Hi there, We have E2k3 front-end and back-end setup with about 50 mailboxes. We are relatively email heavy - avg. mailbox 2-3GB but the server is really not taking a hit in performance. We ran about 90 mailboxes just fine so I know there is a room for growth. One thing I am noticing is that search is really hit & miss - especially with new outlook 2010. This might be due to outlook but I am considering turning on Indexing service. I have heard that this service is really resource hungry and offers only slight improvements on searching. What are your thoughts and experience with Indexing service? My initial google is hitting http://support.microsoft.com/kb/822932 but, as always, it can't be that simple, cant it? Any special needs for RAID or storage of index files etc? Currently we are configured 'by the book' and stores and logs have their own RAIDs with plenty of breading room ie. stores raid 557GB - 418Gb free , logs raid 38.4GB - 38GB free Am I just being too paranoid or Indexing service IS a big deal? TIA.

Are your users utilizing Outlook 2010 in cached mode? if so, I'm not sure the indexing on exchange will make a difference... Microsoft doesn't recommend indexing during business hours I don't believe, so the impact isn't 0. Given the number of users though, if you've got plenty of headroom regarding performance generally I don't think it will necessarily be an issue in your environment. (Did I sufficiently hedge my 'go for it' statement?)

Thanks Chris. No cached mode, I never really go to enjoy the benefits and it only lead to confusion and conflicts so I gave up on it. Thanks for the reassurance, I will give it a run over the weekend and see if it helps.

Hi, Actually, search function is not based on the Outlook mode. The Microsoft Search service (MSSearch) powers the full-text indexing. I suggest you refer to the following article about implementing a Full-Text Index for your Information Store. http://www.msexchange.org/tutorials/Full-Text-Index-Information-Store.html Regards, NovakPlease remember to click Mark as Answer on the post that helps you, and to click Unmark as Answer if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.

Is there a change in the Outlook 2010 client then? http://blogs.technet.com/b/exchange/archive/2005/07/22/408103.aspx seems to indicate that it's not used, at least by an Outlook 2003 client. lebisol, cached mode in 2010 is much improved over previous versions.. 'd recommend giving it shot if you haven't already. Overall it's been pretty popular with my customers and end users.