Mac Mini and Snow Leopard Server

diable

Looking for a new toy, is it worth the investment? Hopefully may start a new job and it may be set against expenses. Looking to have a play but need some opinions from here or just build my own server.

tonynw

i have a macbook pro would never use anything other than mac.

tonynw

diable

tonynw wrote: »

i have a macbook pro would never use anything other than mac.

tonynw

I also have a Mac and Win 7 PC but looking for opinions on Mac Server as can easily build a Win Server for file sharing but was thinking website hosting and podcast production.

TickledPink_2

There are cheaper ways of setting up a server. The only advantage that the Mac Mini has over a normal PC is its size, which is ideal for a discrete home server.

If you're determined to go for a mini as a server, I'd actually suggest getting one off eBay so long as your home contents insurance covers it if anything goes wrong. Second hand Macs can often be bought at a fraction of their new price (particularly the iMac - parents have a brand spanking new one ... all £1400 of it!).

I did think of getting a Mini for development work a couple of years ago when they were £400 new. Since then, Apple's policy has been to increase spec and increase price, making the Mini even less competitive to a standard PC. So when I'm ready, I'll be going down the second hand route. And for a server, you don't need the latest and greatest.

coxy17

There are plenty of options for running a server, a lot of them much cheaper than using a Mac. Is it essential that you run Snow Leopard?

I have several servers running Debian Linux. If you've not used Linux before then it's a good way to learn and as a bonus it won't cost you a penny for the software. It will run on almost anything. I have a file server that has a Pentium III 700MHz processor. It works fine and sits on my network as a Windows share.

If you want a small, discreet server you could build one yourself for less than £150 using one of the Intel Atom processors and minimal parts.

Just a suggestion but it could save you some cash and you'll learn about one of the most stable operating systems that runs a large share of Web servers around the world.

busenbust

I love SL Server!

TickledPink_2

coxy17 wrote: »

If you want a small, discreet server you could build one yourself for less than £150 using one of the Intel Atom processors and minimal parts.

Just a suggestion but it could save you some cash and you'll learn about one of the most stable operating systems that runs a large share of Web servers around the world.

Personally I'd modify that advice slightly and NOT go for an Atom based machine. Although the new Atoms are better than they used to be, they're still not the fastest processors on the planet - particularly if the OP is looking to do more than just have a server. And so, if that's the case then Linux is also a no-no due to lack of decent application support. Linux also has quite a steep learning curve. If you haven't set up servers before then Linux shouldn't be your first port of call.

If money's an issue then either try and get a decent second-hand deal or do as suggested here ... but go for a Mini-ITX board that supports an Intel Core 2 or an AMD Athlon rather than an Atom.

You could also build a Hackintosh ... a PC that runs OSX. But these can be troublesome to set up and you need to know which parts to get hold of for best results.

coxy17

I'm not sure where you get the impression that Linux lacks decent application support; these days you would be hard pushed to find something you can't do on Linux that you can do on OS X or Windows. The learning curve can be steep but there is plenty of information out there if someone is interested.

I agree with what you say about the Atoms. They lack a bit of punch but it was only a suggestion for use in a headless server running a minimal install. That said, I've seen the Atoms used with Windows 7 for Office, Internet and E-mail and it seemed to run well.

As I said, just a suggestion.

BikerEd

It makes a fantastic home media server. Plug it into the TV, use either Apple's own Front Row or something cool like Boxee and you are good to go.

prowla

Is it the Mac Mini server you are looking at (ie. the one with two hard disks and no DVD drive)?
I think a Mac can share disks anyway so I'm not sure why you need the server OS; I think the server OS X is for managing Mac environments.
The thing about the Mac is that you take it out of the box and it's there, as opposed to cobbling together a machine and plonking Linux on it, and the Mac is pokey enough, as opposed to a low power (consumption) PC.
The only factor really is how much you want to pay, and presumably the fact you are looking at the Mac means you are prepared to pay for it.