The Mac mini Server

Will a 2011 Mac mini run Snow Leopard Server?

admin — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 19:31:49 +0000

In our testing, we have not yet found a good reliable way to run Snow Leopard Server on the new 2011 Mac minis (i.e., the ones with i5 and i7 processors.)

Luckily, a good number of 2010 Mac minis are still available.

Can I do a Lion upgrade on a remote Mac mini?

admin — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 23:18:34 +0000

Since Lion doesn’t take any physical media to upgrade from Snow Leopard, it is possible to upgrade a remote Mac via Screen Sharing or Apple Remote Desktop.

We’ve put together a page on Macminicolo on how to do this:

Upgrade to Lion on a remote Mac mini

Will a Mac mini run Windows?

admin — Sun, 08 May 2011 15:41:45 +0000

The Mac mini does well with Windows. Some of our customers will run Boot Camp in order to boot Windows directly. But, the more popular choice is to run Windows as a virtual machine using an application like Parallels.

When you run it as a virtual machine, keep in mind that the two operating systems will share the available RAM. So, it’s advised to have the full 8GB of RAM for peak performance.

How will Mac mini server benefit from the iPad?

admin — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 22:11:40 +0000

We anticipate an increased demand of Mac mini servers as the iPad is released. The high resolution screen and fast internal chips will make a great too to work with a remote server.

There are great tools like iTeleport that will let you control the desktop of the Mac mini. So, it’s like a full system right there on the iPad.

Will a Mac mini run Parallels?

admin — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 17:47:06 +0000

We often have people ask whether they can use a Mac mini, and also run Parallels so they can run a Windows Server. So far, doing this has been no problem for the Mac minis. You can run a version of Windows Server and use those services.

From our experience, the 4GB is more than enough for this. But, if you really want to make sure both OS’s have plenty of RAM, then the 8GB or 16GB has worked real well.

Can I use a Mac mini as a push notification server?

admin — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:30:23 +0000

A Mac mini and Snow Leopard Server work great as a push notification server. Snow Leopard Server offers mail, iCal, and Address Book push servers that are simple to startup and use.

Can a Mac mini server handle high bandwidth?

admin — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 19:24:09 +0000

A common misconception is that you need an Xserve if you are going to host a high bandwidth site. (i.e., if you plan to serve up large video files or a photography archive.)

In actuality, just pushing bandwidth requires very little processing power. The most important thing is to have a good connection that can keep up with demand.

In our facility, we have some customers who push three and four terabytes (4000GB) per month. Their machines don’t come anywhere near capacity.

A Mac mini is a very good high bandwidth server.

Will a Mac mini run Lion Server?

admin — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 21:42:39 +0000

Yes, any Intel Mac mini with at least 2GB of RAM will run Lion Server. In fact, if you take a look at Apple’s Servers Made Easy page, you’ll see a Mac mini shown right there at the top. They now sell a mac mini specifically built for Lion Server. The page reads:

Best of all, you don’t need expensive hardware to run it — you can use an Xserve, of course, but you can also use a Mac Pro, an iMac, or even a Mac mini.

Can I Add A Second Ethernet Port on a Mac mini?

admin — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:36:43 +0000

For some reasons, it’s beneficial to have two ethernet ports on a Mac mini. (As opposed to just adding a second ip address to the same ethernet port.) For instance, Leopard Server DNS works best when having 2
physical ethernet ports for using 1 as the server.domain.com and the
other as mail.server.com (using SSL for mail).

Apple released a USB Ethernet Adapter with the MacBook Air since it comes without an ethernet port at all. Luckily, this adapter will also work on a Mac mini. Just plug it into a USB port and it is instantly recognized.

Can I Use A Mac mini as a Remote Developer Machine?

admin — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 21:34:10 +0000

We have had quite a few new customers lately who use their Mac minis to program their iPhone apps. Many of them are Windows users that want to take advantage of the lucrative iPhone App Store.

Just set up a mini, download the iPhone SDK, and you can program from any Windows machine out there.