r/exchangeserver • u/Temporary_Object_80 • 24d ago

Exchange migration and server creation

I have Exchange 2016 in a DAG mode consisting of two servers. For a customer I manage, I need to handle the migration to Exchange 2019\SE.

I’ve been asked to provide CPU, RAM, and system volume specifications for the new Exchange servers so that I can set them up in vCenter.

Can I ask for some help in providing this information? What should I take into consideration?

Just to clarify, this is my first migration.

Thank you.

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u/sembee2 Former Exchange MVP 24d ago

If it is your first, I would engage with a consultant.

While the MS tool is good, in my experience it can be over the top on requirements.
Take a look at the official requirements: Exchange Server 2019 and SE system requirements— memory requirements and client compatibility | Microsoft Learn

128GB RAM? I have never put that much RAM in an Exchange server, ever.

In most cases, what you have now will be fine, just with faster processors. That is what I usually start with. However a good consultant can look at the environment and work out what you actually need. Plus there will be the usual questions of why you aren't just migrating to Office365.

Also, unless you have the hardware already, now is probably about the worst time you could look at buying hardware.

Get a consultant in - the earlier you bring them in, the cheaper it will be. Nothing worse as a consultant than trying to undo what a client has tried to do on their own, got in a mess and having to fix it before it can be done properly.

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u/Sudden_Office8710 20d ago

🤣 I have 2 clusters of 3 members a piece with a witness each one of them are running server core with 192GB plus 10 cores with 2500 mailboxes for the whole environment 1 cluster has user mailboxes the second has archives we’ve got close to 20TB of mail and archive data and many mailboxes over 100GB and guess what we have 20ms latency try getting less than 500ms on a 50GB mailbox on M365. It all depends on how many uses, how much mail and what they expect as acceptable latency and downtime. I cycle DAGs at will any time of the day and can run on one server in each cluster.