G5 Xserve

Hi There.
I have a problem with one of my G5 Xserves. The problem is it does not seem to be recognizing the hard drives.
I am trying to determine if it is the caddie or the machine or the drives. I had purchased two new WD 250gb HDDs because of the fault as I thought it was one of the drives. I put them into the existing caddies.
My question is will the G5 Xserve support my drives that I have put into the caddies. I have had them both show up in disk utility when I did the install. I managed to combine them as a mirror RAID. The install went fine, but when the system restarted it could not find any disks.
It then booted back into the install. If I look in the disk utility I can see the one drive but not the other and the RAID shows up degraded.
The one caddies always shows up with the blue and green lights. If I swap the drives around in the caddies. The same caddie causes a problem.
Does any one know if the xserve should be able to use the drives I bought. I would like to confirm this before I phone up service center as the server came back for repair a few months ago and I have only just had time now to set it up again. Oh I am installing 10.4 server onto the machine.
Thanks

After doing a bit more looking I found this thread.
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=6136022
In there some one mentions dumbing down the drives and specifically for WD drives to put a jumper across pins 5 and 6.
I can confirm that this has worked for me.

Similar Messages

  • Time to upgrade to Xserve-Advice Please

    Hi,
    I'm currently the default "IT" guy at my company. We are a small company without any kind of dedicated IT department. We started out 15-20 years ago with a single Mac and have grown throughout the years. We now have 16 stations with 4 of them being PCs. At first we had our network setup with a simple file sharing setup. When we need to share files, each computer would connect with which ever other computer we needed to. This worked ok for a while but then we had the problem of archiving all of our data. I would manually compile everyone's work on a specific project and back it up to an external hard drive. This was not the most efficient solution, but it was effective and we used this method for many years. We've recently expanded our business to include Maya work which is done on PCs. At the same time we introduced 2x 2TB Lacie Ethernet network storage devices. Now I have everyone working within the same folder on the Lacie drives. This makes my life easier as far as archiving. Part of the problem I've got now is with the PCs. We've had them for a few months now and I've never really gotten them fully integrated into our environment. I have a single PC at home, but the work environment has always been completely Mac based. Meaning I have some PC knowledge but really none as far as networking goes. I know that we need to get a server to accomplish a couple of different things.
    1) Better integration of PCs and Macs
    2) Improved Rendering for Maya (PC based Maya)-We are going to implement a render farm into the mix as well- we are currently looking at a Boxx system and an SGI system as well
    3) Central Storage with backup
    4) Improved speed (with the Lacie storage devices, there is some slowdown when first connecting)
    5) Remote login--i.e. something like the ability to login from home and set up a render over the weekend
    I would prefer to go with an Xserve because of my familiarity with Mac products. My problem is that when I look at the specs for the Xserve, I really don't know what anything is. I have no idea how to price anything for the boss.
    It makes me feel like I am getting in over my head, but at the same time, I am confident enough in my abilities that if I get the correct system set up, I should have no problem administering it for our needs.
    A) I imagine I'd want to go with the 8 core to start with
    B) What kind of performance boost-and in what areas-would I get with upgrading to the 2.93 or 2.66 GHz?
    C) I imagine I should get the most RAM we could fit into the budget?
    D) what is the Solid State drive? Do I need it?
    E) I can have 3 hard drives. How many do I need? why would I need more than one?
    F) Extra power supply..I understand why this makes sense
    G) XSan? what is it? do I need it?
    We currently also only have everything connected via ethernet. What's the deal with Fibre channel? Do I need to install a Fibre channel card in each workstation plus run all new wiring? If so then this is a very pricey deal and way unrealistic as far as budget at this time.
    I'm also wondering about the render farm. Will either a Boxx system or a SGI system integrate well with an Xserve when rendering PC Maya files? Would there be an option to configure an Xserve as a render farm? If so could I render PC Maya files on it?
    Sorry for the long winded post. I'm lost and need some help from some experts. Hopefully there is someone out there who can lead me in the right direction.
    Thanks for your help.
    Phil

