We need a simple way to serve up all the media to our iTunes, Apple TV, iPhones and iPods. My MBP keeps getting over loaded with stuff and I keep moving media off of it manually... not so much fun. If anyone has a good way of doing this, please post.
Thanks!
If all you're looking to do is have a Mac to serve up media, why can't you do that now using iTunes and a dedicated Mac mini, an Airport Extreme and a big external FireWire 800 hard drive (RAID)? Then plug the same Mac into your HDTV and stereo, get a Blu-ray player and you're golden.
If you want to share iCal and Address Book items, you could get a MobileMe account.
There are even little shareware apps that allow for Address Book and iCal syncing.
fruux is donationware and now does Address Book, Calendars, Tasks & Bookmarks.
If all you're looking to do is have a Mac to serve up media, why can't you do that now using iTunes and a dedicated Mac mini, an Airport Extreme and a big external FireWire 800 hard drive (RAID)? Then plug the same Mac into your HDTV and stereo, get a Blu-ray player and you're golden.
BTW, I keep all my iTunes stuff on an external RAID to keep my MacBook Pro free for work files and applications.
There are fairly simple ways to do these things without running a server with a server OS.
Shame the Apple TV can't do this, by allowing it to connect to an external drive!
If all you're looking to do is have a Mac to serve up media, why can't you do that now using iTunes and a dedicated Mac mini, an Airport Extreme and a big external FireWire 800 hard drive (RAID)? Then plug the same Mac into your HDTV and stereo, get a Blu-ray player and you're golden.
If you want to share iCal and Address Book items, you could get a MobileMe account.
There are even little shareware apps that allow for Address Book and iCal syncing.
fruux is donationware and now does Address Book, Calendars, Tasks & Bookmarks.
BTW, I keep all my iTunes stuff on an external RAID to keep my MacBook Pro free for work files and applications.
There are fairly simple ways to do these things without running a server with a server OS.
Thanks for the reply and am doing that, but I have other machines with the same problem of overflowing digital media and want to centralize it in a client server type of way... maybe it's just not in the cards... I don't want to hook anything up to the TV other than an Apple TV / Blue Ray / DVR...
Shame the Apple TV can't do this, by allowing it to connect to an external drive!
That's where the Mac mini and iTunes come in. You can do SO much more for about twice the price.
You can even setup a Mac mini as an Airport base station, so you can buy a 5-port Ethernet switch for $50 and skip the Airport Extreme altogether.
I connect my MacBook Pro to my HDTV occasionally to show photos and It's great to be able to jump to Google Earth to see that cool little cove on the Sithonian Peninsula in Greece where I took that photo of an octopus hiding under a rock.
My next Mac purchase will be a Mac mini and big RAID to permanently connect to my HDTV!
While I have to agree that the article is a little to focused on Windows, at least it is not as bad as some from the past. Combined with the fact that it ignores or dismisses Linux and one comes to the conclusion it is not balanced.
About Linux of FreeBSD for that matter, these are in effect server operating systems. You can't simply dismiss them when maybe half the servers on the planet are running variants. Just as Mac OS server has improved over time to make it more acceptable or easier to setup so has Linux improved. For some tasks it is simple to setup and get excellent results.
I'm also wondering why the focus on E-Mail servers? E-Mail is something that is done better for just about everybody in the cloud. Google, yahoo, dot.mac and a host of others allow for cheap and easy E-Mail. Further modern clients make using multiple services a snap. While I suppose there are good reasons to have your own E-Mail system it is hardly something that needs excessive focus.
Since I was looking for a media server the Mini Server isn't for me. It just doesn't have the capacity I'm looking for. Before anyone replys NO external drives are not acceptable. Even as a time machine server it is a little wanting and would have trouble keeping my MBP backed up. To that end I have to agree with everybody that has pointed out that the drives are too small and could be faster.
Given all of the above it is a nice machine for a number of applications. One of those that I've been considering is a repository for code. That is a GIT or SVN server or similar. Combined with file serving the machine could do very nicely.
If you look at this as Apples first shot at a micro server it really isn't that bad of a machine. What I would like to see down the road is actually rather simple to implement. The machine needs either a Light Peak or Ethernet connection to dedicate to a disk array. Let's face it FireWire and USB3 are already dead. A separate SSD boot drive/module with the two spinners dedicated to data storage. Dual power supply inputs. An easy open case but retaining the physical size. And maybe an SD slot. Arrandale should make all of this possible.
