Do I need OSX server?

guarthoguartho
Posted:
in macOS edited January 2014
I'd like to set up a SP G4 867 as a file server for fueling FCP on a couple of editing stations. This would be a stop-gap so there won't be a whole lot of money spent on the project. If I add a gigabit Ethernet card or two to a G4, can it assign IP addresses to two computers and serve files w/o running OSX server?



Alternatively, is a gigabit switch all I need to have my Macs talk to one another at higher than 100mbps?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 5
    splinemodelsplinemodel Posts: 7,311member
    Normal OS X can do everything that OS X Server can do, it just doesn't always have the pretty GUI to do it. (That may not actually be true, but it's close). What you will need to do is locate some PCI cards that work with Mac OS X and the PPC mac. Do the research here, because you want mature drivers for this. I'm not sure why you need two gigE cards, but you should be able to set up individual subnets without doing anything fancy. Manual IP configuration should be quite adequate, and it will save you the effort of mucking about in the shell. If you find that you have special needs, there's a lot you can do in the shell as root. macoshints.com is a great resource for this stuff.



    One area of concern is that cheap GigE cards put a lot of strain on the CPU. If all you're doing is file sharing to some terminals, you'll be OK.



    A GigE switch and some CAT6 are indeed what you want. They can be had for relatively cheap.
  • Reply 2 of 5
    guarthoguartho Posts: 1,208member
    Hey, thanks Splinemodel.



    Is this DLink switch sufficient?

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833127083



    Network Newbie question:

    Cat6? How do I determine what my existing cables are? I thought I just needed Cat5. Is the difference simple enough for a Mac user to understand?
  • Reply 3 of 5
    zandroszandros Posts: 537member
    Cat5e supports gigabit ethernet.



    Doesn't Powermac G4 feature gigabit ethernet anyway, or does it not have dual?
  • Reply 4 of 5
    guarthoguartho Posts: 1,208member
    Yes it has 1 gigabit port. I was thinking maybe I could use it as a server with a direct computer-computer connection to each iMac. I think that a gigabit switch will probably be much simpler for me though.
  • Reply 5 of 5
    mr. hmr. h Posts: 4,870member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Zandros


    Cat5e supports gigabit ethernet.



    Depends on cable length. For really long runs, you'll need CAT 6. For short runs, you should be able to get away with "normal" CAT 5.
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