When it comes to Microsoft products, most
software installations are more or less a point-and-click
operation. Thanks to some excellent deployment tools, Exchange
Server 2003 guides you through the installation process better than
many less-complex products. However, sometimes you still need to
make a manual adjustment.

Here’s an example: When you install Exchange
Server 2003 on a Windows Server 2003 system that has 1 GB or more
of RAM installed, you should add the /3GB switch to the Boot.ini
file. This switch makes more memory available for user-mode
applications, and it helps resolve memory fragmentation problems in
the virtual address space.

Microsoft also recommends adding the
/USERVA=3030 switch to the Boot.ini file for Exchange Server 2003.
The /USERVA switch provides better granularity for splitting memory
allocations between user mode and kernel mode. However, only use
the /USERVA switch when an application vendor specifically
recommends using it with its product.

To add the /3GB and /USERVA switches to your
Boot.ini file, simply open Boot.ini in a text editor such as
Notepad, add the /3GB and the /USERVA=3030 parameters to the
startup line, and save your changes. The changes will not take
effect until you reboot the system.

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