    Hi
    My two cents.
    +I know that we need to get a server to accomplish a couple of different things+
    Apart from load balancing etc you don't really mention anything that either a 3rd-Party product might provide and what you've already got in place.
    +1) Better integration of PCs and Macs+
    With the environment you're describing you don't specifically need a Server for this although it depends on what you want to achieve.
    +2) Improved Rendering for Maya (PC based Maya)-We are going to implement a render farm into the mix as well- we are currently looking at a Boxx system and an SGI system as well+
    Perhaps XGrid might fit the bill?
    +3) Central Storage with backup+
    Depending on what Configuration you choose (Standard, Workgroup or Advanced) this could be easily achieved with what's already built in to the Server OS. On a side note the XServe is not the Server. The OS is. OSX Server can be installed on any qualifying hardware. The XServe is dedicated Server hardware built specifically to perform a Server (with all that that means) role. Redundancy is built-in. With what you're describing perhaps a suitable MacPro would be better?
    With the XServe you have to consider a rack as well as noise if a rack is not an option.
    +4) Improved speed (with the Lacie storage devices, there is some slowdown when first connecting)+
    This is probably due to the fact the drives are connected to a client machine and OS that is now not coping with the amount of client access required. I'm guessing someone is also working at that client mac?
    +5) Remote login--i.e. something like the ability to login from home and set up a render over the weekend+
    This might be possible with XGrid although you might have a real problem with bandwidth
    +I would prefer to go with an Xserve because of my familiarity with Mac products. My problem is that when I look at the specs for the Xserve, I really don't know what anything is. I have no idea how to price anything for the boss.+
    +It makes me feel like I am getting in over my head, but at the same time, I am confident enough in my abilities that if I get the correct system set up, I should have no problem administering it for our needs.+
    Leopard Server is a whole new ballgame and if not approached correctly Apple's marketing slogan of "No IT Required" may seem like a sick joke
    +A) I imagine I'd want to go with the 8 core to start with+
    If you have the budget get the best you can afford
    +B) What kind of performance boost-and in what areas-would I get with upgrading to the 2.93 or 2.66 GHz?+
    This would depend on what you want and what you're expecting. You won't really know until some time has passed. Besides how could you compare it? Unless you buy and bench test them both you can't really know? It might be possible you know someone who has exactly the same environment as you, doing exactly the same work and wanting exactly the same solution. However if you use google you should be able to find some performance bench test results? Whether they're applicable to your environment is another question.
    +C) I imagine I should get the most RAM we could fit into the budget?+
    See (A)
    +D) what is the Solid State drive? Do I need it?+
    http://support.apple.com/kb/SP511
    http://www.apple.com/xserve/features/storage.html
    http://blogs.computerworld.com/newapple_xserves_offer_additional_ssdbay
    +E) I can have 3 hard drives. How many do I need? why would I need more than one?+
    See (A). To be honest only you would really know? With the optional Apple RAID Card you could have 3x1TB Drives as a RAID 5. This provides some measure of redundancy (which is not a back-up) as well as performance. However you could as easily use a MacPro that has the 4 drive bays. Potentially 3+TB of Storage. A simple rule of thumb would be: How much data do I have now? Does the Storage I have now cope with it? Will the amount of Data grow over time? Do I have enough storage to cope with that growth?
    +F) Extra power supply..I understand why this makes sense+
    The XServe can be built-to-order with two PSUs providing redundancy. You should factor in a UPS as well. You don't want a power cut to potentially ruin all your data?
    +G) XSan? what is it? do I need it?+
    http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/xsan/XsanGettingStarted.pdf
    I think this would be way too much in terms of your environment as well as your budget. However read the pdf and come to a reasoned judgment.
    +We currently also only have everything connected via ethernet. What's the deal with Fibre channel? Do I need to install a Fibre channel card in each workstation plus run all new wiring? If so then this is a very pricey deal and way unrealistic as far as budget at this time.+
    No to the first two questions. Read the XSan pdf.
    +I'm also wondering about the render farm. Will either a Boxx system or a SGI system integrate well with an Xserve when rendering PC Maya files? Would there be an option to configure an Xserve as a render farm? If so could I render PC Maya files on it?+
    I have no experience of either of the two products you mention. Perhaps someone who does may post?
    Does this help? Tony

  • Xserve Services are accessible for a moment and then can't access

    I have new Intel Xserve. Set up as a gateway, open directory master, web server, etc. Ethernet 1 connects to the wan and Ethernet 2 connects to a new Airport Extreme. The client machines are Macbooks. The Xserve is set up to be the dhcp server. The Airport is a bridge.
    Everything was working fine until last week. Here is what is happening: The Macbooks can use the services that the Xserve provides for a short while, ie they can browse the Xserve's websites, browse internet websites and authenticate with open directory. Then after a short while they can't. For instance attempting to get to www.apple.com with the Macbook will result in a constant "contacting ...." status in Safari. Authentication with Open Directory is no longer possible. Even trying to browse 192.168.2.1 (the Xservers Eth2 IP address) results in "contacting...." and nothing happening. Interestingly I can still ping 192.168.2.1 from the laptop.
    To get things working again I've found I can simply make a change to the setting of the ethernet card on the Xserve. For example I might switch it from static ip to dhcp and back. I might change the ethernet from auto to manual and back or whatever. Just make a change to the network settings and apply then change them back and apply. The laptops will be able to access the services again for a short while (maybe a minute or two) and then things get stalled again. They won't be able connect to websites or get access to the internet etc. Again even http://192.168.2.1 won't work. Change something in network settings and change back and it will work for a short while again. Nothing is popping out at me in any logs I'm looking at.
    Do I have a hardware problem? At first I assumed DNS perhaps? Since the server is pre-production I erased the harddrives last night and reinstalled OSX Server. Set it up as a gateway and webserver using the apple setup aids and the same thing. Laptops can access the server for a few moments then fail. If I make a change to the networking settings in preferences that seems to reset things for a short time and then it fails again.
    I'm stumped, but then again I'm also new at this.
    Xserve   Mac OS X (10.4.9)  

    &tWhen the clients keep on showing the "connecting..." screen, that is usually a DNS problem. Do you have the DNS servers correctly listed under DHCP services by the server?
    If you can ping your server but cannot access the Internet try the dig command and see if the DNS servers are responding.
    ;b>dig www.apple.com
    The last few lines should contain the IP address of your DNS server like this:
    e.g. Covad DNS server
    ;; Query time: 25 msec
    ;; SERVER: 64.105.189.26#53(64.105.189.26)
    ;; MSG SIZE rcvd: 284
    If the IP address shown there is not the one for the DNS server, you have configuration problem.