Apple still needs a midrange machine that can handle several storage modules. One use would be for a home media center where capacity is the number one issue.
In any event I see the Mini server as a winner as a concept. It isn't perfect but what machine is. Will apple sell lots of them? Well that is a good question, I'm going middle of the road here and say Apple will sell enough to keep the unit around and to offer improved models. As mentioned above something like Arrandale could make such a platform dramatically better by running cooler and freeing up more internal space. Space for Light Peak hardware for example, RAM soldered to the motherboard, or a boot SSD soldered to the motherboard. Arrandale might even provide for room for 3.5" disks or an array of 2.5" disks. The important thing is that the same box could potentially scale very well into the future. Hopefully Apple shares the same vision.
It would seem Apple is testing the waters with the Mac Mini server. Essentially the Mac Mini has most of the components necessary to be a blade server. Apple would need to build their own enclosure with a lights-out managment card et al.
One thing I'm not seeing is if there's software RAID for the Mac Mini for those 2 drives (RAID 0 and 1 please).
What people don't understand about the Snow Leopard release is that it was a step forward (albeit a stealthy one) for Apple to move more into the small to medium-sized businesses. There were many new features in the Server version that don't affect consumers so they went under the radar by the masses. In the coming months they'll become more self evident.
I hope the blade servers and maybe clients are on the way from Apple.
Not sure if this has been answered... Lights out MGMT, already built into the OS. In fact Turn on the Mini and then use Server Mgmt software to connect to it and install OS X Server.
Software RAID is built into the OS as well. Any and every Mac running OS X 10.3 and newer can do it.
Snow Leopard server in a small business is IDEAL on every level. From mail, to file and print sharing, to DNS/DHCP/Airport Acess point. All the way to the Wiki server pages. IDEAL. Even if your running all Windows PC's, it's IDEAL. I've done it and I as well as the client was thrilled with it... However I haven't been back since... Remote mgmt at it's best.
Thanks for the reply and am doing that, but I have other machines with the same problem of overflowing digital media and want to centralize it in a client server type of way... maybe it's just not in the cards... I don't want to hook anything up to the TV other than an Apple TV / Blue Ray / DVR...
If you have a desktop Mac that stays in one place and has FireWire 800, get a big RAID and dump all your media onto and set it up for sharing via iTunes.
I have 2 of these. One for Time Machine, one for everything else.
That's where the Mac mini and iTunes come in. You can do SO much more for about twice the price.
You can even setup a Mac mini as an Airport base station, so you can buy a 5-port Ethernet switch for $50 and skip the Airport Extreme altogether.
I connect my MacBook Pro to my HDTV occasionally to show photos and It's great to be able to jump to Google Earth to see that cool little cove on the Sithonian Peninsula in Greece where I took that photo of an octopus hiding under a rock.
My next Mac purchase will be a Mac mini and big RAID to permanently connect to my HDTV!
Same here probably, assuming I decide to stick with the Apple eco-system. I have some doubts about the longevity of iTunes video.
1. This is not intended to compete with Microsoft Home Server. If anything, iTunes itself (which can share its media libraries), running on any Mac on your home network, with media backed up to a USB drive hosted on an Airport device, is most of the way there. The Mini Server is intended to compete with other small business servers that want a small backup, email, vpn, webserver, etc.
2. There are several reasons why the Mini Server has two internal hard drives, and one is that they can mirror eachother for data redoundancy/backup.
3. No eSATA, but you can use the FireWire800 for directly attached storage, or do what many folks do and go with a NAS (Network Attached Storage) instead. Done. I would also be patient - I'll bet someone like LaCie will come out with a stylish FireWire800 RAID array that looks like 2-3 little Mac Minis stacked on each other, with a tidy little FW800 cable that lets you build a shiny little snowman out of your Mini Server and the RAID array.
4. ALL OF YOU: Think carefully about a product's intended audience before you say you love/hate it. Many posts in this thread have been the equivalent of "But how fast does it play games." This is a small business or classroom server.
