Exchange Server 2007 Mailbox Server Storage Cost Calculator

EDIT: This post has been updated on 12/2/2008 to match the newest version of Exchange Server 2007 Mailbox Server Storage Cost Calculator.

Overview

Earlier versions of Exchange did not scale well enough, at a low enough cost per mailbox (because of expensive hardware and recovery options) to allow IT administrators the ability to match the ever increasing mailbox sizes of personal e-mail accounts. Exchange 2007 offers dramatic performance and scalability improvements when compared to prior versions of Exchange. Long recovery times have been a significant impediment to the adoption of larger mailbox sizes. The introduction of cluster continuous replication (CCR) offers the ability to rapidly recover from outages at a low cost. These performance and rapid recovery improvements enable IT departments to deploy large mailboxes easily and at a low cost. Increased mailbox sizes improve end-user productivity and satisfaction, reduce IT administrative costs, improve security, and help meet business and regulatory compliance requirements. For more information on the end user and IT benefits that are available by deploying large mailboxes in Exchange 2007, please see the whitepaper, Planning for Large Mailboxes with Exchange 2007.

In order to move forward with various designs like large mailboxes, IT departments need to understand one of the chief costs associated with Exchange mailbox servers, namely storage. To that end, the Exchange 2007 Mailbox Storage Cost Calculator is designed to help you determine a portion of the mailbox server cost, namely the disk cost (purchase price and lifecycle power and cooling costs). The calculator helps in two ways:

1. The calculator takes a series compares a series of storage design configurations and determines their respective costs. The underlying goal here is two-fold:

a. To show that you can achieve the same capacity and I/O requirements utilizing Small Form Factor SAS disks for relatively the same cost as Large Form Factor FC disks.

b. To show that there are other disk solutions (e.g., SATA) that can be viable and reduce the disk footprint cost.

2. In the situation where you are unsure whether you want to deploy Single Copy Clusters (SCC) or Cluster Continuous Replication (CCR), the calculator can compare SCC+SAN disk configurations against CCR+DAS disk configurations from a cost perspective.

Hopefully these measurements will show the value from a cost perspective in considering other disk designs, coupled with large mailboxes and continuous replication.

In order to utilize the Exchange 2007 Mailbox Storage Cost Calculator, you need to understand the solution you are planning to deploy. In particular, you need to know:

• Number of mailbox servers
• Number of mailboxes and their mailbox size
• High availability model that will be used
• Number of database copies that will exist
• Power and cooling costs
• Storage design
• Disk costs
• Disk active power consumption

In addition, you should also keep in mind that by default this calculator model only focuses on the associated disk costs. For a complete end-to-end cost/mailbox these items will also need to be considered, just to name a few:

• Server costs
• Array controller costs
• Disk enclosure costs
• Fibre/network fabric costs
• Datacenter/floor space costs
• Software costs
• Other operational management costs

How to Use the Calculator

Input Worksheet

When you launch the Exchange 2007 Mailbox Storage Cost Calculator, you are presented with the Input worksheet. This worksheet is broken down into 7 key areas.

Important: The example configuration provided within this calculator is just that, an example, and as such, each input option needs to be evaluated as to how it will affect your design.

Step 1 - Gather Storage Requirements

The Exchange 2007 Mailbox Storage Cost Calculator can work hand-in-hand with the Exchange 2007 Mailbox Storage Requirements Calculator. You should first scope out your mailbox server storage design using the Requirements Calculator as its output can be inputted into this calculator.

Step 2 - Solution Information

In this section you are asked to fill in the necessary information about your mailbox server solution:

