Document Storage Space Requirements

When estimating the disk space needed for a Meridian application server or file server, there are many variables involved:

The number of vaults that will reside on the server
The number of documents that will reside in each vault
The size of the documents that will be stored in each vault (2 GB maximum each)
The number of revisions of each document
The type of database engine used (Hypertrieve, SQL Server, or Oracle)
The number of properties that will be used in each vault
The amount of data stored in each property

With all of these variables, an accurate disk space calculation is nearly impossible. But you can make a rough estimate with these formulas:

Stream storage space for each vault is the sum of all of the following:
- Number of documents X average document size (current revisions)
- Number of revisions per document X average document size (prior revisions)
- Number of documents X average document size X 2 (renditions & viewer intermediate files)
- 30% for future growth
Database storage space = 0.6 to 1.0 GB per 100,000 documents. Triple the storage space if Hypertrieve is used, to allow for backup snapshot files. Double the storage space if SQL Server or Oracle is used (allow additional space for database replicas, if required).

These are rough estimates only, but should give you a good start on estimating server disk space requirements.

We strongly recommend that vaults be located on a different drive on the same server from the Meridian program files. The streams can be stored on any local or network storage device accessible by Windows via a UNC address and the account under which the EDM Server service is run. Vaults cannot be located on mapped drives, which require an interactive logon session. However, local disk storage typically provides the best performance and reliability. Database files should be located on the fastest possible drives. For information about using different disk subsystem types, see Disk Subsystems.

Note:

Windows normally uses extended memory to cache data before writing it to virtual memory on disk. However, Windows does not do this if a Hypertrieve database is stored on a network device accessed by a UNC location. In that case, Windows assumes that the data could be modified by other users since it does not reside on the local computer.

Serious errors can occur and services may stop working if a server runs out of free disk space. For this reason, we recommend that you:

Maintain a minimum amount of free disk space on the Meridian application server that is equal to three times the combined sizes of all vault databases (.HDB files in the BC-Meridian Vaults folder described in Meridian Folder Structure).
Schedule a task to periodically clean the Windows temporary file folders:
- C:\Users\<ServiceAccount>\AppData\Local\Temp
- C:\Windows\Temp
If rendering is performed by a Meridian Enterprise Server node, schedule periodic cleaning of the computer's local workspace as described in Clean the local workspace.
Consider deploying a program on the Meridian application server to monitor and generate System Administrator alerts when the free disk space falls below 15%.