Drive location for software

[hprudhomme]

We are currently running Unity 3.1.6 and need to move to a new server (we will eventually upgrade the new server to Unity 4.x). The new server has 3 mirrored drive sets (C:, D:, and E:). We have less than 32 ports and are planning on using the "Medium-Scale System" model described in the Unity 3.1 Install document, with with Exchange on the Unity server. The Medium-Scale model suggests putting application binaries on the D: drive. Some parts of the install document are good at alerting you to when the drive destination decision needs to be made, but other parts are silent. For those applications where the documentation is silent, I'd like confirmation that the applications binaries should or should not be installed to the D drive (assuming I can make that choice):

MSDE 2000

MSXML3

Thanks.

[Hin Lee]

You didn't mention the drive sizes but in general

c-drive - reserve for windows

d-drive - install the apps here (exchange, sql or msde, commserver). also this is the drive that should store the exchange and sql databases.

e-drive - sql and exchange transaction logs, unity logs).

e-drive is going to be important because that is going to be a drive that will grow if you don't maintain exchange transaction logs. Unity by default maintains the logs at 400 megs. In addition, the sql's nightly and weekly backup jobs have to succeed to prevent sql transaction logs from growing excessively.

see this section

Optimizing the Databases

Best Practices for All Systems

Physically separate the transaction logs and database files on different disks.

Dedicate a high-performance disk to the transaction logs.

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/voicesw/ps2237/products_white_paper09186a00800a5b6c.shtml#wp1423680

[hprudhomme]

Thanks for the info.

C, D, and E drives are each 36GB (each one has two 36GB drives in raid 1 array to make one 36GB logical drive), setup per Unity 3.1 install docs.

Even though I am starting with Unity 3.1.6, but plan to upgrade to 4.x, I see from the Unity 4 docs that I probably should be setting up 4 logical drives: C and D on 1st disk array and E and F each on their own disk array. Then OS goes on C, apps go on D and transaction logs and databases each get their own array.

I haven't seen any documentation yet on setting up or changing location of Unity log and UMB repository location although there are drive recommendations on where those should reside. Do you have link you could share?

Thanks again for your reply.