First decide where everything should be installed. Once the support and core components are installed, using Retain is the same no matter what platform it is installed on.
VMWare ESX and ESXi are supported. The same disk space, RAM, and other requirements apply as for physical hardware deployments.
Retain components can be deployed in various configurations, which can impact the requirements of the Retain server, indexing engine, database server, and so on.
Ultimately the number of active users in the system determines the resource needs of the system. See Retain Planning and Design Best Practices for details.
Processor: Dual-Core 3 GHz or better Processor
NOTE:8 cores provide optimal performance during initial archiving and re-indexing processes
Web server: Apache 2.4.x or IIS, installed and configured by a system administrator
Database: Supported SQL Database, installed and configured by a system or database administrator
RAM: Retain Server alone requires 8 GB RAM. Adding a worker increases the requirement to 12 GB RAM. The installation aborts if less is detected in either case. At least 16 GB is recommended.
Storage Space: As much storage space as messaging system requires. See Storage Planning
Swap Space (SLES/Linux): At least 10 GB.
Standalone Worker server: 4 GB RAM for server and one worker. 2 GB RAM for each additional worker.
Standalone Reporting and Monitoring server: 8 GB RAM
Standalone Router: 8 GB RAM
Memory needs vary, depending on the load and use of the Retain system. However, Java automatically tunes for the memory that is available on the server. Tuning depends on what is selected for installation.
The installation detects the amount of RAM and automatically assigns memory values as shown
Less than 16 GB system memory:
8 GB: Server and Worker
6 GB: Server only
Less than 20 GB system memory:
12 GB: Server and Worker
10 GB: Server only
More than 20 GB system memory:
16 GB: Server and Worker
14 GB: Server only
In all cases where only the Worker is installed, the memory is tuned to 3 GB.
Assuming that the Retain Server, Retain Worker, Database, and Index engine are housed on the same machine and archiving less than 500 active mailboxes.
The Retain Message Router should be installed on a dedicated server in the DMZ.
16-24 GB RAM
Assuming that the Retain Server, Retain Worker, and Indexing engine are on one server, and the Database is on its own server.
500-5,000 active mailboxes:
12-16 GB RAM
5,000-30,000 active mailboxes:
16-32 GB RAM
50,000 Active mailboxes
16+ GB RAM for Retain Server (depending on environment)
RAM as required for Database on separate server
Retain Workers installed remotely on each post office in the message system
Disk Space is dependent on the amount of email being archived and length of retention time. It is recommended to estimate two years of storage and adding additional space as needed. Storage speed is the determining factor for performance.
SAN and local storage preferred.
NAS is not supported.
IMPORTANT:Currently, only MariaDB and MySQL support secure database connections with Retain.
Also, only certificates from industry-recognized Certificate Authorities are supported. Self-signed certificates will not work.
If your SQL database resides on a separate server, Micro Focus recommends that you consider securing the connection between Retain and the database server.
To prepare for securing the connection, make sure that you have identified the .pem files described below and made them available to install on the Retain server while running the initial configuration wizard:
For the Maria DB or MySQL server, industry-recognized CA issued certificate.
For the Retain server, industry-recognized CA issued certificate and private key.
Initial setup instructions are in the Retain 4.9.1: Installation and Upgrade guide, starting with Message Store Database.
After the initial setup, you manage the certificates and keys using the Digital Certificates Tab
, as documented in the Retain 4.9.1: Configuration and Administration guide.
The High Performance Indexer can be installed on multiple external servers as the High Availability Indexer. This requires at least three (3) dedicated indexing servers and a separate license. Contact Support for more information.
Retain downloads and installs
Java Development Kit (JDK) 11 64-bit
Tomcat 8.5, the Java webserver that sits on top of Apache or IIS.
Installation on an existing Retain system running a standard Tomcat installation removes the current Tomcat connection and installs the embedded Tomcat that comes with Retain.
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 (64-bit)
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP4 (64-bit)
Open Enterprise Server 2018 (64-bit)
IMPORTANT:Adequate disk space, by itself, is not sufficient because Retain stores many small files, especially when archiving mobile message data.
Only the XFS or EXT4 file systems can supply sufficient inodes to accommodate the large number of files.
MS Windows Server 2019
MS Windows Server 2016
PowerShell 3.0 or higher
IMPORTANT:The basic information included in Creating and Maintaining an SQL Database
in Retain 4.9.1: Installation and Upgrade is only informational and outlines Retain’s database requirements at a high level.
Micro Focus does not provide support for database administration for legal and other reasons.
Your organization is entirely responsible for database installation, configuration, tuning, and maintenance. You should always enlist the help of a qualified database administrator for database administration tasks.
MariaDB 10.x
Microsoft SQL Server 2017, 2016
MySQL 5.7.x, 8.0
Oracle 19c, 18c, 12c, 10+
PostgreSQL 10, 9
Firefox 67 or later
Google Chrome 74 or later