Hp COMPAQ PROLIANT 800, COMPAQ PROLIANT 7000, COMPAQ PROLIANT 5000 Novell GroupWise Performance Management

WHITE PAPER

.

September 1997 Prepared by Internet

Solutions Engineering Compaq Computer

Corporation

CONTENTS

A message from Paul Smart, Vice President of Research and Development, Collaboration

Services.........................0

Objective ........................ 0

GroupWise

Architecture ...................0

Functionality of GroupWise 5.2

Server.................................0

GroupWise System

Requirements................. 0

Client..................................0

Server.................................0

Performance

Management................... 0

Overview ............................. 0

Novell Super Laboratory ........ 0

Test Configuration ................ 0

Test Procedure..................... 0

Subsystem Performance

Comparison..........................0

Performance

Tuning............................0

Bus System Tuning ............... 0

Hard Disk Controller Tuning ... 0 NetWare Operating System

Tuning................................. 0

Performance

Conclusions ................... 0

System Processor................. 0

Memory............................... 0

Disk Subsystem.................... 0

Proof of Concept of Sizing the

GroupWise Server .......... 0

ECG007.0897

.

Novell GroupWise Performance

.

Management on Compaq Servers

.

This Compaq White Paper provides the results of a performance analysis conducted by

.

Novell and Compaq engineers on the GroupWise Server for Novell IntranetWare. The

.

information here is based on technical knowledge acquired by both Novell and Compaq

.

engineers while testing these products in a closely controlled environment.

.

This paper is for system integrators and network administrators with knowledge of

.

Compaq Server products, Novell GroupWise, and IntranetWare. It is a supplement to the

.

“Compaq Hardware Reference” document and the “Novell GroupWise 5.2”

.

documentation. The results and conclusions of this paper provide

.

• an understanding of how Novell GroupWise works, including performance impact

.

1

with various hardware configurations.

• suggestions for improving your GroupWise Server for IntranetWare performance.

• recommendations for selecting the appropriate server hardware for your GroupWise

Server for IntranetWare.

WHITE PAPER (cont.)

.

NOTICE

.

The information in this publication is subject to change without notice.

.

ECG007.0897

.

COMPAQ COMPUTER CORPORATION SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR TECHNICAL

.

OR EDITORIAL ERRORS OR OMISSIONS CONTAINED HEREIN, NOR FOR

.

INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM THE

.

FURNISHING, PERFORMANCE, OR USE OF THIS MATERIAL.

.

This publication does not constitute an endorsement of the product or products that were tested.

.

The configuration or configurations tested or described may or may not be the only available

.

solution. This test is not a determination of product quality or correctness, nor does it ensure

.

compliance with any federal, state or local requirements. Compaq does not warrant products other

.

than its own strictly as stated in Compaq product warranties.

.

Product names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their

.

respective companies.

.

Compaq, ProLiant, Pentium Pro, Novell, NetWare, NetWare Directory Services, GroupWise,

.

GroupWare, IntranetWare are registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

.

Other product names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their

.

respective companies.

.

Novell GroupWise Performance Management on Compaq Servers

.

First Edition (September 1997)

.

ECG007.0897

.

2

WHITE PAPER (cont.)

.

A MESSAGE FROM PAUL SMART, VICE PRESIDENT OF

.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, COLLABORATION SERVICES

.

The tests that Compaq performed in the Novell Superlab clearly demonstrate the overall

.

ECG007.0897

.

scalability that GroupWise, IntraNetWare and Compaq servers can offer. The SuperLab is unique

.

in that it provides a testing environment for 1000+ machines. The testing is much more realistic

.

with no simulation of connected users or desktops.

.

The combination of IntraNetWare, GroupWise and Compaq servers delivers a level of

.

performance, scalability and reliablity that will help customers realize the highest Return on

.

Investment.

.

OBJECTIVE

.

One objective of this Compaq White Paper is to provide information to assist current customers

.

running Novell GroupWise R5.2 for IntranetWare on Compaq servers in optimally configuring

.

their server(s) to achieve the highest possible performance from their hardware and software.

.

Information is also provided that will assist customers in making configuration upgrade decisions

.

that may be based on an anticipated return in performance gains.

.

Another objective is to provide information to assist future customers in selecting the appropriate

.

server hardware configuration for their operating environment. Data provided illustrates

.

performance and system utilization that can be expected for various processor types, server

.

memory quantities, and disk subsystem choices. Customers may use this data to determine which

.

price-for-performance configuration would best suit their business needs.

.

GROUPWISE ARCHITECTURE

.

GroupWise offers expanded E-mail and Integration with Internet/intranet

.

technologies. If you can use E-mail or a browser, you can use GroupWise.

.

The Internet has changed the face of business communications. While E-mail is fine for sending

.

messages back and forth, in today’s marketplace—where survival often depends on your ability to

.

collaborate and share information—E-mail isn’t enough. In order to work effectively, you need

.

the tools to send and retrieve messages, access shared documents, store voice-mail messages and

.

make appointments. Just as important, you need a tool that lets you get the information you need

.

when and where you need it. With expanded Internet capabilities and an elegant, easy-to-use

.

interface, GroupWise 5.2 is that tool. The following figure depicts the GroupWise 5.2

.

Architecture.

.

3

WHITE PAPER (cont.)

.

ECG007.0897

.

Figure 1. GroupWise 5.2 Architecture

.

Functionality of GroupWise 5.2 Server

.

• Full-featured E-mail

.

• Document management

.

• Calendaring and scheduling

.

• Workflow

.

• Imaging

.

• Remote Access

.

• Conferencing

.

• Paging

.

• Forms

.

• Voice mail integration

.

• Faxing capabilities

.

• Intranet/Internet integration

.

• and more...

.

4

WHITE PAPER (cont.)

.

Everything You Need In One Place

.

The workplace is hectic enough without constantly having to search for E-mail, Web addresses,

.

faxes, voice-mail, documents, appointments, and to-do lists. GroupWise allows you to gather all

ECG007.0897

.

that information in one place, with a simple interface that’s as easy to manage as E-mail. It’s

.

called the Universal Mailbox, and it even lets users store Web addresses that link directly to the

.

referenced home page.

.

Get All Your Docs In Line

.

GroupWise Document Management lets several people work simultaneously on a single

.

document. And a new feature, Jefferson Project technology, provides users with a full-featured

.

Web publishing environment that allows them to easily collaborate on authoring, preparing and

.

approving Web documents. It even keeps track of multiple versions of documents and monitors

.

who’s working on them. Jefferson Project technology enables you to manage corporate

.

information on intranets and the Web, while providing the security, management and

.

administration features required to keep that information secure, up to date and easily accessible.

.

Unify Network And Communications Administration

.

Running GroupWise with IntranetWare or NetWare 4 doesn’t just offer incredible performance, it

.

streamlines administration, as well. NDS™ (Novell Directory Services™) provides a global

.

directory and single point of administration for GroupWise, IntranetWare or NetWare. So there’s

.

no duplication of effort when you’re changing a user’s address or modifying a user’s rights. And

.

with Novell and NDS, you can manage GroupWise remotely.

.

Anytime, Anywhere

.

With GroupWise WebAccess, you’re always connected. Whether you’re at your desk or on the

.

road, you can download messages on any standard Web browser—allowing you to reply to

.

messages, set appointments, and assign tasks on the fly. And GroupWise PhoneAccess is perfect

.

for those times when you don’t have access to a computer. Just call your Universal Mailbox to

.

send and receive important E-mail messages through a pager, or check your messages and

.

appointments using a touch-tone telephone.

.

GroupWise Keeps You Connected No Matter Where You Roam

.

Multiple Platforms And Gateways For Wide-Open

.

Solutions

.

GroupWise runs on Windows 95*, 3.1 and NT*, as well as Macintosh* and the major versions of

.

UNIX*. It also supports popular Internet browsers and the latest Internet protocols including

.

SMTP/MIME, POP3, LDAP, IMAP and MAPI-compatible E-mail clients. GroupWise even offers

.

multiple E-mail gateways.

.

Scalability For Any Size Enterprise

.

A true client/server application, GroupWise uses TCP/IP to communicate between workstations

.

and servers—a natural solution when it comes to intranet/Internet integration.

.

5

WHITE PAPER (cont.)

.

GroupWise Is In Good Company

.

With more than 7 million users, GroupWise is one of the most popular messaging solutions of its

.

kind. If shared messaging and collaboration are hallmarks of your company, you need the

ECG007.0897

.

reliable, powerful communications solution GroupWise provides.

.

GROUPWISE SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

.

Following are the recommended requirements for GroupWise 5.2:

.

Client

.

Windows 95 or NT 4.0

.

Processor: 486/33 or higher

.

Memory: 16MB (for Windows 95)

.

Hard Disk Space: Workstation 4MB

.

Windows 3.1

.

Processor: 486/25 or higher

.

Memory: 8MB

.

Hard Disk Space: Workstation 2MB

.

Server

.

Agents (available for)

.

NLM: IntranetWare, NetWare 3.1x or 4.x

.

NT: 3.51 or higher Novell Directory Services (NDS) Aware

.

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

.

Overview

.

Performance Management can only be successfully achieved by fully understanding the

.

performance impact that system resources such as the system processor, memory, and the disk

.

subsystems components have on the overall operation of your entire system. Changing the

.

configuration of these components affects performance in many ways. The goal of this section is

.

to help customers understand the relationship between system resources and GroupWise Server

.

performance. With this understanding, customers may make decisions regarding changes to an

.

existing server configuration as well as complete configuration of a new installation.

.

6

24MB (for NT)

Full install 24MB

Full install 20MB

WHITE PAPER (cont.)

.

This section:

.

ECG007.0897

.

Data gathered from Novell NetBench testing is presented and configuration recommendations are

.

provided based upon data analysis and the experience of Novell and Compaq engineers.

.

Performance Characteristics

.

Performance can be viewed in one of two ways. To a system administrator, performance means

.

effective management of system resources. A system administrator's concerns are system

.

throughput and utilization. To an end user, however, performance is measured by system response

.

time. In practice, it is necessary to balance the two perspectives; understanding that a change

.

made to improve response time may require more system resources.

.

The purpose of this section is to provide the customer with an understanding of how GroupWise

.

Server performed under various test configuration scenarios or benchmarks. Based on results

.

from these tests, information is provided that can be used as a guideline for gauging the response

.

time, throughput, and capacity expected of Novell GroupWise running on a Compaq server.

.

Performance Analysis

.

Performance analysis is an ongoing, interactive process necessary for determining whether or not

.

your server is performing as it should. Performance analysis that is required as a part of

.

performance management includes

.

For the performance analysis investigation, Novell and Compaq engineers used a standard

.

benchmark tool to examine the following GroupWise Server system resource areas:

.

7

• defines two perceptions of performance

• describes performance analysis

• discusses standard and customized benchmarks as a performance

measuring tool

• describes the testing methodology used during the study while focusing on

Novell NetBench as the benchmark tool used for measuring performance of the CPU, memory, and disk subsystem.

• Understanding your user requirements

• Monitoring your server and network load patterns

• Making appropriate modifications to your configuration to achieve

optimal use of resources

• System Processor (CPU) Performance

• Memory

• Disk Subsystem

• Bus Architecture (PCI versus EISA)

• File Systems

• Networking