Hardware requirements for Windows Small Business Server 2003

This article describes the hardware requirements for Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 Standard Edition and for Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 Premium Edition.

The following are the minimum requirements to install Windows Small Business Server 2003 Standard Edition:

• A Pentium II 300-megahertz (MHz)-or-compatible processor
• 256 megabytes (MB) of random access memory (RAM)
• 4 gigabytes (GB) of available hard disk space
• A CD-ROM or a DVD-ROM drive
• A network adapter from the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Hardware Compatibility List (HCL)
• A video graphics adapter from the Windows Server 2003 HCL that can support 256 colors and a resolution of 800 by 600 dots per inch (dpi)
• A dedicated Class 1 fax modem if you want to use the fax service or the dial-up remote access feature

The following are the recommended hardware requirements to install Windows Small Business Server 2003 Standard Edition:

• A Pentium III 550-MHz-or-compatible processor
• 384 MB of RAM (maximum RAM supported is 4 GB)
• Two or more mirrored 4-GB hard disks

The following are the minimum requirements to install Windows Small Business Server 2003 Premium Edition:

• A Pentium II 300-MHz-or-compatible processor
• 256 MB of RAM
• 5 GB of available hard disk space
• A CD-ROM or a DVD-ROM drive
• A network adapter from the Windows Server 2003 HCL
• A video graphics adapter that can support 256 colors and a resolution of 800 by 600 dpi from the Windows Server 2003 HCL
• A dedicated Class 1 fax modem if you want to use the fax service, the dial-up remote access feature, or the Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server dial-up service

The following are the recommended hardware requirements to install Windows Small Business Server 2003 Premium Edition:

• A Pentium III 550-MHz-or-compatible processor
• 512 MB of RAM (maximum RAM supported is 4 GB)
• Two or more mirrored 5-GB hard disks

Windows Small Business Server 2003 cannot use more than two physical processors. However, if there are two physical processors installed, and each processor supports hyper-threading, the two physical processors are recognized as multiple logical processors. Or, if each processor is multi-cored, the two physical processors are recognized as multiple logical processors. For example, if there are two quad-core processors, eight logical processors are recognized. Or, if there are two processors that support hyper-threading, four logical processors are recognized. In these scenarios, Windows Small Business Server takes advantage of all the logical processors. Consider the number of physical processors and not the number of cores.

These hardware requirements are low-end installation values for each category, and they are not the optimum values for Windows Small Business Server to operate at peak efficiency. These values typically correspond to the low end of the approved range for the number of qualified users in an SBS installation (instead of to a number that is closer to the 75-user limit). Depending on your specific business requirements, on the number of users, on the number of SBS programs that are used, and on the type and number of additional third-party programs that are installed, the hardware resources that you must have to efficiently operate SBS may be higher than these values.

When you use third-party programs, add their hardware requirements to these values to make decisions about your hardware resource requirements. Information about third-party programs is important when you use a combination of programs on a server that includes database management programs (either the Microsoft SQL Server 2000 installation that is included with Windows Small Business Server 2003 Premium Edition or third-party programs that include separate database-management programs). You may have to do additional performance tuning or upgrade your hardware resources to obtain optimum results under these circumstances.

To find hardware and software that is compatible with Windows Small Business Server 2003, visit the following Microsoft Web site: In the Windows Server Catalog, the listings of hardware and software that are designed especially for the Windows Server 2003 family also apply to Windows Small Business Server 2003. There are no separate listings for Windows Small Business Server 2003.

The third-party products that this article discusses are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.