#Setup mac mini server mac os x
#Setup mac mini server mac os
#Setup mac mini server install

Although not big on size or raw computing power, the Mac Mini has always had at least enough power to meet the needs of these less-than-demanding environments.

#Setup mac mini server install

Regardless of my own involvement, I often recommended that these small firms (typically anywhere from one to few-dozen employees with basic needs) buy AppleвЂ™s server software and install it on a Mac Mini. Once Leopard Server arrived in 2007, my direct involvement dropped, since companies finally had a familiar and easy-to-use means of handling these tasks. In the days before Leopard Server-the predecessor to Snow Leopard Server-and Server Preferences, I usually wound up installing a server and being on call for even the most routine tasks, like adding or deleting new users, adjusting access rights to services or file shares, and verifying backups. Over the past several years, IвЂ™ve worked with many of these types of small businesses. TheyвЂ™re the kind of shops where an Xserve or a Mac Pro functioning as server hardware would be complete overkill, both in terms of unused potential and cost. The types of companies where Server Preferences and its simplified approach to administration shine-small offices or workgroups with a limited number of workstations and users-are exactly the market Apple has targeted with the Mac Mini server. ItвЂ™s designed to be intuitive enough for any Mac user to manage.

#Setup mac mini server mac os

Server Preferences, which is patterned after Mac OS XвЂ™s System Preferences, combines the core functions of a typical small business or workgroup server in one place, whether itвЂ™s file or printer sharing, e-mail and Web site hosting, server and client backup management, client autoconfiguration, VPN access or hosting AppleвЂ™s suite of collaborative tools (including shared calendaring, shared contacts, and AppleвЂ™s wiki and blog services).

#Setup mac mini server mac os x

IвЂ™ve talked previously about the two most recent iterations of Mac OS X Server ( Leopard Server and Snow Leopard Server), which offer simplified management through an administration tool-Server Preferences-as well as Mac OS X ServerвЂ™s more robust GUI management utilities and various command-line tools. Best of all, it makes these features easily available to both experienced administrators, novices who have never set up a server before and everyone in between.ДЇor small businesses with limited-or, in some cases, no-IT staff, having a flexible and robust server platform is important. Mac OS X Server is based around open standards and includes a range of enterprise-grade technologies that offer a host of powerful and flexible features: Open Directory (a scalable directory service based around OpenLDAP and Kerberos) established Internet hosting platforms like Apache, BIND for DNS hosting and Dovecot-based mail service collaboration tools based on open standards like CalDAV and CardDAV a range of deployment and client management tools and powerful multiplatform file and print services.

IвЂ™m a big fan of AppleвЂ™s server platform.