5. I'll bet someone makes a blade-style rack mount to fit what, 8 of these on-end in a rack? You know it'll happen.
Yes, but with cables in the back, not all that wasted space at the bottom. Still, seems unlikely that Apple would be willing to resurrect the Cube, but they’ve given us more desktop-class components in the iMac, so maybe they will start doing with a new Cube-like device.
apple needs to create a new form factor - the mini is great but its lack of expansion negates the plusses its size offers
simply put i'd like to be able to open up the mini easily, without a putty knife to replace a hdd. Id's also like 7200rpm drives as standard. A larger form factor would allow 3.5" drives allowing more choice.
the mini would be great when apple adds home server features to the standard os they also need to swallow their pride and add an hdmi connector to the mini
I think there's still room for a Home Server but this isn't the product. A home server would be best centered around 3.5" drives for mass storage. A server like the Mac mini is best suited around 2.5" drives (as these drives are more robust on the avg and consume less power).
I agree with Solipsism. We don't really need an HDMI Mac mini. We need a stronger featured Apple TV.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wraithofwonder
This article seems to me a stretch.
Businesses who would use such software would prefer a case with more space.
Home users think more about cost and I'm sorry, but for this task I must endorse Windows Home Server.
Mac OS X for the desktop, Apple Extreme Base Station, etc. go for it. But Windows Home Server is the way to go for home. It just is. And Time Machine will work with it.
This surely isn't a product aimed at home users. Snow Leopard server offers way too many services for the typical home user who just wants things setup quickly and easily. The case really isn't that much of a deal. A mini with a NAS on the network creates safety in the fact that your mass data storage isn't in the same box as the mini.
This product is not aimed at home users. I too would recommend a WHS box for a consumer that just wants to put their music in one place and backup their Macs and PCs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DominoXML
I got the impression that some people in this forum tend to judge about software they never touched.
Of course it's possible to use the MMS as a Time Machine Server.
Just start Server Assistant go to Server Preferences, Time Machine and click "choose volume for client backups." Now you can chose the volume and use it like a Time Capsule Volume, but at least 3 times faster when connected by Gbit ethernet. I recommend an additional FW Drive for that, because I prefer to use also Time Machine for the server data.
As long You use the services that can be set up by server-assistant (AFP-, FTP, SMB- , Printer-, Scanner- sharing, VPN, Web, iChat, E-Mail etc. it's pretty easy to setup.
Unfortunately You will have to install iTunes and setup iTunes sharing in the client program to get an iTunes server. I really hoped for an integrated 64 Bit service here.
So far a pretty god home or small business server. Even beginners will be fine until they avoid the much more complex "second choice".
If you need more You'll have to setup DNS and Open Directory first by Server-Admin and Workgroup manager.
And before doing this You should really have a closer look into the documentation or buy a suitable book.
Without a 100% solid setup of OD and DNS you'll get such a lot oft nasty errors that You'll hate SSL. But believe me it's not really a big thing to do it when You know how to setup it properly.
When this is done you can use enterprise features like cluster and grid services, Portable Home Directories (Comparable to Win Server-Related Profiles), SSO, Quicktime Streaming, Secure Mobile Access, Firewall, MySQL and much more.
Doing this You should know a lot about network topology, backup strategies and security.
I'm a developer and I'm running Linux, OSX, Win as Server-OS in my office and at my customers. Every Product has it's pros and cons, but if I have the choice I prefer a UNIX based Server-OS.
The MMS might not be everybody's darling, but it's a great choice for a couple of tasks while only taking 25W in average and running nearby unhearable here in my office.
Just my 2 cents.
P.S.: Sorry for my improvable english.
DominoXML welcome to the boards. A most excellent first post and one that is dripping with actual experience. I'll eventually get around to getting certified in OS X server and quite honestly the barrier to buying a preconfigured system just went from $3000 or more to $999. What this tells me is that Apple's server strategy has changed somewhat and they are ready for higher volume sales for this product category. In ways the real fun starts with 10.7 server because if we take the same "no new feature" approach with 10.6 server then we will likely see a more feature laden 10.7 server. If Apple is shipping many more copies of OS X server then more advancement in development pays off more quickly.
I think there's still room for a Home Server but this isn't the product. A home server would be best centered around 3.5" drives for mass storage. A server like the Mac mini is best suited around 2.5" drives (as these drives are more robust on the avg and consume less power).
A 3.5” HDD (or more) is certainly the most important, single piece of HW missing missing from a Mac Home Server (MHS), but what about from the OS, SW and services?
A remote client interface that shows up in Shared in FInder that is simple to use and doesn’t have the normal GUI, yet you can still access the folders/files in Terminal and use the Terminal for more intricate controls?
A ZeroConfig BackToMyMac-like connection that is even easier than WHS free domain access? Perhaps requiring a MobileMe account so that various users with MobileMe can see there particular folders with no hassle?
