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n00b questions again: how much RAM does my VPS need to...
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n00b questions again: how much RAM does my VPS need to...

GuyGregGuyGreg Member

People's answers to my post last week were helpful and I'm still weighing out which way to go. One big idea I got was that two VPSes might be better than trying to do everything on one.

Anyway, here are usage scenarios:

  1. A mail server for a small number of users, IMAP/SMTP only. Just a linux OS with firewall, networking, exim, dovecot, and anything else I'm not thinking of to send and receive mail. 5 concurrent users tops.

  2. The same, but also provide webmail. So has to have apache, MySQL/MariaDB and roundcube.

  3. What I've heard called an "RDP Box", because people usually use a Windows VPS and connect to it with Remote Desktop...I'd use linux: Log in with a GUI at a decent resolution (1600x900), surf the web, maybe do a bit of torrenting (while staying within your transfer limits) without worrying about someone else needing to use the computer, your ISP keeping records of all your activities, having to use a proxy, etc. Basically like a bare minimum desktop PC, assuming no gaming and only one major application (like a browser) open at a time.

How much RAM would you spec for 1, 2 and 3 if someone hired you to set them up and didn't want to spend more than necessary?

Comments

  • raindog308raindog308 Administrator, Veteran

    (1) 128MB. Really, you need very little to run a mail server. Maybe 512, but I have a mail server running on 256MB with no problems, albeit without dovecot.

    (2) Now you're into webserver (nginx is much faster/lower resource intensive), database. I've done that with 1GB server with a similar audience, though more might be needed depending on what you're doing.

    (3) Size it like you'd size any desktop, since that's what it is. I've done what you're describing (+a rapacious bittorrent client) on a 2GB VPS with no problems.

    Of course, more RAM is better.

    Thanked by 1WSS
  • I used to host my mail server on a 768MB OpenVZ VPS. Worked pretty well on light loads.

    It had:

    • postfix
    • dovecot
    • opendkim
    • mariadb
    • nginx
    • roundcube
  • RazzaRazza Member
    edited April 2017

    A mail server can be run on a low as 256MB you might get away with 128MB, the thing in mail server setup if you add them that will rely add ram usage are thing's like a spam filtering like SpamAssassin and virus scanning.

    On my mail server i scan all incoming email using ClamAV depending on the mail load I've seen it using over 1GB of ram.

  • edited April 2017

    I currently host my mailserver and webserver (postfix,dovecot,spamassassin,postgrey,iptables,nginx,php) with support for 2 concurrent users on a 128MB BuyVM vm with ease

  • raindog308raindog308 Administrator, Veteran

    Razza said: On my mail server i scan all incoming email using ClamAV depending on the mail load I've seen it using over 1GB of ram.

    Oh yeah, ClamAV is a memory pig.

    Thanked by 2Clouvider Razza
  • sibapersibaper Member
    edited April 2017

    1,2. 512 MB -1 GB ram is enough (I have mail server with ~60 email account on 1GB)

    3 minimal 4 G for the best experience.

  • RazzaRazza Member

    raindog308 said: Oh yeah, ClamAV is a memory pig.

    I know that, am not that worried anyway as the server i run my mail server got about 5Gb free ram anyway.

  • Oh, I forgot all about Spamassassin. Yeah, that's going to add some overhead. ClamAV has brought my company's system almost to it's knees, that's out of the question. Thank you guys so much for your advice!
    Rajprakash, how are you running a mailserver with spamassassin on 128 MB? It doesn't seem possible! Did you get a distro specially configured to run on minimal systems and install that?

    Another question: say I order a VPS and it's too small (RAM, but maybe storage, too). Are most places willing and able to upgrade a VPS in place? Or should I expect to have to back everything up and start over in a bigger one?

  • WSSWSS Member

    Using IMAP over POP3 requires that the whole spool be read, parsed, and sent to the client. Most common MTAs handle this OK, now, but if you are using a mailspool, expect this to be $size_of_membox+daemons+overhead+clownfartz+exim. With the defaults, I'd suggest 512MB, because everyone running Outlook hit Send/Receive every 5 seconds (if not every minute, automatically), and once you start hitting swap, it doesn't come back until you add more RAM.

  • raindog308raindog308 Administrator, Veteran

    WSS said: everyone running Outlook

    That's my favorite IM client!

  • WSSWSS Member

  • YuraYura Member

    @WSS said:
    because everyone running Outlook hit Send/Receive every 5 seconds

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