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      - Active Directory
        Active Directory Sizer

Section(s): Active Directory
Published on Apr 20, 2004.
Last Modified on Apr 20, 2004.
Last Modified by Wayne Maples.
Rated 3.7 out of 5 based on 11 votes.

Microsoft has released the Active Directory Sizer. This is available for free download and will be part of the W2K resource kits in the future. The commandline tool is designed to let you estimate the hardware required for deploying Active Directory based on your organization's profile, domain information, and site topology. Based on the information you input, Sizer estimates the number of the following:

Domain controllers per domain per site needed
Global Catalog servers per domain per site needed
CPUs per machine and type of CPU needed
Disks needed for Active Directory data storage
Amount of memory required
Network bandwidth utilization
Domain database size
Global catalog database size
Intersite replication bandwidth required

Its modelling is only as good as the data you enter. Do due diligence on the data entry and you should get out decent estimates. There are many options depending on your organization structure and application needs. Let me know if you use this tool and find it valuable.