As implemented by Microsoft Provisioning System, Resource Manager keeps track of the following information:

• Available disk space on each Exchange server that can be allocated for Exchange mailbox stores and mailboxes
• Disk space that has been allocated on each Exchange server, and the organization to which it is allocated
• Available disk space on each Web server that can be allocated for Web and FTP sites
• Disk space that has been allocated on each Web server, and the organization to which it is allocated
• Available IP addresses
• IP addresses that have been allocated to Web and FTP sites, and the organization to which they are allocated

Resource Manager can be used to track many different types of resources, in addition to those in the previous list. You can extend or customize Resource Manager functionality for special purposes.

• Resource registration-When you deploy a new server or add a resource to it, such as disk space or an additional IP address, you record information about the new resource with Resource Manager. This is called registering the resource. The status of the resource is recorded in the Resource Manager database as "available"; in other words, it is a resource that can be allocated to a customer.
• Resource allocation-When you provision a service to a customer, Microsoft Provisioning System consults the Resource Manager database for an available resource to allocate. It then records information linking the resource and the customer to whom it was allocated in the Resource Manager database. The status of the resource then becomes "allocated"; in other words, the resource is no longer available for provisioning.
• Resource recycling-When you remove a customer Web or FTP site or an Exchange mailbox, Microsoft Provisioning System notifies Resource Manager, which releases the related resources and changes their status to "available" so that they can be provisioned again.