If 2 is good, 50 is better, (Or is it)? | ExchangeDefender [ Skip to content ](#main) [ ![ExchangeDefender](/assets/images/xd_logo_blue.png) ](/) Email Security ![Platform Overview](/assets/images/m-xd-pro.png)### ExchangeDefender PRO Enterprise-grade email security made simple for every business. [Sign Up](/sign-up) [Live Demo](/demo) [Email Security Stops spam, malware & phishing in real time. ](/email-security) [Encryption Secure your emails, attachments & sensitive data. ](/corporate-email-encryption) [Web File Sharing Easy, safe cloud file sharing with access control. ](/web-file-server) [Live Archive Locked-in email backup & continuity during outages. ](/livearchive-backup) [Emergency Inbox Keep email flowing without interruption if your provider fails. ](/inbox) [Spearphish Train your team with phishing simulations & risk tracking. ](/spearphishing) Managed Email ### Enterprise-Grade Managed Email Reliable, secure, and fully managed email operations for modern organizations. ![ExchangeDefender](/assets/images/managed_email_menu.png) [Microsoft365/Google Email Management Expert management and security for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace email. ](/managed-email-operations) [AI Advisory Secure, practical AI consulting & implementation for SMBs. ](/management-ai) Company ### ExchangeDefender: 29+ Years of Trust We are a cybersecurity company focused on business email protection, with 29+ years of experience keeping organizations secure, connected, and resilient. ![ExchangeDefender](/assets/images/careers_1.png) [ About Us Learn our purpose, values, and the mission behind every decision. ](/about-us) [ Blog News, product updates and email security insights. ](/blog) [ Capabilities Discover the tech and expertise that keep your email secure around the clock ](/capabilities) [ Careers Be part of a team using modern tech to solve real threats and ship great work. ](/careers) [Partners](/partners) [Docs](/docs) [Contact Us](/contact) Talk to a Human Open menu Menu ---- Email Security [Email Security](/email-security) [Encryption](/corporate-email-encryption) [Web File Sharing](/web-file-server) [Live Archive](/livearchive-backup) [Inbox](/inbox) [Spearphish](/spearphishing) Managed Email [Microsoft365/Google Email Management](/managed-email-operations) [AI Advisory](/management-ai) Company [About Us](/about-us) [Blog](/blog) [Capabilities](/capabilities) [Careers](/careers) [Partners](/partners) [Docs](/docs) [Contact Us](/contact) Talk to a Human December 14, 2011 · [ExchangeDefender](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog?category=exchangedefender) If 2 is good, 50 is better, (Or is it)? ======================================= Over the weekend (12/09/11 – 12/10/11) we performed critical, preemptive upgrades for Rockerduck. During our upgrade cycle we were able to increase memory resources for Mailbox servers, rebalance resource distribution on Client Access servers and add additional Mailbox servers for quorum retention and additional high availability. **Mailbox, mailbox, mailbox…** By utilizing the current mailbox server layout, we were able to increase memory in Rockerduck mailbox servers in a staggering pattern without disrupting service to clients on Rockerduck. As each mailbox server was prepared for the upgrade, we moved all active mailboxes from the server to any passive mailbox node and then blocked the mailbox server from activating any database copy. After the memory upgrades were completed we then stress tested each server for 8 hours with a memory stress test for consistency. Once the upgrades were completed on the nodes, we were being the node back into the DAG and back up to availability. **Labs vs. Real World Results** Mailbox servers were not the only servers in Rockerduck to be upgrades. Over the past two weeks we’ve been monitoring the response statistics on CAS servers with a new memory / processor configuration. Originally when we performed initial testing / scaling Rockerduck we seen the overall lowest latency and response time for RPC and Web Services from having a fewer CAS servers with higher RAM and processor. Over time, we’ve noticed the real world utilization result of overall latency on RPC was significantly outside the scope of our original Lab results causing us to reevaluate our delivery of CAS services. All CAS servers for Rockerduck sit behind a hardware based load balancer. Each client that connects to the load balancer gets assigned to a specific CAS node for up to 5 hours on certain services (RPC, EWS) based off of the client WAN IP. Original design for the CAS