The server having secure HTTP Streaming of content from the server to your machine via a web browser or Finder. Even streaming of multiple codecs if MHS and your Mac both have the codecs installed for QuickTime.(Hate to have to transcode everything MPEG-4)
That doesn’t seem too hard for Apple to create. It even seems easy enough that one might be able to use AppleScripts, MobileMe and a web page setup to make this happen now.
I think there's still room for a Home Server but this isn't the product. A home server would be best centered around 3.5" drives for mass storage. A server like the Mac mini is best suited around 2.5" drives (as these drives are more robust on the avg and consume less power). http://www.lacie.com/us/products/product.htm?pid=11140
I agree with the 3.5 drive scenario, but small footprint low-power consuming machine has many merits.
I guess we could all start calling for Apple to release a mid-sized Half-MacPro right about now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by hmurchison
I agree with Solipsism. We don't really need an HDMI Mac mini. We need a stronger featured Apple TV.
I know people like to say that, and power-wise it?s more than adequate, but the OS and GUI are not designed for being connected to a Home Theater. If you can?t control the entire experience from turning it on fresh out of the box, to setting it up, to using every aspect of it with a remote then it?s not a good fit for the average person who just wants a simple, easy-to-use appliance in their living room.
Technically savvy people will certainly be able to switch between a keyboard/mouse and remote easily and won?t mind (actually enjoy) scouring the internet for ways to automate and code the device to make it more ?AppleTV-like?, but that is not the average person, especially Apple?s consumers who are looking for a ?just works? solution.
I am a mac guy who owns a small business with about 9 Macs. Right now we are using an old eMac as a "server" and I have been really wanting to upgrade it for a while! The previous server was an early G4 tower.
This Mac Mini setup seems perfect! I think they are definitely on the right track. I am not a techie, and the SL server seems to be a much improvement over the server version we used on the G4 - which I could not figure out and had to hire a couple of Mac techs to set up for me.
As I said - I am not a tech - in fact, the current eMac is just running regular OS X, and it "serves" up our shared network drives (synched with DropBox using a SL), and runs all of our printers. I wouldn't mind having a "real" server again, but avoided it due to the cost and tech headache. This Mini bundle looks close to perfect from my perspective.
We are a small business, we do all of our own tech, and largely use macs because we spend VERY little time fiddling and fixing. It looks like as long as I didn't need to do anything complex, this server bundle would be a nice fit - and I can see other small businesses loving it too.
I know this will never happen, but I'd love to see Apple offer some machines, such as the Mac Pro and the Mini server without memory or hard drives, perhaps at a slightly reduced price. They're never sufficient enough, and upon upgrading they've been basically throwaways on my last few machines (not that I throw them away, rather they sit in a drawer, but I can't even give them away).
Shame the Apple TV can't do this, by allowing it to connect to an external drive!
That's why I sold my AppleTV and bought a mini. Esp. with the Early 2009 minis that have better on-board graphics than earlier minis and both mini-DVI and mini-DP outputs. For now I have one of these on order from monoprice.com.
If Apple would put HDMI *and* mini-DP outputs on the mini, and beef up Front Row with some of the AppleTV mojo I'd bet mini sales would triple overnight.
Quote:
Originally Posted by solipsism
Quote:
Originally Posted by jeffharris
We already have a full-featured TV.
That's the Mac mini!
I know people like to say that, and power-wise it’s more than adequate, but the OS and GUI are not designed for being connected to a Home Theater. If you can’t control the entire experience from turning it on fresh out of the box, to setting it up, to using every aspect of it with a remote then it’s not a good fit for the average person who just wants a simple, easy-to-use appliance in their living room.
Technically savvy people will certainly be able to switch between a keyboard/mouse and remote easily and won’t mind (actually enjoy) scouring the internet for ways to automate and code the device to make it more “AppleTV-like”, but that is not the average person, especially Apple’s consumers who are looking for a “just works” solution.
Exactly what I was referring to above. The mini either needs a native OS X Apple TV application or Front Row needs to get a lot more of the "it just works" functionality that the Apple TV already has. Add in an HDMI jack that will natively output 5.1 sound and the sky is the limit...
Plus, imagine what this could do for the iTunes movie franchise.
Comments
We need a simple way to serve up all the media to our iTunes, Apple TV, iPhones and iPods. My MBP keeps getting over loaded with stuff and I keep moving media off of it manually... not so much fun. If anyone has a good way of doing this, please post.