  • I can't unlock Xserve or Xraid with OSX Server Leopard

    Or xraid no matter what I do. I didn't have this problem with Tiger and I now have it with leopard. I need to copy files onto the xraid and can't because it's locked. I've tried everything and nothing is taking. What could be happening?

    MrHoffman wrote:
    I actually doubt it has anything to do with DNS, as the IP I mean begins with 192.168.1.....
    That statement makes no sense to me.
    Discussions of bad or misconfigured or unreachable DNS services are regular fodder here. If the translations inherent in most operations are slow or are failing, then the results will include missing services, slow access and timeouts ensue; this all looks like a bad network. Server Admin is sensitive to DNS, as well.
    DNS translations go from host name to IP address, irrespective of the IP address block. And (for security and core services) from IP address to DNS host name; reverse DNS.
    Mac OS X Server effectively requires functional DNS services, irrespective of the IP address block.
    Unrelated to the discussion of DNS configurations, the 192.168.1.0/24 block is a poor choice for a network that may eventually be used with VPNs; that block tends to be used everywhere and subnet collisions will stuff up the IP routing inherent in VPNs.
    And yes, do check your IP subnet block settings; make sure you're consistently in 192.168.1.0/24 on the stations connected across your LAN.
    It'd be nice to see a future version of the tools run a DNS check on Server Admin (and probably Server Preferences) launch, given the frequency of reports of problems that turn out to be DNS configuration errors here, too.
    I meant that the network the system is on doesn't have separate DNS servers as the router arranges the DNS data for the local network (xserve.local and emac.local), which can not be configured (not on the router I have then).
    and, I'm not going to use VPN, only HTTP and FTP
    (ok, also https and sftp...)
    and both are in the same range.
    XSeve: 192.168.1.202
    eMac: 192.168.1.104

  • New AEBS with OSX Server and Xserve

    Ok this may seem like a silly question, but here it goes. I want to have my AEBS hooked to my cable modem, but not handling NAT or DHCP(passthrough?). This would be handled by the Xserve. I tried to turn off both of both, but the current AEBS won't allow me to specify a default host with these turned off. Does this work with the new AEBS or should I just buy a Netgear. It seem much easier to assign an ip adress to the router and set the dmz server up. thanks much

    ...but the current AEBS won't allow me to specify a default host with these turned off.
    That is because a default host makes no sense with those turned off. If they are turned off, every machine on the LAN (and wireless) side are directly connected to the Internet (WAN port). There is no need for default host.

  • Issue with Group folders on XServe

    Hi,
    I have an Intel Quad 2.66Ghz XServe with 10.4.10 Server installed. I am trying to set up two different groups. There are two folders on the Shared RAID HD. Group A need to have access to both folders, whilst Group B has access to only one of them.
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    But for some reason when I log on from the workstations, even though I have set up what they have access to, both Group A and Group B have access to all the files.
    Is there something I am missing.
    Under Sharing I go the the folder and then under the Access pane on the right for the Group I assign the group folder and give it Read and Write Access, and then, for the other group folder I do the same.
    There must be something I am missing.
    If someone could please maybe give me a detailed explanation, I can see where I have gone wrong.
    Thanks in advance,

    I also have another issue,
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    I have imported all the accounts and groups.
    I noticed under the sharing tab, when I go to the protocols tab, on the previous OS Server could choose inherit permissions from parent, but on the new XServe, this option is greyed out, how is it possible to check this tab.
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  • Memory choices for Xserve 2.8 Quad Xeon

    I have a Xserve 2.8 Quad Xeon with 4 of 1 GB 800 MHz DDR2 FB-DIMMs.
    I want to upgrade its memory to 8 GB and wandering which of the following options I should pick.
    1. buy four of 1 GB 800 MHz DDR2 FB-DIMM (4GB Kit FB (4 x 1GB) DDR2-800 (PC2-6400) 128x72 CL5 1.8v 240 Pin ECC FBDIMM (FullyBuffered)) --- for $198
    2. buy two of 4 GB (8GB Kit (2 x 4GB) DDR2-800 (PC2-6400) 512x72 CL5 1.8v 240 Pin ECC FBDIMM (FullyBuffered))----for $258
    My questions are:
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    2. Should all RAM modules installed be the same brand and from the same production batch?
    I don't want to throw away my current four 1 GB RAMs. But if I fill all the slots with a new set of four 1 GB RAMs, I won't have more room to upgrade. For $60 more, I think it's worth getting two of 4 GB RAMs.
    If installing non-identical RAMs is not an issue, I may buy two of 4 GB modules. Use these two new one for now. When its price drops or more memory is required, I'll buy two of 4 GB modules and then put my current four 1 GB chips in slot 5 to 8.
    Please comment. Thanks.

