Supported Topologies and Performance Guidance for System Center Essentials 2010
Applies To: System Center Essentials 2010
Summary
Microsoft System Center Essentials 2010 manages up to 550 computers (up to 50 servers and up to 500 clients). Essentials 2010 can be deployed in a single-server or multiple-server topology, and can be deployed using different editions of Microsoft SQL Server 2008.
This topic describes supported and unsupported deployment topologies for Essentials 2010 and provides guidance for deployment topologies to maximize performance.
Supported Topologies and Scalability
The following topologies are supported for the deployment of Essentials 2010:
Single-Server Topology
The Essentials management server, reporting server, and Essentials console are all installed on a single computer.
Multiple-Servers Topology
The Essentials management server is installed on a different computer than the Microsoft SQL Server database used by Essentials 2010, or the reporting server is installed on a remote Microsoft SQL Server database server instead of on the Essentials management server.
Note
In addition to the Essentials console, which is installed on the Essentials management server, an Essentials console can be installed as a stand-alone console on a computer other than the Essentials management server. No more than five remote Essentials consoles can be used at a time.
The following table provides a detailed list of Essentials 2010 features and describes the topologies for each feature that are supported or unsupported.
Feature | Supported Number | Supported Topologies | Unsupported Topologies |
---|---|---|---|
Essentials management server |
1 |
|
|
Essentials Reporting server |
1 |
|
|
Essentials remote console |
Up to 5 |
|
|
Managed computers |
|
|
|
Network devices |
Scales up to 100 devices |
Anywhere within network access |
Not applicable |
Performance Scaling Guidelines
For best performance, consider the following recommendations when choosing the SQL Server edition and number of computers that you will manage with Essentials 2010. Attempting to manage more than the recommended number of computers per topology can result in slower performance.
Important
These recommendations assume that your servers meet the recommended hardware specifications. For more detailed information, see Recommended Hardware in this topic, or System Requirements and Supported Platforms for System Center Essentials 2010.
Recommended number of computers to manage |
Recommended topology |
Recommended database server |
Up to 150 computers total (servers and clients) |
Single Server: Essentials management server, reporting server, and database server, all on one computer |
SQL Server 2008 Express with Advanced Services |
Up to 300 computers total (servers and clients) |
Single Server: Essentials management server, reporting server, and database server, all on one computer |
SQL Server 2008 Standard or Enterprise Edition |
Up to 550 computers total (servers and clients) |
Multiple Servers: Essentials management server on a different computer than the database server |
SQL Server 2008 Standard or Enterprise Edition |
Important
Essentials 2010 requires an instance of SQL Server Reporting Services that is not shared with other applications. If you use an existing instance of SQL Server Reporting Services during Essentials 2010 installation, any reports that are already published on that instance will be deleted. Consider using a different edition of SQL Server with Essentials 2010 if you do not want existing reports to be deleted.
Single-Server Topology
In this topology, all Essentials 2010 features are installed on a single computer (management server, reporting server, and console). The guidelines in this section are based on a single computer that meets the recommended hardware specifications described in the System Requirements section. The performance guidance for single-server topology is the same even when the Essentials console is installed on a different computer.
Using SQL Server 2008 Express Edition
If you use Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Express with Advanced Services or later versions, we recommend that you manage up to 150 computers (servers and clients combined).
Using SQL Server 2008 Standard or Enterprise Edition
If you use SQL Server 2008 Standard or Enterprise Edition, we recommend that you manage up to 300 computers (servers and clients combined).
Note
To effectively manage more computers in a single-server topology, up to the maximum of 550, the Essentials management server hardware specifications must exceed the recommended system requirements, and the database server must use SQL Server 2008 Standard or Enterprise Edition. Alternatively, a multi-computer topology also provides satisfactory performance for managing up to 550 computers.
Multiple-Servers Topology
In this topology, the Essentials management server is installed on a different computer than the server running SQL Server that Essentials 2010 uses. The reporting server can be on either of these servers or yet another server.
We recommend that you use SQL Server 2008 Standard or Enterprise Edition in this topology for better performance and to manage more computers.
For detailed information about recommended hardware specifications for the Essentials management server and the server that is running SQL Server, see System Requirements and Supported Platforms for System Center Essentials 2010.
Using SQL Server 2008 Standard or Enterprise Edition
If you use SQL Server 2008 Standard or Enterprise Edition, we recommend that you manage up to 550 computers (servers and clients combined).
Recommended Hardware
To maximize Essentials 2010 performance, we recommend that the Essentials management server and database server have at least the following hardware specifications:
2.8 GHz or faster processor(s)
4 GB of RAM
20 GB of available hard disk space (1 GB on system drive)
150 GB of available hard disk space if planning virtualization management
For detailed hardware requirements, see System Requirements and Supported Platforms for System Center Essentials 2010.
See Also
Concepts
Planning to Deploy System Center Essentials 2010
System Requirements and Supported Platforms for System Center Essentials 2010
Other Resources
Microsoft TechNet Library: Microsoft SQL Server
Microsoft White Paper: Troubleshooting Performance Problems in SQL Server 2008