Thanks!
If all you're looking to do is have a Mac to serve up media, why can't you do that now using iTunes and a dedicated Mac mini, an Airport Extreme and a big external FireWire 800 hard drive (RAID)? Then plug the same Mac into your HDTV and stereo, get a Blu-ray player and you're golden.
If you want to share iCal and Address Book items, you could get a MobileMe account.
There are even little shareware apps that allow for Address Book and iCal syncing.
fruux is donationware and now does Address Book, Calendars, Tasks & Bookmarks.
http://fruux.com/
BusySync is $25 for one user or $20 each for multiples. I've set up a couple of small offices with these. it's easy to setup and they work fine.
http://www.busymac.com/busysync/
BTW, I keep all my iTunes stuff on an external RAID to keep my MacBook Pro free for work files and applications.
There are fairly simple ways to do these things without running a server with a server OS.
If all you're looking to do is have a Mac to serve up media, why can't you do that now using iTunes and a dedicated Mac mini, an Airport Extreme and a big external FireWire 800 hard drive (RAID)? Then plug the same Mac into your HDTV and stereo, get a Blu-ray player and you're golden.
BTW, I keep all my iTunes stuff on an external RAID to keep my MacBook Pro free for work files and applications.
There are fairly simple ways to do these things without running a server with a server OS.
Shame the Apple TV can't do this, by allowing it to connect to an external drive!
If all you're looking to do is have a Mac to serve up media, why can't you do that now using iTunes and a dedicated Mac mini, an Airport Extreme and a big external FireWire 800 hard drive (RAID)? Then plug the same Mac into your HDTV and stereo, get a Blu-ray player and you're golden.
If you want to share iCal and Address Book items, you could get a MobileMe account.
There are even little shareware apps that allow for Address Book and iCal syncing.
fruux is donationware and now does Address Book, Calendars, Tasks & Bookmarks.
http://fruux.com/
BusySync is $25 for one user or $20 each for multiples. I've set up a couple of small offices with these. it's easy to setup and they work fine.
http://www.busymac.com/busysync/
BTW, I keep all my iTunes stuff on an external RAID to keep my MacBook Pro free for work files and applications.
There are fairly simple ways to do these things without running a server with a server OS.
Thanks for the reply and am doing that, but I have other machines with the same problem of overflowing digital media and want to centralize it in a client server type of way... maybe it's just not in the cards... I don't want to hook anything up to the TV other than an Apple TV / Blue Ray / DVR...
Shame the Apple TV can't do this, by allowing it to connect to an external drive!
That's where the Mac mini and iTunes come in. You can do SO much more for about twice the price.
You can even setup a Mac mini as an Airport base station, so you can buy a 5-port Ethernet switch for $50 and skip the Airport Extreme altogether.
I connect my MacBook Pro to my HDTV occasionally to show photos and It's great to be able to jump to Google Earth to see that cool little cove on the Sithonian Peninsula in Greece where I took that photo of an octopus hiding under a rock.
My next Mac purchase will be a Mac mini and big RAID to permanently connect to my HDTV!
About Linux of FreeBSD for that matter, these are in effect server operating systems. You can't simply dismiss them when maybe half the servers on the planet are running variants. Just as Mac OS server has improved over time to make it more acceptable or easier to setup so has Linux improved. For some tasks it is simple to setup and get excellent results.
I'm also wondering why the focus on E-Mail servers? E-Mail is something that is done better for just about everybody in the cloud. Google, yahoo, dot.mac and a host of others allow for cheap and easy E-Mail. Further modern clients make using multiple services a snap. While I suppose there are good reasons to have your own E-Mail system it is hardly something that needs excessive focus.
Since I was looking for a media server the Mini Server isn't for me. It just doesn't have the capacity I'm looking for. Before anyone replys NO external drives are not acceptable. Even as a time machine server it is a little wanting and would have trouble keeping my MBP backed up. To that end I have to agree with everybody that has pointed out that the drives are too small and could be faster.
Given all of the above it is a nice machine for a number of applications. One of those that I've been considering is a repository for code. That is a GIT or SVN server or similar. Combined with file serving the machine could do very nicely.
