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I'm not too dissimilar from the above... My typical setup is:

C: 15GB - Windows OS(system) files, "core" OS files (Java, HP Insight, etc), and the system pagefile

H: 30GB - Server apps (Exchange, SQL, ISA), security apps (hotfixes/SPs and SUS), network install images (ClientApps folder, with extras like Office Pro network setup inside), and Exchange logs

I: [RemainingSpace]GB - All data (e.g. WSS, Company folder, Fax, User Profiles, Exchange DB, SQL DBs)


I like the seperation of the core OS from everything else - means the server will never (should never?) topple over due to space running out. Likewise with seperating the Exchange DB and logs onto two separate partitions. Finally - I like leaving a big space between C:\ and H:\ to allow drive letters for multiple optical drives and miscellaneous drives (such as temporary USB sticks)...

I usually keep all three above logical partitions on a RAID5 array.

there's no single one answer for partitioning.. it varies on client needs, future plans, and mostly cost constraints...


Optimum config: (for me)
LSI 320-1 raid card x 2
Intel Hudson enclosure with BOTH drive enclosures (5-hotswap each)
first enclosure..
All 5 drive slots populated 15k 36GB drives
drive0 & drive1 Mirrored - C:\ operating system
drive2 (middle one) Hot spare
drive3 & drive4 Mirrored - D:\ dit files (active directory) and clientapps and install.dsk [download copies of all source media, hotfixes.. you name it.. keep a copy]
second enclosure
All 5 drive slots populated 15k 36gb drives, configured RAID-5
this becomes e:\ and has SQL and exchange data and logs..

external NAS box (4-drives RAID-5) holds user data...

comments:

Not many SBS'ers talk about the DIT (AD) files... they are the HOTEST files on your system and any delay in accessing these files creates a freeze untill data is written.. Sitting watching this server config live during the day and you can see the lights going constantly on the DIT drive..
wanna make your SBS server go twice as fast??? move the DIT (AD) files to their own 15k mirrored drive set!!!!

Raid-5 on the data (sql/exchange) drive is from hard experience not to trust mirroring.. for the OS and DIT mirroring seems ok but for data like exchange and SQL it is painfull restore job when a drive in the mirror set decides to start returning duff data.. RAID-5 adds a checksum to every read (which mirroring don't do!!)

I know that there is no hot-spare on the second drive cage, but the massive performance loss of taking the raid-5 down to 4 drives+hotspare negates the practicality of this.. In my thoughts if I had a drive faile I would have to manually extract the hotspare from the first cage and swap the failing drive..
or better still have an engineering spare sitting on the shelf

Never put any active files on the dit drive (D: in my layout) it's ok to use the space for static stuff that rarely (if ever) gets accessed like clientapps and your install sources..

Install.dsk
most clients manage to loose software cd's and other such parifinalia, despite you preaching that they MUST keep this safe!!!
Hence I never install clients software from CD.. I copy the CD onto the server.. rip out the crap (greek, finish, flemish, chineese etc..) you don't need and install from there.. ero you always have a copy of the source on the server..
I also keep an ISO of the SBS disk1 and XP disks..
And I always create a text file with the client's cd-key etc noted in it..
And better still this get's backed up... (bet many people out there don't make backup copies of source cd's)
Say they have a fire... so you have the backup tape.. But oh.. where's the software??? now you can get access to a tape easily on any XP box with suitable tape drive.. restore some files .. build your SBS disk1 from ISO..
start installing...

I have the above config running in anger fo a very e-mail and graphics (photoshop) intensive user.. 35 users.. server processes approx 1,000 e-mails a day totaling approx 500MB, and users have approx 75GB of user data growing by 2GB a week.. they have a pair of Xerox Phaser wax printers hanging off the servers print queues that are never idle and an epson gt10000 A3 network scanner that they constantly fight over..
Oh and they have a Blackberry enterprise server hanging off this lot (seperate box).. Backups take about 2 hours (108GB) to an HP Ultrium 460 hanging off my administration workstation (XP PRO) [I use backup exec and seperate gigabit cards with x-over cables for the backup data path]
oh and server is dual 2.4gig xeon with 2gb ram


so for my (optimum) config..
c: - os (seperate mirror set)
d: - AD [dit] (seperate mirror set)
e: - databases [SQL/Exchange] (seperate raid-5)
NAS - user data (files)

to get any better performance one would need to start adding external storage enclosures to build Raid-5 drive sets (minimum 5 drives).
first off (for me) would be:
split SQL to seperate drive set..
then:
Split exchange logs to seperate drive set
then split priv & pub
finally split the edb and stm files up..