    1. Is it true that we shouldn't mix different size of RAM modules?
    I do know that the reason behind matching four identical DIMMs in the bank is that you get memory interleaving which boosts the performance. What amount if performance increase that may be, I don't have a reference for. Nor do I know what the detriment of installing only two DIMMs in the bank would be..
    2. Should all RAM modules installed be the same brand and from the same production batch?
    It would be best if they were all the same brand to reduce the chance of timing errors. More important is that they come from a reputable maker and are guaranteed to work in the XServe.
    Now, since you're not opposed to spending $60 more for the 2x4GB kit, how about a 4x2GB kit for just a little more? 12GB of RAM, interleaved...
    -Doug

  • Upgrade OS on Xserve (late 2006)

    We have an late 2006 Xserve, running Leopard 10.5.8.
    I checked mac. OS support - should be 10.7.5
    But when I try to update to SL or ML it does not work.
    I tried to boot from DVDs, also with an external drive and USB-drive.
    No luck. Any ideas?

    Hi there,
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    Beatle

  • Xserver 3,1 and USB 3.0

    I have a XServe 3,1 running OS X 10.7.5. I have connected USB 2.0 and FW800 drives to this machine with no issues. As of late, I have been using USB 3.0 external drives though. When I connect them the Xserve kernel panics and is unusable again until I unplug the drive. I have tried this with two different branded drives and have attached both of the reports from the kernel panic. What is interesting though is that I have other USB 3.0 drives that have connected with no issue. The USB 3.0 drives that I have connected and caused a kernel panic work fine on all other machines. Regardless, the following are the Crash Reports after the kernel panic. Any help is greatly appreciated.
    Thanks
    Interval Since Last Panic Report:  1290467 sec
    Panics Since Last Report:          1
    Anonymous UUID:                    872B069A-8356-4F34-8BB1-76AFDCDBE600
    Wed May  8 09:29:44 2013
    panic(cpu 0 caller 0xffffff80002c4794): Kernel trap at 0xffffff7f809046d2, type 14=page fault, registers:
    CR0: 0x000000008001003b, CR2: 0x0000000000000000, CR3: 0x0000000000100000, CR4: 0x0000000000000660
    RAX: 0x0000000000000000, RBX: 0xffffff800f283a40, RCX: 0x00000000015d0000, RDX: 0xffffff800ea33f00
    RSP: 0xffffff80b705baa0, RBP: 0xffffff80b705bae0, RSI: 0x00000000002a002a, RDI: 0xffffff800ea33f00
    R8:  0x0000000000000158, R9:  0xffffff800f27f800, R10: 0x0000000000208c80, R11: 0x0000000000000000
    R12: 0xffffff800ea33f10, R13: 0xffffff800f06c000, R14: 0xffffff800f262c00, R15: 0xffffff800f283a00
    RFL: 0x0000000000010246, RIP: 0xffffff7f809046d2, CS:  0x0000000000000008, SS:  0x0000000000000000
    CR2: 0x0000000000000000, Error code: 0x0000000000000000, Faulting CPU: 0x0
    Backtrace (CPU 0), Frame : Return Address
    0xffffff80b705b750 : 0xffffff8000220792
    0xffffff80b705b7d0 : 0xffffff80002c4794
    0xffffff80b705b980 : 0xffffff80002da55d
    0xffffff80b705b9a0 : 0xffffff7f809046d2
    0xffffff80b705bae0 : 0xffffff7f80909482
    0xffffff80b705bb10 : 0xffffff7f80904f27
    0xffffff80b705bb20 : 0xffffff7f817f9a4d
    0xffffff80b705bb50 : 0xffffff800062a29d
    0xffffff80b705bba0 : 0xffffff800062aace
    0xffffff80b705bc20 : 0xffffff800062ae49
    0xffffff80b705bc60 : 0xffffff800062b021
    0xffffff80b705bca0 : 0xffffff8000622f8b
    0xffffff80b705bce0 : 0xffffff7f8089ee05
    0xffffff80b705bd10 : 0xffffff7f8089f61b
    0xffffff80b705bdb0 : 0xffffff7f81767d15
    0xffffff80b705bde0 : 0xffffff7f817686eb
    0xffffff80b705be40 : 0xffffff7f8176829b
    0xffffff80b705be60 : 0xffffff800062a29d
    0xffffff80b705beb0 : 0xffffff800062aace
    0xffffff80b705bf30 : 0xffffff800062ae49
    0xffffff80b705bf70 : 0xffffff8000629a2f
    0xffffff80b705bfb0 : 0xffffff8000820057
          Kernel Extensions in backtrace:
             com.apple.iokit.IOUSBFamily(5.1)[71AF5A29-1AE2-3812-A0FF-96DD1CC6534D]@0xffffff 7f80888000->0xffffff7f808ddfff
                dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily(2.7)[5C23D598-58B2-3204-BC03-BC3C0F00BD32]@0xffffff 7f8086a000
             com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIArchitectureModelFamily(3.2.1)[5948254C-CBA8-34E3-B5B4-57 5E7D4C7BD1]@0xffffff7f80901000->0xffffff7f8092bfff
             com.apple.driver.AppleUSBComposite(5.0)[64C51F06-5AFA-3057-99EA-D32EF21C5278]@0 xffffff7f81767000->0xffffff7f8176cfff
                dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOUSBFamily(5.1.0)[71AF5A29-1AE2-3812-A0FF-96DD1CC6534D]@0xffff ff7f80888000
             com.apple.iokit.IOUSBAttachedSCSI(1.0.2)[77CC5104-DADF-31A3-B28D-4D9E00435EB7]@ 0xffffff7f817f7000->0xffffff7f81802fff
                dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOUSBFamily(5.1.0)[71AF5A29-1AE2-3812-A0FF-96DD1CC6534D]@0xffff ff7f80888000
                dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOStorageFamily(1.7.2)[40D4AB21-F11E-3C6C-8883-3554F93A251F]@0x ffffff7f807aa000
                dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIArchitectureModelFamily(3.2.1)[5948254C-CBA8-34E3-B5B4-57 5E7D4C7BD1]@0xffffff7f80901000
    BSD process name corresponding to current thread: kernel_task
    Mac OS version:
    Not yet set
    Kernel version:
    Darwin Kernel Version 11.4.2: Thu Aug 23 16:25:48 PDT 2012; root:xnu-1699.32.7~1/RELEASE_X86_64
    Kernel UUID: FF3BB088-60A4-349C-92EA-CA649C698CE5
    System model name: Xserve3,1 (Mac-F223BEC8)
    System uptime in nanoseconds: 2457593815
    last loaded kext at 612368715: com.apple.iokit.IOUSBAttachedSCSI          1.0.2 (addr 0xffffff7f817f7000, size 49152)
    loaded kexts:
    com.apple.iokit.IOUSBAttachedSCSI          1.0.2
    com.apple.iokit.SCSITaskUserClient          3.2.1
    com.apple.driver.XsanFilter          404
    com.apple.iokit.IOAHCIBlockStorage          2.1.0
    com.apple.iokit.IOAHCISerialATAPI          2.0.3
    com.apple.AppleFSCompression.AppleFSCompressionTypeDataless          1.0.0d1
    com.apple.AppleFSCompression.AppleFSCompressionTypeZlib          1.0.0d1
    com.apple.BootCache          33
    com.apple.driver.AppleFWOHCI          4.9.0
    com.apple.driver.AppleUSBHub          5.1.0
    com.apple.driver.AppleIntel8254XEthernet          2.1.3b1
    com.apple.driver.Intel82574L          2.2.0b3
    com.apple.driver.AppleRAIDCard          209
    com.apple.driver.AppleEFINVRAM          1.6.1
    com.apple.driver.AppleAHCIPort          2.3.1
    com.apple.driver.AppleUSBEHCI          5.1.0
    com.apple.driver.AppleUSBUHCI          5.1.0
    com.apple.driver.AppleRTC          1.5
    com.apple.driver.AppleHPET          1.7
    com.apple.driver.AppleACPIButtons          1.5
    com.apple.driver.AppleSMBIOS          1.9
    com.apple.driver.AppleACPIEC          1.5
    com.apple.driver.AppleAPIC          1.6
    com.apple.driver.AppleIntelCPUPowerManagementClient          195.0.0
    com.apple.nke.applicationfirewall          3.2.30
    com.apple.security.quarantine          1.4
    com.apple.security.TMSafetyNet          8
    com.apple.driver.AppleIntelCPUPowerManagement          195.0.0
    com.apple.iokit.IOUSBMassStorageClass          3.0.3
    com.apple.driver.AppleUSBComposite          5.0.0
    com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIMultimediaCommandsDevice          3.2.1
    com.apple.iokit.IOBDStorageFamily          1.7
    com.apple.iokit.IODVDStorageFamily          1.7.1
    com.apple.iokit.IOCDStorageFamily          1.7.1
    com.apple.iokit.IOFireWireFamily          4.4.8
    com.apple.iokit.IOUSBUserClient          5.0.0
    com.apple.iokit.IONetworkingFamily          2.1
    com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIParallelFamily          2.5.1
    com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIBlockCommandsDevice          3.2.1
    com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIArchitectureModelFamily          3.2.1
    com.apple.iokit.IOAHCIFamily          2.0.8
    com.apple.driver.AppleEFIRuntime          1.6.1
    com.apple.driver.AppleKeyswitch          1.0.5f4
    com.apple.iokit.IOUSBFamily          5.1.0
    com.apple.iokit.IOHIDFamily          1.7.1
    com.apple.iokit.IOSMBusFamily          1.1
    com.apple.security.sandbox          177.9
    com.apple.kext.AppleMatch          1.0.0d1
    com.apple.driver.DiskImages          331.7
    com.apple.iokit.IOStorageFamily          1.7.2
    com.apple.driver.AppleKeyStore          28.18
    com.apple.driver.AppleACPIPlatform          1.5
    com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily          2.7
    com.apple.iokit.IOACPIFamily          1.4
    Model: Xserve3,1, BootROM XS31.0081.B04, 4 processors, Quad-Core Intel Xeon, 2.26 GHz, 6 GB, SMC 1.43f4
    Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT 120, NVIDIA GeForce GT 120, PCIe, 256 MB
    Memory Module: CPUA/A1, 2 GB, DDR3 ECC, 1066 MHz, 0x80CE, 0x4D33393142353637334448312D4346382020
    Memory Module: CPUA/A2, 2 GB, DDR3 ECC, 1066 MHz, 0x80CE, 0x4D33393142353637334448312D4346382020
    Memory Module: CPUA/A3, 2 GB, DDR3 ECC, 1066 MHz, 0x80CE, 0x4D33393142353637334448312D4346382020
    Network Service: Ethernet 1, Ethernet, en0
    PCI Card: NVIDIA GeForce GT 120, sppci_displaycontroller, MXM-Slot
    Serial ATA Device: OPTIARC DVD RW AD-5670S
    Serial ATA Device: APPLE SSD SM128, 121.33 GB
    USB Device: Frontpanel Controller, apple_vendor_id, 0x8261, 0x3d100000 / 2
    FireWire Device: Rugged FW USB3, LaCie, 800mbit_speed
    Interval Since Last Panic Report:  8968402 sec