If you look at this as Apples first shot at a micro server it really isn't that bad of a machine. What I would like to see down the road is actually rather simple to implement. The machine needs either a Light Peak or Ethernet connection to dedicate to a disk array. Let's face it FireWire and USB3 are already dead. A separate SSD boot drive/module with the two spinners dedicated to data storage. Dual power supply inputs. An easy open case but retaining the physical size. And maybe an SD slot. Arrandale should make all of this possible.
Apple still needs a midrange machine that can handle several storage modules. One use would be for a home media center where capacity is the number one issue.
In any event I see the Mini server as a winner as a concept. It isn't perfect but what machine is. Will apple sell lots of them? Well that is a good question, I'm going middle of the road here and say Apple will sell enough to keep the unit around and to offer improved models. As mentioned above something like Arrandale could make such a platform dramatically better by running cooler and freeing up more internal space. Space for Light Peak hardware for example, RAM soldered to the motherboard, or a boot SSD soldered to the motherboard. Arrandale might even provide for room for 3.5" disks or an array of 2.5" disks. The important thing is that the same box could potentially scale very well into the future. Hopefully Apple shares the same vision.
Dave
It would seem Apple is testing the waters with the Mac Mini server. Essentially the Mac Mini has most of the components necessary to be a blade server. Apple would need to build their own enclosure with a lights-out managment card et al.
One thing I'm not seeing is if there's software RAID for the Mac Mini for those 2 drives (RAID 0 and 1 please).
What people don't understand about the Snow Leopard release is that it was a step forward (albeit a stealthy one) for Apple to move more into the small to medium-sized businesses. There were many new features in the Server version that don't affect consumers so they went under the radar by the masses. In the coming months they'll become more self evident.
I hope the blade servers and maybe clients are on the way from Apple.
Not sure if this has been answered... Lights out MGMT, already built into the OS. In fact Turn on the Mini and then use Server Mgmt software to connect to it and install OS X Server.
Software RAID is built into the OS as well. Any and every Mac running OS X 10.3 and newer can do it.
Snow Leopard server in a small business is IDEAL on every level. From mail, to file and print sharing, to DNS/DHCP/Airport Acess point. All the way to the Wiki server pages. IDEAL. Even if your running all Windows PC's, it's IDEAL. I've done it and I as well as the client was thrilled with it... However I haven't been back since... Remote mgmt at it's best.
Thanks for the reply and am doing that, but I have other machines with the same problem of overflowing digital media and want to centralize it in a client server type of way... maybe it's just not in the cards... I don't want to hook anything up to the TV other than an Apple TV / Blue Ray / DVR...
If you have a desktop Mac that stays in one place and has FireWire 800, get a big RAID and dump all your media onto and set it up for sharing via iTunes.
I have 2 of these. One for Time Machine, one for everything else.
http://www.lacie.com/us/products/product.htm?pid=11140
I'm not sure how it would do with multiple machines accessing the iTunes library simultaneously.
That's where the Mac mini and iTunes come in. You can do SO much more for about twice the price.
You can even setup a Mac mini as an Airport base station, so you can buy a 5-port Ethernet switch for $50 and skip the Airport Extreme altogether.
I connect my MacBook Pro to my HDTV occasionally to show photos and It's great to be able to jump to Google Earth to see that cool little cove on the Sithonian Peninsula in Greece where I took that photo of an octopus hiding under a rock.
My next Mac purchase will be a Mac mini and big RAID to permanently connect to my HDTV!
Same here probably, assuming I decide to stick with the Apple eco-system. I have some doubts about the longevity of iTunes video.
2. There are several reasons why the Mini Server has two internal hard drives, and one is that they can mirror eachother for data redoundancy/backup.
3. No eSATA, but you can use the FireWire800 for directly attached storage, or do what many folks do and go with a NAS (Network Attached Storage) instead. Done. I would also be patient - I'll bet someone like LaCie will come out with a stylish FireWire800 RAID array that looks like 2-3 little Mac Minis stacked on each other, with a tidy little FW800 cable that lets you build a shiny little snowman out of your Mini Server and the RAID array.
4. ALL OF YOU: Think carefully about a product's intended audience before you say you love/hate it. Many posts in this thread have been the equivalent of "But how fast does it play games." This is a small business or classroom server.
5. I'll bet someone makes a blade-style rack mount to fit what, 8 of these on-end in a rack? You know it'll happen.
You mean like a . .. I dunno . . . a cube?