nodes was 3 nodes with 8GB of RAM and 4 Processor cores available. [![1](http://www.exchangedefender.com/blog/media/If-2-is-good-50-is-better_AB46/1_thumb.jpg)](http://www.exchangedefender.com/blog/media/If-2-is-good-50-is-better_AB46/1.jpg) Unfortunately, this “least connected” model had the potential (and sometimes did) tie larger groups of users together from different IP addresses, essentially choking the server with queued requests. [![2](http://www.exchangedefender.com/blog/media/If-2-is-good-50-is-better_AB46/2_thumb.jpg)](http://www.exchangedefender.com/blog/media/If-2-is-good-50-is-better_AB46/2.jpg) The new setup for the CAS nodes is a balance of 6GB of RAM with 3 Processor cores available. This new configuration allowed us to introduce two new CAS servers to more efficiently process requests across multiple nodes without any additional “upgrades” to the CAS roles. During our statistical collection phase, the new configuration nodes had a 40% reduction in response time on RPC requests and Address Book requests: > Originally: 22 ms > > Now: 13.2 ms Travis Sheldon VP Network Operations, ExchangeDefender (877) 546-0316 x757 [ Previous post Business Slowing Down For the Holiday Season? How to Make It Productive and Profitable… December 13, 2011 ](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog/2011/12/business-slowing-down-for-the-holiday-season-how-to-make-it-productive-and-profitable) [ Next post References…References…References… December 19, 2011 ](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog/2011/12/referencesreferencesreferences) Related Posts ------------- [ ![](https://storage.services.exchangedefender.network/exchangedefender-blog/blog/2026/04/xd10.png) 2 Apr ](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog/2026/04/announcing-exchangedefender-10)### [Announcing ExchangeDefender 10](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog/2026/04/announcing-exchangedefender-10) [Read more: Announcing ExchangeDefender 10](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog/2026/04/announcing-exchangedefender-10) [ ![](https://storage.services.exchangedefender.network/exchangedefender-blog/blog/2025/09/Top-7-IT-Solutions-Every-Small-Business-Needs-in-2025.jpg) 30 Sep ](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog/2025/09/top-7-it-solutions-every-small-business-needs-in-2025)### [Top 7 IT Solutions Every Small Business Needs in 2025](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog/2025/09/top-7-it-solutions-every-small-business-needs-in-2025) [Read more: Top 7 IT Solutions Every Small Business Needs in 2025](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog/2025/09/top-7-it-solutions-every-small-business-needs-in-2025) [ ![](https://storage.services.exchangedefender.network/exchangedefender-blog/blog/2025/09/Website-Active-Image-10.jpg) 23 Sep ](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog/2025/09/exchangedefender-rolls-out-advanced-reject-policies-for-safer-inboxes)### [ExchangeDefender Rolls Out Advanced 'Reject Policies' for Safer Inboxes](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog/2025/09/exchangedefender-rolls-out-advanced-reject-policies-for-safer-inboxes) [Read more: ExchangeDefender Rolls Out Advanced 'Reject Policies' for Safer Inboxes](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog/2025/09/exchangedefender-rolls-out-advanced-reject-policies-for-safer-inboxes) Search the blog Search Recent Posts ------------ - [ExchangeDefender New UI is Live](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog/2026/05/exchangedefender-new-ui-is-live) - [Announcing ExchangeDefender 10](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog/2026/04/announcing-exchangedefender-10) - [Merry Christmas](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog/2025/12/merry-christmas) - [Why IoT Devices Are a Hidden Security Risk for Your Business](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog/2025/11/why-iot-devices-are-a-hidden-security-risk-for-your-business) - [Top 5 IT Problems Small Businesses Face in 2025 — and How to Fix Them](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog/2025/10/top-5-it-problems-small-businesses-face-in-2025-and-how-to-fix-them) Categories ---------- - [Archiving](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog?category=archiving) (21) - [Business Continuity](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog?category=business-continuity) (13) - [Compliance](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog?category=compliance) (8) - 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