    Panics Since Last Report:          2
    Anonymous UUID:                    872B069A-8356-4F34-8BB1-76AFDCDBE600
    Mon Aug  5 16:13:36 2013
    panic(cpu 0 caller 0xffffff80002c4794): Kernel trap at 0xffffff7f808c46d2, type 14=page fault, registers:
    CR0: 0x000000008001003b, CR2: 0x0000000000000000, CR3: 0x0000000000100000, CR4: 0x0000000000000660
    RAX: 0x0000000000000000, RBX: 0xffffff8012bc3bc0, RCX: 0x00000000011f0000, RDX: 0xffffff800ef0af00
    RSP: 0xffffff80b878baa0, RBP: 0xffffff80b878bae0, RSI: 0x0000000000360036, RDI: 0xffffff800ef0af00
    R8:  0x0000000000000158, R9:  0xffffff8011c44400, R10: 0x0000000000008000, R11: 0xffffff80002dad60
    R12: 0xffffff800ef0af10, R13: 0xffffff8011430600, R14: 0xffffff8011c7f000, R15: 0xffffff8012bc4f80
    RFL: 0x0000000000010246, RIP: 0xffffff7f808c46d2, CS:  0x0000000000000008, SS:  0x0000000000000010
    CR2: 0x0000000000000000, Error code: 0x0000000000000000, Faulting CPU: 0x0
    Backtrace (CPU 0), Frame : Return Address
    0xffffff80b878b750 : 0xffffff8000220792
    0xffffff80b878b7d0 : 0xffffff80002c4794
    0xffffff80b878b980 : 0xffffff80002da55d
    0xffffff80b878b9a0 : 0xffffff7f808c46d2
    0xffffff80b878bae0 : 0xffffff7f808c9482
    0xffffff80b878bb10 : 0xffffff7f808c4f27
    0xffffff80b878bb20 : 0xffffff7f817cba4d
    0xffffff80b878bb50 : 0xffffff800062a29d
    0xffffff80b878bba0 : 0xffffff800062aace
    0xffffff80b878bc20 : 0xffffff800062ae49
    0xffffff80b878bc60 : 0xffffff800062b021
    0xffffff80b878bca0 : 0xffffff8000622f8b
    0xffffff80b878bce0 : 0xffffff7f8085ee05
    0xffffff80b878bd10 : 0xffffff7f8085f61b
    0xffffff80b878bdb0 : 0xffffff7f81735d15
    0xffffff80b878bde0 : 0xffffff7f817366eb
    0xffffff80b878be40 : 0xffffff7f8173629b
    0xffffff80b878be60 : 0xffffff800062a29d
    0xffffff80b878beb0 : 0xffffff800062aace
    0xffffff80b878bf30 : 0xffffff800062ae49
    0xffffff80b878bf70 : 0xffffff8000629a2f
    0xffffff80b878bfb0 : 0xffffff8000820057
          Kernel Extensions in backtrace:
             com.apple.iokit.IOUSBFamily(5.1)[71AF5A29-1AE2-3812-A0FF-96DD1CC6534D]@0xffffff 7f80848000->0xffffff7f8089dfff
                dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily(2.7)[5C23D598-58B2-3204-BC03-BC3C0F00BD32]@0xffffff 7f8082a000
             com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIArchitectureModelFamily(3.2.1)[5948254C-CBA8-34E3-B5B4-57 5E7D4C7BD1]@0xffffff7f808c1000->0xffffff7f808ebfff
             com.apple.driver.AppleUSBComposite(5.0)[64C51F06-5AFA-3057-99EA-D32EF21C5278]@0 xffffff7f81735000->0xffffff7f8173afff
                dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOUSBFamily(5.1.0)[71AF5A29-1AE2-3812-A0FF-96DD1CC6534D]@0xffff ff7f80848000
             com.apple.iokit.IOUSBAttachedSCSI(1.0.2)[77CC5104-DADF-31A3-B28D-4D9E00435EB7]@ 0xffffff7f817c9000->0xffffff7f817d4fff
                dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOUSBFamily(5.1.0)[71AF5A29-1AE2-3812-A0FF-96DD1CC6534D]@0xffff ff7f80848000
                dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOStorageFamily(1.7.2)[40D4AB21-F11E-3C6C-8883-3554F93A251F]@0x ffffff7f807aa000
                dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIArchitectureModelFamily(3.2.1)[5948254C-CBA8-34E3-B5B4-57 5E7D4C7BD1]@0xffffff7f808c1000
    BSD process name corresponding to current thread: kernel_task
    Mac OS version:
    11G63
    Kernel version:
    Darwin Kernel Version 11.4.2: Thu Aug 23 16:25:48 PDT 2012; root:xnu-1699.32.7~1/RELEASE_X86_64
    Kernel UUID: FF3BB088-60A4-349C-92EA-CA649C698CE5
    System model name: Xserve3,1 (Mac-F223BEC8)
    System uptime in nanoseconds: 86462620463
    last loaded kext at 86345993578: com.apple.iokit.IOUSBAttachedSCSI          1.0.2 (addr 0xffffff7f817c9000, size 49152)
    loaded kexts:
    com.Cycling74.driver.Soundflower          1.5.1
    com.apple.iokit.IOUSBAttachedSCSI          1.0.2
    com.apple.driver.AppleUSBCDC          4.1.22
    com.apple.driver.AppleHWSensor          1.9.5d0
    com.apple.filesystems.autofs          3.0
    com.apple.driver.AudioAUUC          1.59
    com.apple.driver.AppleTyMCEDriver          1.0.2d2
    com.apple.driver.AppleUpstreamUserClient          3.5.9
    com.apple.driver.AppleMCCSControl          1.0.33
    com.apple.GeForce          7.3.2
    com.apple.iokit.IOUserEthernet          1.0.0d1
    com.apple.iokit.IOBluetoothSerialManager          4.0.8f17
    com.apple.Dont_Steal_Mac_OS_X          7.0.0
    com.apple.driver.AudioIPCDriver          1.2.3
    com.apple.driver.AppleBMC          2.0.2
    com.apple.driver.ApplePolicyControl          3.1.33
    com.apple.driver.ACPI_SMC_PlatformPlugin          5.0.0d8
    com.apple.driver.AppleLPC          1.6.0
    com.apple.driver.Apple16X50ACPI          3.0
    com.apple.driver.AppleSEP          1.5.0