Yes, but with cables in the back, not all that wasted space at the bottom. Still, seems unlikely that Apple would be willing to resurrect the Cube, but they’ve given us more desktop-class components in the iMac, so maybe they will start doing with a new Cube-like device.
apple needs to create a new form factor - the mini is great but its lack of expansion negates the plusses its size offers
simply put i'd like to be able to open up the mini easily, without a putty knife to replace a hdd. Id's also like 7200rpm drives as standard. A larger form factor would allow 3.5" drives allowing more choice.
the mini would be great when apple adds home server features to the standard os they also need to swallow their pride and add an hdmi connector to the mini
I think there's still room for a Home Server but this isn't the product. A home server would be best centered around 3.5" drives for mass storage. A server like the Mac mini is best suited around 2.5" drives (as these drives are more robust on the avg and consume less power).
I agree with Solipsism. We don't really need an HDMI Mac mini. We need a stronger featured Apple TV.
This article seems to me a stretch.
Businesses who would use such software would prefer a case with more space.
Home users think more about cost and I'm sorry, but for this task I must endorse Windows Home Server.
Mac OS X for the desktop, Apple Extreme Base Station, etc. go for it. But Windows Home Server is the way to go for home. It just is. And Time Machine will work with it.
This surely isn't a product aimed at home users. Snow Leopard server offers way too many services for the typical home user who just wants things setup quickly and easily. The case really isn't that much of a deal. A mini with a NAS on the network creates safety in the fact that your mass data storage isn't in the same box as the mini.
This product is not aimed at home users. I too would recommend a WHS box for a consumer that just wants to put their music in one place and backup their Macs and PCs.
I got the impression that some people in this forum tend to judge about software they never touched.
Of course it's possible to use the MMS as a Time Machine Server.
Just start Server Assistant go to Server Preferences, Time Machine and click "choose volume for client backups." Now you can chose the volume and use it like a Time Capsule Volume, but at least 3 times faster when connected by Gbit ethernet. I recommend an additional FW Drive for that, because I prefer to use also Time Machine for the server data.
As long You use the services that can be set up by server-assistant (AFP-, FTP, SMB- , Printer-, Scanner- sharing, VPN, Web, iChat, E-Mail etc. it's pretty easy to setup.
Unfortunately You will have to install iTunes and setup iTunes sharing in the client program to get an iTunes server. I really hoped for an integrated 64 Bit service here.
So far a pretty god home or small business server. Even beginners will be fine until they avoid the much more complex "second choice".
If you need more You'll have to setup DNS and Open Directory first by Server-Admin and Workgroup manager.
And before doing this You should really have a closer look into the documentation or buy a suitable book.
Without a 100% solid setup of OD and DNS you'll get such a lot oft nasty errors that You'll hate SSL. But believe me it's not really a big thing to do it when You know how to setup it properly.
When this is done you can use enterprise features like cluster and grid services, Portable Home Directories (Comparable to Win Server-Related Profiles), SSO, Quicktime Streaming, Secure Mobile Access, Firewall, MySQL and much more.
Doing this You should know a lot about network topology, backup strategies and security.
I'm a developer and I'm running Linux, OSX, Win as Server-OS in my office and at my customers. Every Product has it's pros and cons, but if I have the choice I prefer a UNIX based Server-OS.
The MMS might not be everybody's darling, but it's a great choice for a couple of tasks while only taking 25W in average and running nearby unhearable here in my office.
Just my 2 cents.
P.S.: Sorry for my improvable english.
DominoXML welcome to the boards. A most excellent first post and one that is dripping with actual experience. I'll eventually get around to getting certified in OS X server and quite honestly the barrier to buying a preconfigured system just went from $3000 or more to $999. What this tells me is that Apple's server strategy has changed somewhat and they are ready for higher volume sales for this product category. In ways the real fun starts with 10.7 server because if we take the same "no new feature" approach with 10.6 server then we will likely see a more feature laden 10.7 server. If Apple is shipping many more copies of OS X server then more advancement in development pays off more quickly.
I think there's still room for a Home Server but this isn't the product. A home server would be best centered around 3.5" drives for mass storage. A server like the Mac mini is best suited around 2.5" drives (as these drives are more robust on the avg and consume less power).
A 3.5” HDD (or more) is certainly the most important, single piece of HW missing missing from a Mac Home Server (MHS), but what about from the OS, SW and services?
A remote client interface that shows up in Shared in FInder that is simple to use and doesn’t have the normal GUI, yet you can still access the folders/files in Terminal and use the Terminal for more intricate controls?
