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Date:      Tue, 05 Nov 2002 08:40:53 -0700
From:      EAZNet - Eddie Fry <eddie@eaznet.com>
To:        "Dave [Hawk-Systems]" <dave@hawk-systems.com>, "Tom Samplonius" <tom@sdf.com>, "Scott Gerhardt" <scott@g-it.ca>
Cc:        <nbari@unixmexico.com>, <freebsd-isp@FreeBSD.ORG>
Subject:   gateway mail server WAS qmail + 1 million users
Message-ID:  <5.1.1.6.0.20021105083935.03251d18@mail.eaznet.com>
In-Reply-To: <DBEIKNMKGOBGNDHAAKGNOEDGDEAB.dave@hawk-systems.com>
References:  <Pine.BSF.4.05.10211050030410.5111-100000@misery.sdf.com>

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Dave,

What are you using for gateway mail servers and SPAM filtering?  I have 
been looking for a solution to this problem, but have not been satisfied.

Thanks,

Eddie

At 09:14 AM 11/5/2002 -0500, Dave [Hawk-Systems] wrote:
> >> Hmm, 1,000,000 users with 2MB quota each will require 2TB of disk space
> >> minimum!  You will need an external fiber channel or similar storage 
> array.
> >
> >  It has been a long time since I've seen a mail server with enough
> >storage to handle each mailbox at 100% capacity.  Most people check their
> >mail regularly, and have empty boxes.  In fact, on one mail server I've
> >seen, the total daily delivered volume of e-mail (7GB) exceeds the total
> >free space (5GB), but yet it never fills up, as most of are checking their
> >e-mail constantly, so the number of e-mails in and out is roughly the
> >same.
>
>That said, the volume of users he is talking putting on two 73GB 
>drives...  the
>potential for running into storage problems is high.  ON a smaller scale, we
>have a server with 500 users, also using webmail interface (so some mail
>retention factors on the server) with each user set at 100mb limit per
>mailbox...  all served off a 20gb partition for the maildirectories...
>currently the storage requirement is around 350mb.  Another server with
>approximately 1300 users currently requires just under 1GB of storage.
>
>Alot will depend on HIS usage...  a free or hotmail type service will 
>result in
>a significant number of accounts that collect mail and are never emptied, thus
>he better have the maildir on a seperate parittion that won't crash and burn
>when he taps out the storage he has allocated to the maildirs.
>
>To the question though,  the suggestions so far I am in agreement with... 
>throw
>more ram at the swapfile problem, multiple smaller scsi disks will allow 
>faster
>rw at raid1.  If you are not wanting to totally overhaul the system, placing
>your swap (and systems files) on seperate disks than your mail storage may 
>help
>by reducing accesses to the same drive(s)...  depends on your raid config.
>
>Definately look into the cost of installing gateway SMTP servers as 
>recommended,
>and equip them with spam filtering.  That will probably knock off 30% or 
>more of
>your volume, and give you a valueadd(if users are paying) at the same 
>time.  We
>just started looking at postini as as alternative for what we are currently
>running...  havn't sifted through the effect on bandwidth yet to provide
>recommendation though.
>
>Cheers,
>
>Dave
>
>
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