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  1. #1

    Is this server's configuration sufficient?

    Hi,

    I have a Linux based dedicated server with the following configuration:

    2.4 GHZ Pentium 4 processor
    512 MB RAM
    10 MBPS Upload link.
    7200 RPM IDE Hard Drive

    I currently host around 50 domains on this server which together get around 10,000 unique visitors per day. So far, everything has been running fine.

    I now plan to host an opt-in list of around 1 million people on a MySQL database on this server and plan to send emails to these people about twice a month using a PHP based newsletter delivery software.

    I have 3 questions:

    i) Will my current server's configuration be enough to handle the extra load of sending email blasts to 1 million people twice a month, WITHOUT slowing down the 50 domains that are hosted on this server?

    ii) If the answer is no, what configuration should I upgrade my server to so that it can handle these 50 domains and the email blasts without any problems.

    iii) Alternatively, if I wanted to host the optin list in a different dedicated server whose sole purpose is to send out these emails (i.e. that server won't do anything else), what should be optimum configuration for this server?

    Any advice that you can provide will be extremely helpful.

    Thanks.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Miami FL
    Posts
    288
    I would say that you would need to upgrade the hard drives, IDE sucks...

    I would say to keep server running good get at least 10K SCSI drives, and if you can 15K SCSI drives.

    Also boost the ram to 1GB MIN, I would say 2GB is better.

    [So no your server could not handle this]

    ----

    If money was not an issue, as I dont see your budget, I would get..
    (Im in the email industry.)

    Dual Opteron
    Cent Os
    3x 36GB SCSI 15K drives, Raid 5
    2 (or 4) GB Ram
    Last edited by SeeServers; 06-02-2005 at 03:29 AM.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Miami FL
    Posts
    288
    Dual post, sorry

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    The Netherlands
    Posts
    133
    I'd say get a cheap celeron for the mailings. i'm pretty sure that you don't care if you celeron slows down when the mailing starts. Seperating things isn't a bad thing in this case

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Location
    Kansas City, USA
    Posts
    75
    I've got a p4 1GB RAM and run DADA_MAIL (used to be Mojo Mail) on one of the domains. The client runs a mailing out of around 300,000 once a month. I set up the batch option in the program to send out 1,000 every 5 minutes. The perl program that runs the mailing never gets over 2% CPU usage and RAM always stays in check. I also have about 25 domains on that box.
    Midwest Dedicated
    Content Management Solutions, Design, Managed Servers
    http://www.midwestdedicated.com
    Providing the highest quality IT services since 1999.

  6. #6
    I would recommend that you get another server, dual opteron/xeon, 1G ram (512 would work too e-mail is not very memory intensive), a single drive ( if redundancy is out of the question).

    I know open source software is great and I fully endorse its use but you should take a look at STE-DB (www.stedb.com). We have a bunch of clients running that software for their opt-in lists and they are very happy with it. It runs on RH9 ( with a special config).

    One other consideration is the IP addresses. Does your provider give you one IP address? Even with opt-in lists spamhaus and other RBL's can block your IP address and then your mails dont get through to some people. We give our ste-db users blocks of IPs in order to mitigate this problem. We have strict CAN-SPAM compliant clauses in all of our contracts, make sure your provider has the same. They block some can-spam compliant people if they get too many spam complaints.

    Sean
    crisper

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Posts
    1,093
    I think the key here is to balance the load, don't try and send all 1 million mails out at once because yoiu'll kill the mail server and mysql...instead, do a few thousand messages at a time and stretch it out longer so that the box is not constantly being crashed.
    ManageMyServices was sold by me in September 2009. I no longer have any affiliation with this company.

  8. #8
    I believe that is what companies with giant mailing lists do (like sw-soft), have them send out only a few emails at a time.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Miami FL
    Posts
    288
    Yes, when we mail out to our 2 million users, we send 1,000 per 60 seconds.

    (using Dual Xeon 3.2Ghz,4GB Ram, 3x 36GB SCSI 15K Raid 5, CentOs)

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