There are a variety of methods for monitoring your system, including utilities available with Microsoft Exchange Server and Windows NT Server that can be used to build a monitoring system. Many third-party tools are also available that allow you to monitor messaging systems.
For large organizations, it is recommended that you set up a number of Windows NT Server computers. On these computers, configure several different Windows NT Performance Monitor instances, which are configured to display statistics for each of the objects and counters recommended for monitoring in "Microsoft Exchange Server Administration Procedures" later in this chapter. It is a good idea to use a large monitor with these computers because running many instances of Performance Monitor can quickly consume screen space. You don't need a powerful computer to do this job. You can configure a basic Windows NT Server computer for these tasks, which includes a single, high-speed processor, 64 to 128 MB of RAM, 2 to 4 GB of disk space (sometimes used for temporary storage of log traces).
The monitoring area described doesn't need to be large; it can be less than 225 square feet. Typically, there are two messaging operations technicians at this monitoring station. One of these technicians is responsible for dispatching in the event that a server console must be visited. The Performance Monitor instances should be configured with alerts at predefined thresholds such that the on-duty technicians are audibly and visually alerted when a threshold is surpassed. Do not rely on a warning system that is triggered simply by a person watching a set of screens.