[ActiveDir] Hardware Suggestions

[Edwin]

Currently there is an open thread entitled “RAID suggestions for DC; maybe OT”.  I didn’t want to dirty that thread by introducing my question that builds upon it.   How about other hardware requirements such as CPU, Disk Size and RAM?  RAID configuration I think is documented very well but how can you scale Active Directory’s growth?   I downloaded ADSizer (http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/reskit/tools/new/adsizer-o.asp) but the recommended hardware did not display good results in my opinion.  It was suggested that I have a machine with 4 x 933 Xeon Processors and 512 MB or RAM.  It just does not make sense to me to have so much CPU but so little RAM.  ADSizer does recommend Disk recommendations, but my results returned a System Disk in RAID1 but nothing for Log or Database Disks.   In the environment that I wish to deploy a new domain, I will have around 150 or so member computers and possibly 50 or so others that are stand alone workstations.  MS Exchange 2003 will also be a part of the domain.  Initially, I do not think that any attributes other than the required defaults will be used on user objects, but eventually I would like to populate or add this information in the future.   Are there guidelines on recommended hardware for DC’s in a domain?  MS Exchange seems to be well documented on this but I have not found much on DC’s.   Thanks, Edwin