HOW-TO

How To Assess Your Server Needs

Number Of Users

You also need to determine how many users will access a particular server at any one time to plan your server-capacity needs; doing so is even more important than figuring out the total number of users on the network. Knowing the number of users authorized to use a particular application and how many of them are likely to access it simultaneously is the easiest way to determine the capacity you'll need for each application and server.

That said, while determining the number of simultaneous users will help you plan for on-premises applications, it wouldn't do you much good for determining the capacity you need for Web applications. With Web applications that are open to the online user population, past experience is the most reliable guide. Again, consumer businesses should be prepared for traffic spikes. Rule of thumb: Maintaining a Web server with capacity for twice your expected simultaneous traffic translates to a low, incremental cost, especially relative to the potential lost revenue of an outage.

Server Applications

Your business-growth forecasts will drive the types of applications your business needs and, in turn, your server requirements. The basic server applications are file and printer sharing, e-mail, packaged business applications, database sharing, and Web site hosting.

File and printer sharing makes a server's contents accessible to authorized users for storing files, backup, and file sharing, as well as printer sharing among multiple users.

An e-mail server handles e-mail for employees, as well as e-mail to and from customers and suppliers. A corporate e-mail server eliminates the need for each employee to have an e-mail account from an Internet service provider.

Accounting and human resources are two commonly packaged business applications. For security and privacy reasons, they should reside on one server or in a tightly coupled paired-server arrangement with a robust configuration -- meaning plenty of memory, a fast processor, and built-in redundancy.

One way to think of a database server is as a file-sharing server that stores important, centralized files, such as Microsoft Excel, Access, SQL, and Oracle. Putting these files on a single machine makes them accessible to multiple users via the office LAN, ensures that everyone uses the most current version of the database, and makes backups easier.

A Web server uses software and a direct connection to the Internet to host Web sites. You can use configuration tools to guide you to the right combination of components to configure a Web server.

Operating Systems

Most small and midsize businesses choose either Windows Server 2003 or 2008 for their server operating system, though some organizations run a version of Linux. Web servers often run Apache or Microsoft IIS software, while e-mail servers sometimes run a packaged messaging system, such as Lotus Domino.

You'll also have to choose between a 64-bit and 32-bit operating system. A 64-bit operating system offers faster processing power and can handle larger files than a 32-bit operating system. But before opting for a 64-bit operating system, consider the following: