[BES_Bomber]

Hello all. I've been reading forum posts here for the past week now trying to answer some questions without re-asking things that may have been posted, however I have not found what I'm looking for yet... So here goes.

I've been directed to spec out, and then build, a new BES 5.0 deployment for 2000 users. This will be a max number on the BES side. There are a few questions, and a few stipulations involved, prior to this process however. I have not had to deal with BES in about 2 years, around 4.1.4.4 or 4.5, so pardon my rust. My brain needed that space for new crap....

While this BES 5.0 environment will be brand new, so will the Exchange 2007 we are deploying as we speak. I'm in the process of bringing up 12 Clustered MBX servers, 6 CAS, 4 HUB, a couple Edge and a couple ISA, etc etc etc....
Currently the entire Enterprise is running Domino and some version of BES 4.xxxx. This is currently under the responsibility of another team of ppl (**think "enterprise takeover" type scenario where "we" are now taking over everything and building it from scratch with Ex2007 and BES5.0). The Domino to Exchange cutover will be stood up as a like-new enterprise (no migration from Notes to Exchange), so I assume (but have not yet verified) the BES to be in the same vein, outside of SRP and things like that.
In a nutshell, that is the current thought process. I just found out I am to be the new BES 'team' on top of Exchange 2007, so I am looking for any deployment specs, advice, etc...

Here is what I've come up with so far:


How many BES servers do I need for 2000 users?
1 bes - paired = 2 servers total?

sql 2005?
1 additional server - sql mirroring = 2 servers total?

attachment server?
Is this necessary?
1 additional server?

MDS services?
1 additional server to split this off the existing load?

bb router in dmz?
Is this necessary with bes 5? What part of A/D integration could circumvent the BB router instead?
1 additional server?

Potentially I have 7 servers listed up there, which isn't a problem. I just need to know if this much planning and scalability is necessary or if I can simplify this process at all.

I understand some of these are semi-redundant questions, but I'd like to hear where I'm correct, where I'm a dumass, and where I'm just simply barking up the wrong tree.

TIA everyone,
I guarantee I'll be here quite a bit from this point onward...
BES_Bomber

[freakinvibe]

If you have got a new BES installation for 2000 users and you haven't done anything with BES in the last two years, it would make sense to contact a good Blackberry Partner, that has already built installations of that size.

Even if you get hints here in this forum, you might want to have something in writing. Imagine you size your installation according to the specs you get from some people here in the forum. Then your system crashes because it is constantly overloaded. What are you going to tell your boss? "Yeah, somone in that forum said, one server is enough, I believed him, so it is not my fault...."

I would definitely have a consultant in.

My 2 cents are: You wouldn't need to have the BB router service on separate servers for performance reasons (the router service is very light on resources). You might want to have it for security reasons.

You can also use an existing SQL cluster that hosts other DBs, no need to have a SQL box just to host the BES DB. Remember to install DBNS.

Also remember that BES can hammer your Exchange2007 box. Size it accordingly.