• For Number of Mailbox Servers, simply enter in the number of mailbox servers or number of clustered mailbox servers you will deploy.
• For Number of Mailbox Servers / Server, simply enter in the number of mailboxes that will be deployed on each mailbox server or clustered mailbox server. This value can be obtained from the Requirements Calculator Storage Requirements worksheet's Solution Configuration table (Single Server column).
• For Large Mailbox Size Deployment (1GB+), select Yes if you are planning to deploy large mailboxes and No if you are planning to deploy small mailboxes. Large mailbox deployments require a fast recovery mechanism in order to meet most RTO requirements; therefore, if you are deploying large mailboxes without continuous replication, you should deploy a VSS clone backup methodology.
• For High Availability Model, select the type of model that you plan to deploy: SCC, CCR, LCR, or none.
• For Number of Database Copies / Mailbox Server via Continuous Replication, enter in the total number of mailbox copies you will have for each mailbox server instance. This value can be obtained from the Requirements Calculator Storage Requirements worksheet's Number of Servers & Data Copies table.
• For VSS Backup Solution, you can choose clone, snapshot, or none. If you are deploying a SCC environment with large mailboxes, you should consider deploying a VSS solution that supports fast recovery (3 minutes + log replay), like a clone-based snapshot mechanism.
• For Number of VSS Clone Copies, you should select to have at least 2 copies so that you can rotate through them and not put your environment at risk by overwriting your only valid backup.
• For Third-Party Data Replication Solution, select yes if you are planning to utilize a data replication mechanism for your Single Copy Cluster or standalone mailbox server environment. By selecting yes, the storage calculator will double the number of disks required for the SCC or standalone solution (database, log, restore LUN) so that the replicated hardware can take ownership and become the primary copy without losing any functionality.
• For VSS Copy Support in Geographically Dispersed SCC, select yes if you plan on deploying a geographically dispersed SCC environment and want to ensure that backups can continue in the event of a site failover.

Step 3 - Storage Solution Costs

In this section you are asked to determine how you would like the cost analysis performed. You can utilize the default model, which bases the cost analysis on individual component pricing, or you can select to perform the cost analysis based on a complete storage solution cost.

For the first table, you can select as to whether you want to perform the cost analysis per individual component cost by selecting Yes, or you can choose to enter into the second table the entire solution's cost by selecting No.

If you selected No in the prior table, then you may enter into this table the storage solution cost per storage configuration. In addition, you can also enter into this section any additional costs (e.g. software licensing costs) you would like included in the cost analysis.

Step 4 - Operational Metrics

In this section you are asked to enter in the power and cooling operational costs and how many years you expect this solution to remain in production. For determining your power and cooling costs, please consult your data center management staff.

Step 5 - Disk Configuration

In this section you are asked to enter in the various disk design configurations you wish to analyze from a cost perspective. For comparative analysis, you should enter at least 2 different disk configurations. This data can be obtained from the Requirements Calculator Storage Design worksheet's Storage Design Input Factors - Disk Selection section.

In the second table, you are asked to enter in the various disk design configurations you wish to analyze from a cost perspective that will be used as part of the VSS backup infrastructure. Note that if you are performing snapshot copies and storing all the data on the same disks, you can select "-" for the Log Copy Disk Type.

Step 6 - Number of Disks

In this section you are asked to enter in the number of disks required for each disk design configuration you wish to analyze. This data can be obtained from the Requirements Calculator Storage Design worksheet's RAID Configurations / Server table (Note: when populating this table, only focus on the primary database copy and ignore the disk requirements for the continuous replication replica of disks).

In the second table, you are asked to enter in the number of disks required for each VSS backup disk design configuration you wish to analyze.

Step 7 - Disk Cost

In this section you are asked to enter in the disk cost for each type of disk you entered into Step 4. You can obtain this data from your storage vendor or from whatever purchase vehicle you utilize.

In the second table, you are asked to enter in the disk cost for each type of disk you entered into the VSS backup disk type table. You can obtain this data from your storage vendor or from whatever purchase vehicle you utilize.

Step 8 - Disk Power Consumption

In this section you are asked to enter in the active power consumption for each type of disk you entered into Step 4. You can obtain this data from your storage vendor or from the disk manufacturer's product literature.

In the second table, you are asked to enter in the active power consumption for each type of disk you entered into the VSS backup disk type table. You can obtain this data from your storage vendor or from the disk manufacturer's product literature.

Step 9 - Storage Configuration

In this section, you can choose to enter in details regarding your storage controllers and storage enclosures. Specifically you can define the total number of enclosures and controllers used in each configuration, the cost per device, and the active power consumption per device.

For the first table, you can select as to whether you want to include the storage enclosure and/or storage controller configuration into the cost analysis.

For the second table, you can enter in the details of the storage enclosure configuration per storage configuration. Please note that you should enter in the total number of enclosures used in the environment for each configuration.

For the third table, you can enter in the details of the storage controller configuration per storage configuration. Please note that you should enter in the total number of controllers used in the environment for each configuration.