    com.apple.driver.XsanFilter          404
    com.apple.iokit.SCSITaskUserClient          3.2.1
    com.apple.AppleFSCompression.AppleFSCompressionTypeDataless          1.0.0d1
    com.apple.AppleFSCompression.AppleFSCompressionTypeZlib          1.0.0d1
    com.apple.BootCache          33
    com.apple.iokit.IOAHCIBlockStorage          2.1.0
    com.apple.iokit.IOAHCISerialATAPI          2.0.3
    com.apple.driver.AppleFWOHCI          4.9.0
    com.apple.driver.AppleUSBHub          5.1.0
    com.apple.driver.AppleIntel8254XEthernet          2.1.3b1
    com.apple.driver.Intel82574L          2.2.0b3
    com.apple.driver.AppleRAIDCard          209
    com.apple.driver.AppleEFINVRAM          1.6.1
    com.apple.driver.AppleAHCIPort          2.3.1
    com.apple.driver.AppleUSBEHCI          5.1.0
    com.apple.driver.AppleUSBUHCI          5.1.0
    com.apple.driver.AppleRTC          1.5
    com.apple.driver.AppleHPET          1.7
    com.apple.driver.AppleACPIButtons          1.5
    com.apple.driver.AppleSMBIOS          1.9
    com.apple.driver.AppleACPIEC          1.5
    com.apple.driver.AppleAPIC          1.6
    com.apple.driver.AppleIntelCPUPowerManagementClient          195.0.0
    com.apple.nke.applicationfirewall          3.2.30
    com.apple.security.quarantine          1.4
    com.apple.security.TMSafetyNet          8
    com.apple.driver.AppleIntelCPUPowerManagement          195.0.0
    com.apple.iokit.IOUSBMassStorageClass          3.0.3
    com.apple.driver.AppleUSBComposite          5.0.0
    com.apple.kext.triggers          1.0
    com.apple.driver.AppleSMBusController          1.0.10d0
    com.apple.nvidia.nv50hal          7.3.2
    com.apple.nvidia.nvGK100hal          7.3.2
    com.apple.iokit.IOSurface          80.0.2
    com.apple.nvidia.nvGF100hal          7.3.2
    com.apple.NVDAResman          7.3.2
    com.apple.iokit.IOFireWireIP          2.2.5
    com.apple.driver.AppleHDAController          2.2.5a5
    com.apple.iokit.IOHDAFamily          2.2.5a5
    com.apple.iokit.IOAudioFamily          1.8.6fc18
    com.apple.kext.OSvKernDSPLib          1.3
    com.apple.driver.AppleGraphicsControl          3.1.33
    com.apple.iokit.IONDRVSupport          2.3.4
    com.apple.iokit.IOGraphicsFamily          2.3.4
    com.apple.driver.IOPlatformPluginLegacy          5.0.0d8
    com.apple.driver.AppleSMBusPCI          1.0.10d0
    com.apple.driver.IOPlatformPluginFamily          5.1.1d6
    com.apple.driver.Apple16X50Serial          3.0
    com.apple.iokit.IOSerialFamily          10.0.5
    com.apple.driver.AppleSMC          3.1.3d10
    com.apple.driver.AppleFileSystemDriver          13
    com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIMultimediaCommandsDevice          3.2.1
    com.apple.iokit.IOBDStorageFamily          1.7
    com.apple.iokit.IODVDStorageFamily          1.7.1
    com.apple.iokit.IOCDStorageFamily          1.7.1
    com.apple.iokit.IOFireWireFamily          4.4.8
    com.apple.iokit.IOUSBUserClient          5.0.0
    com.apple.iokit.IONetworkingFamily          2.1
    com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIParallelFamily          2.5.1
    com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIBlockCommandsDevice          3.2.1
    com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIArchitectureModelFamily          3.2.1
    com.apple.iokit.IOAHCIFamily          2.0.8
    com.apple.driver.AppleEFIRuntime          1.6.1
    com.apple.driver.AppleKeyswitch          1.0.5f4
    com.apple.iokit.IOUSBFamily          5.1.0
    com.apple.iokit.IOHIDFamily          1.7.1
    com.apple.iokit.IOSMBusFamily          1.1
    com.apple.security.sandbox          177.11
    com.apple.kext.AppleMatch          1.0.0d1
    com.apple.driver.DiskImages          331.7
    com.apple.iokit.IOStorageFamily          1.7.2
    com.apple.driver.AppleKeyStore          28.18
    com.apple.driver.AppleACPIPlatform          1.5
    com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily          2.7
    com.apple.iokit.IOACPIFamily          1.4
    Model: Xserve3,1, BootROM XS31.0081.B04, 4 processors, Quad-Core Intel Xeon, 2.26 GHz, 6 GB, SMC 1.43f4
    Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT 120, NVIDIA GeForce GT 120, PCIe, 256 MB
    Memory Module: CPUA/A1, 2 GB, DDR3 ECC, 1066 MHz, 0x80CE, 0x4D33393142353637334448312D4346382020
    Memory Module: CPUA/A2, 2 GB, DDR3 ECC, 1066 MHz, 0x80CE, 0x4D33393142353637334448312D4346382020
    Memory Module: CPUA/A3, 2 GB, DDR3 ECC, 1066 MHz, 0x80CE, 0x4D33393142353637334448312D4346382020
    Network Service: Ethernet 1, Ethernet, en0
    PCI Card: NVIDIA GeForce GT 120, sppci_displaycontroller, MXM-Slot
    Serial ATA Device: OPTIARC DVD RW AD-5670S
    Serial ATA Device: APPLE SSD SM128, 121.33 GB
    USB Device: Frontpanel Controller, apple_vendor_id, 0x8261, 0x3d100000 / 2

