ?

 

[luisrato]

If you have one Exchange server 2000 with more than 1Gb of memory, you should use the following switch in boot.ini:

/3GB

If you have one Exchange server 2003 with more than 1GB of memory, you should use the following switches in boot.ini:

/3GB /USERVA=3030


By the way. Does your server with Exchange 2003 will do more anything than an Exchange Server? If not, 6Gb is a Waste. Exchange doesn't use more than 3Gb of Ram. Buy only 3GB of Ram, more than that is losing money.
It's by design.

Luís Rato
MCP;MCSA;MCSA Messaging;MCSE;CIWA;CIWP;CIWSA;MCIWA

 

[xmsre]

1. if running windows 2003 {standard or enterprise] with over 1G of RAM, use the /3gb switch and userva-3030 switch. The /3gb swith changes the dividing line between user and kernal from the 2G point to the 3G point, effectively taking 1G away from Kernal and giving it to the user mode application (Exchange).

2. if running Windows 2000 Advanced server with over 1G of ram, use the /3gb switch and set the system pages key to 30,000. The userva switch in 2003 redistributes the pooled non paged bytes in order to compensate for the loss of page table entries when the /3gb switch is used. Setting system pages to 30,000 has the same effect.

3. Exchange is not capable of using more than 3G of RAM. Anything over 4G (3 for exchange and 1 for kernal) in the box is a waste. Yank the extra 2G and put it someplace where it will make a difference (your SQL server or other AWE aware application server).

Just for the true blue IBMers out there, IBM/Lotus gnoats in only capable of using 2G of RAM on the Windows platform. Why exactly did IBM arbitrarially cripple their application only on the Windows platform? (the AIX version has no such limit, and memory is the basis for performance tuning on the gnoats/dumbino platform). Does 3723 ring a bell?

5. DO NOT use the /PAE option. The /PAE option causes each page table entry to consume twice as much RAM. The net effect is to severely restrict PTEs (already in short supply because of the /3gb switch) and is a sure fire way to induce resource allocation errors (stop 3D, event ID 50 with a C000009A status code, etc.)

XMSRE
MOSMWNMTK, WKIL+, WMDM