After entering in the required information on the Input Worksheet, you can access the Storage Costs Results Worksheet.

Storage Cost Calculations Section

For each disk configuration entered into the Input Worksheet, the calculator will derive the following information:

• Total Number of disks required. This number will reflect the required number of disks to support the Exchange storage (if continuous replication is selected, then at least 2 copies), the backup infrastructure, and the number of disks required for the number of standby continuous replication targets that were entered into the Input Worksheet.
• Total disk or solution cost.
• Total power consumed for the required disks/solution.
• Yearly power cost for the required disks/solution.
• Yearly cooling cost for the required disks/solution.

This information is then utilized in the results section.

Storage Cost Results Section

Based on the information provided in the Input Worksheet, the calculator will generate three tables.

The first table displays the capital expenses for each configuration. Specifically, the table outlines the total number of disks required for each disk configuration, the disk (or solution) cost, and the disk (or solution) cost per mailbox.

The second table displays the operational expenses for each configuration. Specifically, the table outlines the yearly power and cooling costs for the disks (or solution), the production lifecycle power and cooling cost, and the production lifecycle power and cooling cost per mailbox.

The third table displays the total expenses for each configuration. Specifically, the table outlines the total disk (or solution) cost and production lifecycle power and cooling cost and those costs per mailbox. The calculator will also visually show how the costs compare with one another: green indicates the most affordable solution, yellow indicates the second affordable solution, and red indicates the most expensive solution.

Storage Cost Charts Worksheet

The Storage Cost Charts worksheet simply takes the data that is provided in the Storage Cost Results section and provides it in a graphical form which can then be used in presentations, or delivered to business decision makers, etc.

SCC vs. CCR Worksheet

This worksheet is designed to help you when you want to understand the differences between deploying in an SCC configuration or a CCR configuration; differences like:

• CCR provides two copies of the data. SCC provides only a single copy of the data (unless deployed with a third-party data replication solution).
• CCR provides a built-in fast recovery mechanism. SCC does not provide a built-in fast recovery mechanism.
• CCR due to its fast recovery mechanism can handle large mailboxes without an impact to RTO. SCC requires a fast recovery mechanism like VSS clones to satisfy meeting the RTO requirements.

SCC vs. CCR Input Factors - Solution Configuration

Step 1 - Many of the data points used to perform the SCC and CCR comparison are taken from the Input worksheet:

• Number of mailboxes
• Number of mailbox servers
• Whether large mailboxes are deployed
• Power and cooling costs
• Production lifecycle

However the Input worksheet does not include all the data points necessary to make this comparison. Those differences can be entered into this section's table:

• For Number of SCR Copies, enter the number of SCR copies you would like to have deployed in this environment. Note that for SCC environments, if you enable third-party data replication, the number of SCR copies value will be ignored.

SCC vs. CCR Input Factors - Storage Solution Costs

Step 2 - In this section you are asked to determine how you would like the cost analysis performed. You can utilize the default model, which bases the cost analysis on individual component pricing, or you can select to perform the cost analysis based on a complete storage solution cost.

For the first table, you can select as to whether you want to perform the cost analysis per individual component cost by selecting Yes, or you can choose to enter into the second table the entire solution's cost by selecting No.

If you selected No in the prior table, then you may enter into this table the storage solution cost for the SCC storage configuration and the CCR storage configuration. In addition, you can also enter into this section any additional costs (e.g. software licensing costs) you would like included in the cost analysis.

SCC vs. CCR Input Factors - SCC Configuration

Step 3 - For this table, you can enter in various pieces of information regarding the Single Copy Cluster environment:

• For VSS Backup Solution, you can choose clone, snapshot, or none. If you are deploying a SCC environment with large mailboxes, you should consider deploying a VSS solution that supports fast recovery (3 minutes + log replay), like a clone-based snapshot mechanism.
• For Number of VSS Clone Copies, you should select to have at least 2 copies so that you can rotate through them and not put your environment at risk by overwriting your only valid backup.
• If you are planning on deploying your Single Copy Cluster environment in a geographically dispersed model or if you are planning to enhance your solution by replicating the mailbox store data to another storage enclosure, you can select "Yes" to the Geographically Dispersed SCC (3^rd Party Data Replication) input. By selecting yes, the storage calculator will double the number of disks required for the SCC solution (database, log, restore LUN) so that the replicated hardware can take ownership and become the primary copy without losing any functionality.
• For VSS Copy Support in Geographically Dispersed SCC, select yes if you plan on deploying a geographically dispersed SCC environment and want to ensure that backups can continue in the event of a site/storage failover.