so in a perfect world that system would have 8 drive partitions needing 30 drives...... dream on.....


in a practical world I also look at what I expect to do with the client over time.. will they be expanding much or will they be fairly static..

if they will be expanding I get the best server chassis and motherboard possible with only 1 processor and 512mb ram and 3x 15k (or 10k if costs determine) 36GB drives... drives setup as mirror set + hotspare. I then build the system with one big partition for everything.. and sit back and wait.. they run out of disk space and steam fairly soon.. so you add 2 36GB drives (mirror set) and move exchange and user data to the new drive set...
If I'd partitioned the drive up, at this point I'd be snookered..

For those at the lower end they are fairly static and are about 5/6 users..
Bigest challenge is the cost constraints they have...
easy peasy(usually)... dell server, SATA disks x 4, CERC RAID card.. all raid-5 (no hotspare.. try and persuade customer to get engineering spare).
I then partition the 360+ GB of space up..(windows partition)
c: 60GB - OS
d: rest.. - data (user files, sql, exchange)
These kind of clients cant usually afford a [reliable] tape drive, so I usually setup the server backups to dump to one of the workstations.. [bung a 250GB sata disk in]

My personal SBS setup..
(software curtesy of MS action pack subscription... a bargain if ever I saw one)
VERY cost constrained...
Second hand PIII HP Netserver E800's (dual 733) 1GB ram..
3 servers
SBS:-
5x 18GB 10k scsi, LSI Elite 1600, RAID-5 (4-drives+hotspare)
c: - 20GB - O/S
d: - rest - Exchange & SQL
DATA Server
4x sata (40GB) promise raid card.. raid-5
C: - 20GB - O/S
D: - rest - data (user shares)
Print queues on this server
Backup & Apps
4x sata (40GB) promise raid card.. raid-5
external IDE raid enclosure (e-bay bargain) 6x 80gb IDE raid-5 5+hotsp
5 dlt4000 (20/40) DLT tape drives
c: - 20gb - OS
d: - rest - primary backup area (disk backup of sbs & data servers)
e: - all[external storage] - install.dsk, customer backups, work in progress storage..
costly but backup exec with the raid-tape option joins the 5 DLS's together and gives me something like reasonable backup rate..
well the tape drives did only cost me £40 (GBP) on ebay so the £300 for the backupexec option kept it cost effective..

I've only broken SBS twice and had to flat re-install, hence my keeping the data on a seperate server... on top of SBS's built-in backup scheduling; I use exmerge to export PST's nightly allong with stsadm to export sharepoint.. I just have to remember to export the public folders to a PST when I get a chance...
Damned wish exmerge did public folders... it's got to be my number one "MS wish list" item.. Don't spose anyone knows any 3rd party tool that I can use to script and schedule this export with.. ?????

Company 1:
OS and Server applications on a 40GB SATA drive
Data on a dual 160GB RAID 1 SATA array

Backup: 2 USB HD weekly DVD burn of company database.


Company 2:
OS and Data on a dual 160GB RAID 1 SATA array

backup: external USB HD, 20/40 GB Travan, weekly DVD burn of company database.
(I don't trust the Travan as I have seen these fail miserably! However owners of "usable" legacy eqipment are hard to disuade.)

Company 3
OS and Server applications on a dual 40GB RAID 1 SATA array
Data on a dual 300GB RAID 1 SATA array

Backup: Iomega Rev + external HD.

Company 4
OS and Server applications on a dual 36GB RAID 1 SCSI array
Data on 146GB RAID 2 SCSI array

Back up: SCSI DAT-72 and weekly DVD burn of configured OS.

Ironically, I only had to restore server on company 4.

I have never come across a small business that has or wants a RAID 5 enclosure.