The right hardware for Microsoft EPM 2010

Technical tips and information

A Microsoft EPM system is comprised of an SQL database server (versions 2005, 2008 or 2008 R2) and an application server which will be used to run the application level of Microsoft Project Server 2010.

It is fundamentally possible to run the EPM system on virtual servers. Various architecture scenarios are available and the one you choose will depend on the number of end users involved and the levels of resilience and performance you require. If you would like some advice on this topic, TPG The Project Group’s specialists would be happy to help.

We have based the following examples on what’s known as the “two server scenario” which covers about 80% of use cases. Depending on the server’s performance, up to 1000 users can work on the system with no problem.

1. Hardware requirements for virtual servers

You can use physical or virtual servers to run your Microsoft EPM System. With virtual servers, however, performance is very dependent on the host systems. You can also choose a mixed architecture in which the EPM system’s application layer runs on a virtual and the database part on a high-performance, hardware-based server.

1.1. Hardware requirements for a physical box

1.1.1. Production system with up to 1000 users
Based on our experience with these systems, we can recommend the following hardware as a physical box to support a high-performance Microsoft EPM system in production:

Function	Hardware	Processor	RAM	Hard disk
Application server	HP DL 380 G6/G7	2 x Quadcore 2 GHz	16 GB	146 GB
Database server	HP DL 380 G6/G7	2 x Quadcore 2 GHz	32 GB	146 GB + SAN

1.1.2. Production system with up to 200 users
For a production system with low to medium-level requirements, we recommend the following equipment:

Function	Hardware	Processor	RAM	Hard disk
Application server	virtual	Dual core	8 GB	80 GB
Database server	virtual	Dual core	16 GB	80+ 160 GB
Host for virtual systems	HP DL 380 G6	2 x Quadcore 3GHz	32 GB	2 TB

1.1.3. Test and integration system (optional)
The hardware required for a test and integration system will depend on your requirements, but you’ll need to use the production system recommendations mentioned above as a guideline.

2. Scalability

As with previous versions, there’s no need to worry about scalability with Microsoft EPM 2010. The system is able to grow along with increasing or changing requirements. Future requirements concerning resilience and high availability are no obstacle either. For example, you can add a second application server to a load balanced cluster at any time.