--- title: Measuring disk performance for SecurityGateway deployments description: Security Gateway is heavily I/O bound. Disk performance directly impacts message processing throughput. Before deploying Security Gateway in production, verify your storage meets minimum IOPS and latency requirements using Microsoft DiskSpd. --- [Skip to content](https://knowledge.mdaemon.com/measuring-disk-performance-securitygateway#main-content) [![](https://knowledge.mdaemon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/MDaemon-Technologies_logo.png?width=200&height=150&name=MDaemon-Technologies_logo.png)](https://mdaemon.com/) - [Knowledge Base Home](https://knowledge.mdaemon.com/) - [Go to www.mdaemon.com](https://mdaemon.com/) Open main navigation Close main navigation - [Knowledge Base Home](https://knowledge.mdaemon.com/) - [Go to www.mdaemon.com](https://mdaemon.com/) - [Contact Us](https://mdaemon.com/pages/contact-us) [Contact Us](https://mdaemon.com/pages/contact-us) Knowledge Base - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. 1. [Knowledge Base Home](https://knowledge.mdaemon.com/?hsLang=en) 2. [SecurityGateway for Email Servers](https://knowledge.mdaemon.com/securitygateway-for-email-servers?hsLang=en) # Measuring disk performance for SecurityGateway deployments ## SecurityGateway is heavily I/O bound. Disk performance directly impacts message processing throughput. Before deploying SecurityGateway in production, verify your storage meets minimum IOPS and latency requirements using Microsoft DiskSpd. ### **Download DiskSpd** DiskSpd is a free storage benchmarking tool from Microsoft. - **Download:** [https://github.com/Microsoft/diskspd/releases/latest/download/DiskSpd.zip](https://aka.ms/getdiskspd) - **Documentation:** [https://github.com/microsoft/diskspd/wiki](https://github.com/microsoft/diskspd/wiki) - **Project page:** [https://github.com/microsoft/diskspd](https://github.com/microsoft/diskspd) Extract the ZIP file and use the executable matching your platform (amd64 for 64-bit Windows). ### **Minimum Requirements by Deployment Size** | Deployment | Users | Est. Messages/Day | Min. IOPS | Min. Storage | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Small | Up to 100 | 50,000 | 500 | Spinning disk or SSD | | Medium | 100 - 500 | 250,000 | 3,000 | SSD | | Large | 500 - 1,000 | 500,000 | 10,000 | SSD | | Enterprise | 1,000 - 2,500 | 1,250,000 | 20,000 | SSD | | High Volume | 2,500+ | 2,500,000+ | 50,000+ | SSD (NVMe recommended) | Both read and write IOPS should meet the minimum threshold for your deployment tier. ### **Latency Thresholds** | Rating | Read Latency | Write Latency | | --- | --- | --- | | Good | \< 1 ms | \< 1 ms | | Acceptable | 1 - 10 ms | 1 - 15 ms | | Poor | \> 10 ms | \> 15 ms | SecurityGateway uses a Firebird embedded database with frequent small transactions. Low latency is critical for optimal performance, especially as database files grow over time. ### **Running the Test** Open an elevated command prompt and navigate to the directory where SecurityGateway will store its data (or where it is currently installed). Run the following command: ``` -Sh diskspd -b4K -d60 -o32 -t4 -r -w50 -L -c1G testfile.dat ``` ### **Parameter Explanation** | Parameter | Description | | --- | --- | |   `-Sh` |  Disable both software (OS-level) and hardware write    caching | | `-b4K` | 4KB block size (matches SecurityGateway's I/O pattern) | | `-d60` | 60-second test duration | | `-o32` | 32 outstanding I/Os per thread (queue depth) | | `-t4` | 4 threads | | `-r` | Random I/O (not sequential) | | `-w50` | 50% writes, 50% reads | | `-L` | Capture latency statistics | | `-c1G` | Create 1GB test file | Run the test on the actual drive where SecurityGateway data will reside. If running in a virtual machine, run the test inside the VM to measure actual available performance.   ### **Reading the Results** After the test completes, DiskSpd displays a detailed report. Here's how to find the key metrics. ### **Finding IOPS** Look for the **Read IO**, **Write IO**, and **Total IO** sections near the end of the output: ``` Read IOthread | bytes | I/Os | MiB/s | I/O per s | AvgLat | LatStdDev |-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------total: | 2469135802 | 602468 | 24.68 | 10041.13 | 5.892 | 2.345 |Write IOthread | bytes | I/Os | MiB/s | I/O per s | AvgLat | LatStdDev |-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------total: | 2469135802 | 602468 | 24.68 | 10041.14 | 6.576 | 2.789 |Total IOthread | bytes | I/Os | MiB/s | I/O per s | AvgLat | LatStdDev |-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------total: | 4938271604 | 1204936 | 49.36 | 20082.27 | 6.234 | 2.567 | ``` The **I/O per s** column shows your IOPS: - **Read IO: I/O per s** = Read IOPS - **Write IO: I/O per s** = Write IOPS - **Total IO: I/O per s** = Combined IOPS Both read and write IOPS should meet the minimum threshold for your deployment tier. ### **Finding Latency** The **AvgLat** column in the I/O tables shows average latency in milliseconds. For more detail, look for the percentile distribution table: ``` %-ile | Read (ms) | Write (ms) | Total (ms)---------------------------------------------- min | 0.082 | 0.091 | 0.082 25th | 3.456 | 4.567 | 3.890 50th | 5.678 | 6.789 | 6.123 75th | 8.901 | 10.012 | 9.345 90th | 12.345 | 14.567 | 13.456 95th | 15.678 | 18.901 | 17.234 99th | 22.345 | 26.789 | 24.567 max | 45.678 | 52.345 | 52.345 ``` Key values to check: - **AvgLat:** Average latency shown in the I/O table - **50th percentile (median):** Should be under 10ms for reads, under 15ms for writes - **99th percentile:** High values here indicate occasional latency spikes ### **Example Results** ### **Good Result** ``` Read IO: I/O per s: 12,500 AvgLat: 2.1 msWrite IO: I/O per s: 12,480 AvgLat: 3.2 msTotal IO: I/O per s: 24,980 ``` This storage is suitable for large deployments (500 - 1,000 users). ### **Poor Result** ``` Read IO: I/O per s: 420 AvgLat: 38.5 msWrite IO: I/O per s: 395 AvgLat: 52.1 msTotal IO: I/O per s: 815 ``` This storage will cause performance problems. Message processing will be slow and the web interface may be unresponsive during peak load. ### **Common Issues** ### **Low IOPS on Virtual Machines** Virtual machines sharing storage with other VMs often show degraded IOPS during peak hours. Solutions: - Use dedicated storage for the SecurityGateway VM - Use thick-provisioned virtual disks (thin provisioning causes latency spikes) - Consider direct-attached storage instead of SAN/NAS - Monitor hypervisor-level disk latency ### **High Latency with Adequate IOPS** If IOPS numbers look acceptable but latency is high: - Check for disk fragmentation - Verify the storage controller has write caching enabled - On SSDs, check if the drive is near capacity (performance degrades above 80% full) - Check for firmware updates for storage controllers or drives ### **Inconsistent Results** If results vary significantly between test runs: - Other processes may be competing for disk I/O - Run tests during off-peak hours for baseline measurements - Check for antivirus software scanning the test file - On virtual machines, other VMs may be causing I/O contention ### **SSD Recommendations** For production deployments, choose SSDs rated for high write endurance (DWPD - Drive Writes Per Day). SecurityGateway generates constant write activity from: - Message queuing - Database transactions - Logging Consumer SSDs may wear prematurely. Enterprise or "mixed-use" SSDs with 1+ DWPD rating are recommended. ### **Cleanup** After testing, delete the test file: ``` del testfile.dat ``` ### **See Also** - [SecurityGateway System Requirements](https://mdaemon.com/pages/security-gateway-system-requirements) - [Microsoft DiskSpd Wiki](https://github.com/microsoft/diskspd/wiki) - [DiskSpd Releases](https://github.com/microsoft/diskspd/releases) - [MDaemon Email Server](https://knowledge.mdaemon.com/mdaemon-email-server?hsLang=en#main-content) - [Mobile Device Management](https://knowledge.mdaemon.com/mdaemon-email-server?hsLang=en#mobile-device-management) - [MDaemon AntiVirus (SecurityPlus)](https://knowledge.mdaemon.com/mdaemon-antivirus-securityplus?hsLang=en) - [ActiveSync for MDaemon](https://knowledge.mdaemon.com/activesync-for-mdaemon?hsLang=en) - [MDaemon Connector for Outlook (Outlook Connector)](https://knowledge.mdaemon.com/mdaemon-connector-for-outlook-outlook-connector?hsLang=en) - [SecurityGateway for Email Servers](https://knowledge.mdaemon.com/securitygateway-for-email-servers?hsLang=en) - [RelayFax Network Software](https://knowledge.mdaemon.com/relayfax-network-software?hsLang=en) [![Chill listening crop-3](https://knowledge.mdaemon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/belch.io/template-assets/MDaemon-Technologies_logo.png?width=199&height=41&name=MDaemon-Technologies_logo.png "Chill listening crop-3")](https://www.mdaemon.com) [Knowledge Base Home](https://knowledge.mdaemon.com?hsLang=en) Copyright © 2025, MDaemon Technologies