Exchange 2003 Memory Configuration change for Windows 2003 (PAE Support)

ExchangeIS — Wed, 06 Jul 2005 04:23:23 GMT

Exchange Server Team blogs about the policy/recomendation change in relation to the use of the /NOPAE switch in servers running both Windows 2003 and Exchange 2003

re: Exchange 2003 Memory Configuration change for Windows 2003 (PAE Support)

Susan — Wed, 06 Jul 2005 05:57:18 GMT

Can you guys comment once and for all as to whether we should use the /3 switch in SBSland?

We say no.

Some say yes.

re: Exchange 2003 Memory Configuration change for Windows 2003 (PAE Support)

Teo Heras — Wed, 06 Jul 2005 15:31:19 GMT

Excellent information! We had to add the /nopae switch to all of our boot.ini files because JetStress was failing on servers with hot-swapable memory boards.

Thanks!

Teo

re: Exchange 2003 Memory Configuration change for Windows 2003 (PAE Support)

Ben Winzenz — Wed, 06 Jul 2005 16:16:00 GMT

Paul Bowden indicated to me at Teched this year that if you were using PAE, you should change the USERVA= option to 2970 instead of 3030. Is this no longer correct? Is it now recommended to leave it at 3030?

Ben

The /3GB that won't die

E-Bitz - SBS MVP the Official Blog of the SBS — Wed, 06 Jul 2005 16:55:47 GMT

re: Exchange 2003 Memory Configuration change for Windows 2003 (PAE Support)

Jeff — Wed, 06 Jul 2005 17:10:53 GMT

This article isn't clear as to when to use the PAE switch. Is it only if your server has 4GB or more of physical RAM?

The /3GB that won't die

E-Bitz - SBS MVP the Official Blog of the SBS — Wed, 06 Jul 2005 18:34:50 GMT

re: Exchange 2003 Memory Configuration change for Windows 2003 (PAE Support)

Jeff — Thu, 07 Jul 2005 17:17:05 GMT

<tpa><tap><tap> Is this thing on?

With this new recommendation, when is it appropriate/recommended to use the /PAE switch? How much RAM should you have to use it?

re: Exchange 2003 Memory Configuration change for Windows 2003 (PAE Support)

Frank — Thu, 07 Jul 2005 18:20:12 GMT

Ok, so if you use the PAE switch, do you still also use the /3GB switch?

And is there a verdict on the USERVA= value?

re: Exchange 2003 Memory Configuration change for Windows 2003 (PAE Support)

Scott — Thu, 07 Jul 2005 18:39:34 GMT

What about those of us in SBS land? To do or not to do....

re: Exchange 2003 Memory Configuration change for Windows 2003 (PAE Support)

Ben Winzenz — Thu, 07 Jul 2005 21:41:51 GMT

Jeff,

PAE is automatically enabled in at least 2 instances. 1 - if a hot-add memory device is installed; 2 - if Data Execution Protection (DEP) is enabled via a chipset that supports DEP, or software DEP.
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;283037
and
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;900524
both confirm this.
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;827281 indicates the registry key you can check to see if PAE is automatically enabled. If set to 1 (technically, 00000001), the PAE kernel will automatically load at startup.

Ben
Exchange MVP

re: Exchange 2003 Memory Configuration change for Windows 2003 (PAE Support)

Kevinm — Fri, 08 Jul 2005 17:03:47 GMT

Ben,

3030 is the standard recommendation. You then monitor the Memory Free System Page Table Entries perfmon counter when the server is loaded. If the value reported by perfmon is <8000, then change Boot.ini to 2970.

Kevinm

Weekend reading

subject: exchange — Sat, 09 Jul 2005 01:09:18 GMT

re: Exchange 2003 Memory Configuration change for Windows 2003 (PAE Support)

Korbyn — Mon, 11 Jul 2005 22:02:27 GMT

Item #1, basicially we don't need to worry about using /PAE or /NOPAE anymore, if the motherboard can use it, the system turns it on, otherwise, just leave it alone.

Item #2, I did find an issue and reported it to MS that Windows 2003 SP1 with DEP/PAE enabled on an Cluster, the Exchange SMTP services didn't function correctly. On one node the server wouldn't start, on the other node the service couldn't stop. Once I replaced the /noexecute switch with /Execute, service returned to normal. /Execute btw, is the only way to shut off both PAE and DEP.

Item #3, I found changing the userva to 2970 didn't improve my free PTE's any on my clustered Exchange servers which are varying between 3800 and 5100. and these boxes are tuned to the max, and am wondering if PAE would help out. They all currently have the /NOPAE switch in, and we haven't gone to production with SP1 for Windows 2003.

Exchange, Windows, SQL, Live Meeting, Office

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