Many factors go into selecting a server that meets the performance, networking, and storage requirements of your IT infrastructure. Yet it’s important to select and configure a server that not only meets your current business needs, but can also scale to meet new and additional requirements as your business grows.
This guide can assist you in selecting a ThinkServer solution that meets your needs. Once you’ve identified the server and options you need, use the link to the Configurator to fully configure and design the solution. You can then print the configuration details and present them to the Lenovo Business Partner when purchasing your solution.
If you know which server solution you want or already have a ThinkServer solution, and need to know which options are compatible with your system, click on the Options Compatibility Wizard to see the most current list of options available.
Some key factors that you should consider when selecting and configuring the right server solution for your business include:
Purpose
What’s the primary purpose that your server solution will perform in your business operations? Are these file-and-print servers or servers to host advanced Web applications? Clearly understanding the purpose of your servers will guide you to select the server with the right performance, features, and options for a complete solution.
Workload How many users or applications do you expect to be running on your servers? This is very important because you want to make sure the solution that you select can handle the workload without compromising on productivity.
Form factor (tower vs. rack) Rack-mount servers are especially designed for businesses that are space-constrained and maintain all of their servers at a central location. Free-standing tower servers are perfect for regional and departmental locations where servers perform specific functions to that office or department.
Existing infrastructure
Is your current server infrastructure located in several regional offices or at a central location? Does your current server infrastructure leverage any specific technologies over others? Understanding your current business technology will help you select a server solution that seamlessly fits into your infrastructure—reducing complexity and cost.
1. Memory affects the performance of your system and varies greatly by the actual applications and workload specific to your server environment.
2. Storage refers tot he recommended minimum amount of storage capacity, the type of hard drive technology, and minimum recommended RAID data protection, and varies depending on your specific storage infrastructure.
3. Basic RAID (0,1,10), Advanced RAID (5,6,50,60).
1. Memory affects the performance of your system and varies greatly by the actual applications and workload specific to your server environment.
2. Storage refers tot he recommended minimum amount of storage capacity, the type of hard drive technology, and minimum recommended RAID data protection, and varies depending on your specific storage infrastructure.
3. Basic RAID (0,1,10), Advanced RAID (5,6,50,60).
1. Memory affects the performance of your system and varies greatly by the actual applications and workload specific to your server environment.
2. Storage refers tot he recommended minimum amount of storage capacity, the type of hard drive technology, and minimum recommended RAID data protection, and varies depending on your specific storage infrastructure.
3. Basic RAID (0,1,10), Advanced RAID (5,6,50,60).
501 to 1000 Users
Recommended Server Configuration
Recommended Server
Application
Category
Recommended Memory1
Storage2,3
Operating System
Tower
Server
Rack
Server
Web
Best Value
16GB
2.5TB SATA, Advanced RAID
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Standard
-
-
Web
Best Performance
24GB
1TB SAS, Advanced RAID
Microsoft Windows Server
2008 Enterprise
-
-
Virtualization
Best Value
32GB
450GB SAS, Basic RAID
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Standard
-
-
Virtualization
Best Performance
48GB
600GB SAS, Advanced RAID
Microsoft Windows Server
2008 Enterprise
-
File/Print
Best Value
16GB
2.5TB SATA, Advanced RAID
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Standard
-
-
File/Print
Best Performance
24GB
2TB SAS, Advanced RAID
Microsoft Windows Server
2008 Enterprise
-
Email
Best Value
16GB
1.5TB SATA, Advanced RAID
Microsoft Windows Server
2008 Enterprise
-
-
Email
Best Performance
24GB
1TB SAS, Advanced RAID
Microsoft Windows Server
2008 Enterprise
-
Database
Best Value
32GB
3TB SATA, Advanced RAID
Microsoft Windows Server
2008
Standard
-
-
Database
Best Performance
48GB
3TB SAS, Advanced RAID
Microsoft Windows Server
2008 Enterprise
-
Terminal Services
Best Value
12GB
750GB SATA, Advanced RAID
Microsoft Windows Server
2008
Standard
-
-
Terminal Services
Best Performance
16GB
300GB SAS, Advanced RAID
Microsoft Windows Server
2008 Enterprise
-
-
Networking
Best Value
16GB
750GB SATA, Advanced RAID
Microsoft Windows Server 2008
Standard
-
-
Networking
Best Performance
24GB
450GB SAS, Advanced RAID
Microsoft Windows Server 2008
Standard
-
-
1. Memory affects the performance of your system and varies greatly by the actual applications and workload specific to your server environment.
2. Storage refers tot he recommended minimum amount of storage capacity, the type of hard drive technology, and minimum recommended RAID data protection, and varies depending on your specific storage infrastructure.
3. Basic RAID (0,1,10), Advanced RAID (5,6,50,60).
1000+ Users
Recommended Server Configuration
Recommended Server
Application
Category
Recommended Memory1
Storage2,3
Operating System
Tower
Server
Rack
Server
Web
Best Value
24GB
3TB SATA, Advanced RAID
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Standard
-
-
Web
Best Performance
32GB
1.2TB SAS, Advanced RAID
Microsoft Windows Server
2008 Enterprise
-
-
Virtualization
Best Value
48GB
600GB SAS, Advanced RAID
Microsoft Windows Server
2008 Enterprise
-
-
Virtualization
Best Performance
64GB
1TB SAS, Advanced RAID
Microsoft Windows Server
2008 Enterprise
-
File/Print
Best Value
24GB
3TB SATA, Advanced RAID
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Standard
-
-
File/Print
Best Performance
24GB
2.5TB SAS, Advanced RAID
Microsoft Windows Server
2008 Enterprise
-
Email
Best Value
24GB
2TB SATA, Advanced RAID
Microsoft Windows Server
2008 Enterprise
-
-
Email
Best Performance
32GB
1.5TB SAS, Advanced RAID
Microsoft Windows Server
2008 Enterprise
-
Database
Best Value
48GB
4TB SATA, Advanced RAID
Microsoft Windows Server
2008
Standard
-
-
Database
Best Performance
64GB
3.5TB SAS, Advanced RAID
Microsoft Windows Server
2008 Enterprise
-
Terminal Services
Best Value
24GB
450GB SAS, Advanced RAID
Microsoft Windows Server
2008 Enterprise
-
-
Terminal Services
Best Performance
24GB
600GB SAS, Advanced RAID
Microsoft Windows Server
2008 Enterprise
-
-
Networking
Best Value
24GB
1TB SATA, Advanced RAID
Microsoft Windows Server 2008
Standard
-
-
Networking
Best Performance
24GB
600GB SAS, Advanced RAID
Microsoft Windows Server
2008 Enterprise
-
-
1. Memory affects the performance of your system and varies greatly by the actual applications and workload specific to your server environment.
2. Storage refers tot he recommended minimum amount of storage capacity, the type of hard drive technology, and minimum recommended RAID data protection, and varies depending on your specific storage infrastructure.
3. Basic RAID (0,1,10), Advanced RAID (5,6,50,60).
Invest Wisely with Lenovo
Whether you’re a small business or large enterprise, your capital spending is limited by the budget that’s available. So it’s very important that every investment you make for your business provides a quick return-on-investment (ROI) without breaking the bank. With energy efficient servers, scalable designs, and rock-solid engineering, Lenovo’s ThinkServer portfolio is perfect to meet your budget, give you a strong ROI, and continually provide cost savings through the life of the product.