BES Server System Requirements
Please use the following information to specify hardware and server configurations for a single dedicated BES Server. It is assumed that the computer hosts the BES Server software, BES Web Reports and SQL Server.
The specifications below may change if your BES deployment uses an advanced configuration like a separate SQL Server, a separate Web Reports Server, a SAN (Storage Area Network) or DSA (Distributed Server Architecture). Please contact Bigfix Technical Support for assistance with an advanced configuration.
Click here for BES Server requirements for evaluation installations.
Click here for BES Console requirements.
BES Server System Specifications
- Windows 2000 Server (SP 2 and above)
- Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition
Supported Operating Systems:
Click here for the Support Policy page with more details on OS Support.
Note: 64-Bit versions of Windows 2000 and Windows 2003 are supported for BES 6.0 and above.
- SQL Server 2000
- SQL Server 2005
Database Requirements:
Note: SQL Server 2005 (32-Bit and 64-Bit) is supported for BES 6.0 and above.
BES Server Hardware Specifications
The values listed below are recommended hardware specifications that will provide good performance for similar sized deployments of BES. If your deployment will have over 100 BES Console Operators you should consider raising your hardware specifications to the next higher scale to support the large number of users or contact Bigfix Technical Support for more help in selecting hardware.
Hardware Specifications
For best performance, use the following recommendations:| Deployment Size | CPU | Memory | Hard Disks |
| < 250 | 2-3 GHz | 1 GB | Standard HD |
| 1,000 | 2-3 GHz - 2 Cores | 2 GB | 1 RAID Array (RAID 10, 5) |
| 10,000 | 2-3 GHz - 2-4 Cores | 4 GB | 1-2 RAID Arrays (RAID 10) |
| 50,000 | 2-3 GHz - 4 Cores | 8 GB | 2 RAID Arrays (RAID 10) |
| 100,000 | 2-3 GHz - 4-8 Cores | 12 GB | 3 RAID Arrays (RAID 10) |
| > 200,000 | 2-3+ GHz - 8-16 Cores | 16+ GB | 3-4 RAID Arrays (RAID 10) |
Note: RAID arrays must support using the disk cache for both reading and writing. The disk cache should be set to 50/50 read write.
Disk Space Requirements
The Hard Disk configurations listed above are focused on providing high performance disks for the database and BES Server. The physical capacity needed for BES is generally considered very small. A minimum of 5 GB free disk space is needed by the database, data files, and the file caches to run BES. It is recommended that an additional 20-50 GB of disk space be available for flexibility for administrative tasks like database backups and to allow for growth.
Multiple RAID arrays normally provide more than enough disk space for BES so capacity concerns aren't common.
Network Card Specifications
The BES Server is the central communication hub of a BES deployment and should be positioned in a data center with a high-speed network connection.
BES Server network speed recommendations:
- 10 mbps network connection is possible but not recommended for performance reasons.
- 100 mbps network connection or higher is recommended.
- 1000 mbps network connection is recommended if possible.
For deployments over 25,000 seats, please consider using teamed network cards or 1 GB connections to provide optimal network throughput for the BES Server.
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