A ZeroConfig BackToMyMac-like connection that is even easier than WHS free domain access? Perhaps requiring a MobileMe account so that various users with MobileMe can see there particular folders with no hassle?
The server having secure HTTP Streaming of content from the server to your machine via a web browser or Finder. Even streaming of multiple codecs if MHS and your Mac both have the codecs installed for QuickTime.(Hate to have to transcode everything MPEG-4)
That doesn’t seem too hard for Apple to create. It even seems easy enough that one might be able to use AppleScripts, MobileMe and a web page setup to make this happen now.
Did I miss needed features?
I think there's still room for a Home Server but this isn't the product. A home server would be best centered around 3.5" drives for mass storage. A server like the Mac mini is best suited around 2.5" drives (as these drives are more robust on the avg and consume less power). http://www.lacie.com/us/products/product.htm?pid=11140
I agree with the 3.5 drive scenario, but small footprint low-power consuming machine has many merits.
I guess we could all start calling for Apple to release a mid-sized Half-MacPro right about now.
I agree with Solipsism. We don't really need an HDMI Mac mini. We need a stronger featured Apple TV.
We already have a full-featured TV.
That's the Mac mini!
We already have a full-featured TV.
That's the Mac mini!
I know people like to say that, and power-wise it?s more than adequate, but the OS and GUI are not designed for being connected to a Home Theater. If you can?t control the entire experience from turning it on fresh out of the box, to setting it up, to using every aspect of it with a remote then it?s not a good fit for the average person who just wants a simple, easy-to-use appliance in their living room.
Technically savvy people will certainly be able to switch between a keyboard/mouse and remote easily and won?t mind (actually enjoy) scouring the internet for ways to automate and code the device to make it more ?AppleTV-like?, but that is not the average person, especially Apple?s consumers who are looking for a ?just works? solution.
skip
I agree with the 3.5 drive scenario, but small footprint low-power consuming machine has many merits.
I guess we could all start calling for Apple to release a mid-sized Half-MacPro right about now.
We already have a full-featured TV.
That's the Mac mini!
you stole my
This Mac Mini setup seems perfect! I think they are definitely on the right track. I am not a techie, and the SL server seems to be a much improvement over the server version we used on the G4 - which I could not figure out and had to hire a couple of Mac techs to set up for me.
As I said - I am not a tech - in fact, the current eMac is just running regular OS X, and it "serves" up our shared network drives (synched with DropBox using a SL), and runs all of our printers. I wouldn't mind having a "real" server again, but avoided it due to the cost and tech headache. This Mini bundle looks close to perfect from my perspective.
We are a small business, we do all of our own tech, and largely use macs because we spend VERY little time fiddling and fixing. It looks like as long as I didn't need to do anything complex, this server bundle would be a nice fit - and I can see other small businesses loving it too.
jb
5. I'll bet someone makes a blade-style rack mount to fit what, 8 of these on-end in a rack? You know it'll happen.
These guys have basically already done that their a co-locating facility: http://www.macminicolo.net:
With the advent of the MMS, I hope they have plans in place for expansion.
Shame the Apple TV can't do this, by allowing it to connect to an external drive!
That's why I sold my AppleTV and bought a mini. Esp. with the Early 2009 minis that have better on-board graphics than earlier minis and both mini-DVI and mini-DP outputs. For now I have one of these on order from monoprice.com.
If Apple would put HDMI *and* mini-DP outputs on the mini, and beef up Front Row with some of the AppleTV mojo I'd bet mini sales would triple overnight.
We already have a full-featured TV.
That's the Mac mini!
I know people like to say that, and power-wise it’s more than adequate, but the OS and GUI are not designed for being connected to a Home Theater. If you can’t control the entire experience from turning it on fresh out of the box, to setting it up, to using every aspect of it with a remote then it’s not a good fit for the average person who just wants a simple, easy-to-use appliance in their living room.
Technically savvy people will certainly be able to switch between a keyboard/mouse and remote easily and won’t mind (actually enjoy) scouring the internet for ways to automate and code the device to make it more “AppleTV-like”, but that is not the average person, especially Apple’s consumers who are looking for a “just works” solution.
Exactly what I was referring to above. The mini either needs a native OS X Apple TV application or Front Row needs to get a lot more of the "it just works" functionality that the Apple TV already has. Add in an HDMI jack that will natively output 5.1 sound and the sky is the limit...
Plus, imagine what this could do for the iTunes movie franchise.
Steve, are you listening?