CentOS - Aug 2007 - How to size an email server to handle 5 million emails per day

I have no idea as to how to size an email server. I was approached by
a customer that wanted a single server with RAID 1 disks to handle
about 5 million emails a day.
In general terms, what parameters should I take into account to size
the hardware specs when the average email is about 10kb, the smalles
email is 2kb and the largest email is about 5meg (with attachment)

thanks,

-- 
------------------------------------------------------------
Erick Perez

Erick Perez wrote:
> I have no idea as to how to size an email server. I was approached by
> a customer that wanted a single server with RAID 1 disks to handle
> about 5 million emails a day.
> In general terms, what parameters should I take into account to size
> the hardware specs when the average email is about 10kb, the smalles
> email is 2kb and the largest email is about 5meg (with attachment)
> 
5 million emails a day? Would your customer be involved in marketing? I 
am not sure I want to give advice that will be used to aid a spammer.

I think I would do RAID5 over RAID1 since you'll get more spindles.  I'd
also consider multiple cores and LOTS of RAM.

Mike
 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: centos-bounces at centos.org 
> [mailto:centos-bounces at centos.org] On Behalf Of Erick Perez
> Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2007 9:52 PM
> To: CentOS mailing list
> Subject: [CentOS] How to size an email server to handle 5 
> million emails perday
> 
> I have no idea as to how to size an email server. I was 
> approached by a customer that wanted a single server with 
> RAID 1 disks to handle about 5 million emails a day.
> In general terms, what parameters should I take into account 
> to size the hardware specs when the average email is about 
> 10kb, the smalles email is 2kb and the largest email is about 
> 5meg (with attachment)
> 
> thanks,
> 
> --
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> Erick Perez
> _______________________________________________
> CentOS mailing list
> CentOS at centos.org
> http://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos
>

On second thought, are mails being delivered locally or are you relaying
to Exchange (or similar)?

Mike
 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: centos-bounces at centos.org 
> [mailto:centos-bounces at centos.org] On Behalf Of Erick Perez
> Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2007 9:52 PM
> To: CentOS mailing list
> Subject: [CentOS] How to size an email server to handle 5 
> million emails perday
> 
> I have no idea as to how to size an email server. I was 
> approached by a customer that wanted a single server with 
> RAID 1 disks to handle about 5 million emails a day.
> In general terms, what parameters should I take into account 
> to size the hardware specs when the average email is about 
> 10kb, the smalles email is 2kb and the largest email is about 
> 5meg (with attachment)
> 
> thanks,
> 
> --
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> Erick Perez
> _______________________________________________
> CentOS mailing list
> CentOS at centos.org
> http://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos
>

Erick Perez wrote:
> I have no idea as to how to size an email server. I was approached by
> a customer that wanted a single server with RAID 1 disks to handle
> about 5 million emails a day.
> In general terms, what parameters should I take into account to size
> the hardware specs when the average email is about 10kb, the smalles
> email is 2kb and the largest email is about 5meg (with attachment)
>   

you need to define what you mean by 'handle' email.    that could mean 
anything from a sending 1000s of copies of the same message over and 
over to a email hosting server at a corporation with 5000 busy users 
with sox requirements.

On 8/24/07, Erick Perez <eaperezh at gmail.com>
wrote:
>
> I have no idea as to how to size an email server. I was approached by
> a customer that wanted a single server with RAID 1 disks to handle
> about 5 million emails a day.


pls see below URL. It may help you.

http://wiki.mailscanner.info/doku.php?id=maq:index#setup_examples

>
>
>

-- 
Thank you
Indunil Jayasooriya
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Erick Perez wrote on Thu, 23 Aug 2007 21:52:20 -0500:
> 5 million emails a day
so, 4 million of that are spam? The ressources you need depend very much 
on how you deal with spam. If you take good measures at MTA level the 
system backend with SA etc. has only to deal with 1 million, otherwise it 
has to deal with five times of that. Quite a difference.

Kai

-- 
Kai Sch?tzl, Berlin, Germany
Get your web at Conactive Internet Services: http://www.conactive.com

Erick Perez wrote:
> I have no idea as to how to size an email server. I was approached by
> a customer that wanted a single server with RAID 1 disks to handle
> about 5 million emails a day.
> In general terms, what parameters should I take into account to size
> the hardware specs when the average email is about 10kb, the smalles
> email is 2kb and the largest email is about 5meg (with attachment)
> 
> thanks,
> 
I don't know if you have done it yet, but Fort System's new offering, 
BarricadeMX, could help you cut spam.

http://www.fsl.com/barricademx.html

It is closed-source, but FSL gives a lot to open-source communities, 
especially MailScanner's.

Ugo