System requirements

Mailtraq runs under the Windows operating system.

Whilst small installations may use it on consumer platforms like Windows XP Home, Mailtraq is server software, and your system will benefit from a resilient operating system. We recommend Windows 2003 Server, although it will also run on Windows 2000 and XP Professional.

It is important to ensure that your server is capable of handling the load expected of it.

You will need to provide sufficient hard-disk storage for all your users' mail, as with WebMail this is stored on the server, not the individual email clients. You should consider using mirrored disks to provide resilience in the case of disk failure, and implement (and test) a regular backup regime.

Most modern CPUs are more than capable of handling even quite large volumes of email, however some tasks can be CPU intensive. Mailtraq's multi-threaded architecture allows it to benefit from multiple-CPU systems, and these should be considered for heavy-use situations.

It is impossible to provide a simple guide to hardware requirements based on the number of users - a small number of busy users can place a heavy load, and conversely a large number of occasional users may only need a minimal system. As such you should plan your hardware with your type of users in mind, and ensure that your hardware is capable of being expanded should the need arise - most 'boxes' currently available from mainstream  suppliers will be suitable. We suggest 1GB of RAM.

The hardware requirements for WebMail clients are minimal.

They need to run a recent browser - we recommend Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 or 7, although prior versions and other browsers should work, subject to any customization of your webmail system.

As mail is stored on the Mailtraq server, hard-disk storage and backup regimes for client machines are less critical.