Why an Apple-blessed Mac mini server has big possibilities

I'm considering the Mini server box to handle 3 Macs, remote access and several web sites that I'm now paying to host. Question is, my Comcast cable account is very fast, but won't provide a static IP. Will the dynamic IP utilities work reliably with this setup?

Coolmax makes a cheap little 2 HDD Raid box (0 and 1) which works quite well for personal use.

The mac mini makes a fantastic server. How many Quad-core Xeon's does it take to host a wiki? This little unit gets you the maximum horse power for the least power consumption. This means a whole lot when your talking about a data center full of computers.

If your interested in having a mac mini server hosted, check out Mac Mini World Hosting. You can get the new Mac Mini Server hosted for only $125 per month!

These units are also great for SOHO / branch office servers. They can fit just about anywhere.

Administering a Linux server is a pain in the bum, even for gurus. OS-X Server is designed to allow idiots to administer, while still having UNIX underneath you can fall back to if needed. Never should OS-X server do less than Linux, because it can run all the same stuff. But it can do common stuff a lot easier. And frankly, there is a ton of useful stuff that Linux doesn't have anyway, like some of the tools for handling many client machines.

@Colin

I've got a Drobo Pro running with dual disk redundancy on iSCSI attached to my MacPro and get read/writes speeds of 80-95MB/sec.

I currently have 6x7200RPM drives installed all from the same manufacturer, so perhaps that's why I'm getting a really good speed?

Regards,
Binky

Actually the DroboPro doesn't work with 64-bit 10.6 yet (like the server OS)
and it needs the GigE port for network connectivity.

Even trying a DroboPro on a MacPro resulted in such dismal performance that I returned mine and bought a real NAS instead.

So even if the MacMini server had 2x GigE ports (which is what the DroboPro requires), it's still not fast enough when shared over the network.

Dual disk redundancy gave 35MB/s for writes :(

I've been using my mini as a server for about a year now. It's a great way to get a server going. And now that Apple have been giving away trial copies of Snow Leopard Server, I have a feeling that a lot of people will find this an interesting approach.

For more on how this can be useful, take a look at my blog:

http://www.threelionstech.com/blog/index.php/32

Think about this: why not sell the Maci Mini' Server without OSX-Server?

I'd like to have this new Mini as a replacement for my old Mini G4, equiped by myself with a second harddrive instead of orig. Combo.DVD.

I think, OSX-SL is also included.

If you have to replace a broken Mac Mini Server would You like to buy OSX-Server again? He?

I still think I'd take a slightly larger Mini for it to use 3.5" drives. Instead of dual 500gb drives, you could easily stick in an SSD for system and some eco 1.5tb drive for a real home server (or even dual 2TBs). The 2.5" drive just adds to the expense.

Also eSATA should come to macs already.

How well could this be used as a Push Notification server for an iPhone app?

@ Tom Bridge - iSCSI will always be faster than FireWire - even at 800 speed. A $50 4-5 port GigE switch will solve any connectivity problems caused by a single GigE port on the Mac Mini. Regarding Promise vs. Drobo, I have used both and there is a reason I now use Drobo and not Promise. The Drobo is light years ahead of the Promise in terms of ease of use and scalability.

@ Rob - Not sure what you consider slow, but I consistently see 45-60MB/s on my 2nd Gen Drobo via FW800 which is plenty fast for even a power home user like myself.

Jimbo