Step 4 - For this table, you can enter in the desired storage configuration you wish to use in your SCC environment. Select the appropriate disk type and enter in the number of required disk spindles per mailbox server, as well as, the disk cost and the disk power consumption.

Step 5 - For this table, you can enter in the design VSS backup storage configuration you wish to use with your SCC environment. Select the appropriate disk type and enter in the number of required disk spindles per mailbox server, as well as, the disk cost and the disk power consumption. Note that if you are performing snapshot copies and storing all the data on the same disks, you can select "-" for the Log Copy Disk Type.

Step 6 - For this section, you can choose to enter in details regarding your storage controllers and storage enclosures. Specifically you can define the total number of enclosures and controllers used in each configuration, the cost per device, and the active power consumption per device. For the first table, you can select as to whether you want to include the storage enclosure and/or storage controller configuration into the cost analysis.

For the second table, you can enter in the details of the storage enclosure and storage controller configuration. Please note that you should enter in the total number of devices used in the environment for each configuration.

SCC vs. CCR Input Factors - CCR Configuration

Step 7 - For this table, you can enter in various pieces of information regarding the Cluster Continuous Replication environment:

• For VSS Backup Solution, you can choose snapshot, or none. If you are deploying a SCC environment with large mailboxes, you should consider deploying a VSS solution that supports fast recovery (3 minutes + log replay), like a clone-based snapshot mechanism.

Step 8 - For this table, you can enter in the desired storage configuration you wish to use in your CCR environment. Select the appropriate disk type and enter in the number of required disk spindles per node, as well as, the disk cost and the disk power consumption.

Step 9 - For this table, you can enter in the design VSS backup storage configuration you wish to use with your CCR environment. Select the appropriate disk type and enter in the number of required disk spindles per mailbox server, as well as, the disk cost and the disk power consumption. Note that if you are performing snapshot copies and storing all the data on the same disks, you can select "-" for the Log Copy Disk Type.

Step 10 - For this section, you can choose to enter in details regarding your storage controllers and storage enclosures. Specifically you can define the total number of enclosures and controllers used in each configuration, the cost per device, and the active power consumption per device. For the first table, you can select as to whether you want to include the storage enclosure and/or storage controller configuration into the cost analysis.

For the second table, you can enter in the details of the storage enclosure and storage controller configuration. Please note that you should enter in the total number of devices used in the environment for each configuration.

SCC vs. CCR Calculations Section

For each disk configuration entered into the Input Worksheet, the calculator will derive the following information:

• Total Number of disks required.
• Total disk cost.
• Total power consumed for the required disks.
• Yearly power cost for the required disks.
• Yearly cooling cost for the required disks.

This information is then utilized in the results section.

SCC vs. CCR Results Section

The first table outlines the total number of disks required for the SCC and CCR configurations, as well as, the number of data copies that exist for each solution. If you enabled VSS clones for your SCC solution, this will be reflected in the total copy count. If you also select to deploy a third-party data replication solution for SCC, this will increase the copy count by one.

The second table displays the capital expenses for the SCC and CCR configurations. Specifically, the table outlines the total number of disks required for each disk configuration, the disk (or solution) cost, and the disk (or solution) cost per mailbox. The calculator will also visually show how the costs compare with one another: green indicates the most affordable solution, yellow indicates the second affordable solution, and red indicates the most expensive solution

The third table displays the operational expenses for the SCC and CCR configurations. Specifically, the table outlines the yearly power and cooling costs for the disks (or solution), the production lifecycle power and cooling cost, and the production lifecycle power and cooling cost per mailbox.

The fourth table displays the total expenses for the SCC and CCR configurations. Specifically, the table outlines the total disk (or solution) cost and production lifecycle power and cooling cost and those costs per mailbox.

Hopefully you will find this calculator invaluable in helping to analyze various disk configuration costs for Exchange 2007 mailbox servers. If you have any questions or suggestions, please email strgcalc@microsoft.com.

Ross Smith IV