    Quick summary:
    It fails on all ports
    It fails on multiple xServes
    It fails on 10.7.5 and 10.8.5 both fully patched and up to date.
    It works on iMac 10.7.5 fully patched. Appears to be xServes only that are affected.
    It will kernel panic the OS on boot, seconds in.
    It does not affect the early boot screen.
    It is possible to boot from the drive using a 10.7 installer image.
    It works with 10.6.8
    It is most likely USB kexts that are the problem. It may work with older versions of 10.7/10.8. It might be possible to copy kexts from older to newer versions and get it working.
    I recommend everyone affected to log fault with Apple, along with the details of the drives. It looks to be multiple model drives and multiple drive vendors.

  • Getting a Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter & Monitor to Work with an Xserve

    First let me say that I'm very new to Xserve's and OS X Server and any help is greatly appreciated.
    I have an Xserve with a connected Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter and a confirmed working VGA monitor. There is also a keyboard and mouse plugged into the front USB port of the Xserve. The internal SSD has been formatted clean.
    I've been trying to boot up from the optical drive on the Xserve using the 10.6 DVD. I use the front panel/system identifier button to boot up and I make sure enclosure lock is unlocked. Each time I try to boot up, the monitor stays off and the DVD is spit out.
    I eventually got the DVD to stay in, and the screen showed the grey screen with black apple and the spinning black circle on the bottom. However, after a few minutes the screen turned orange in color. Using Screen Sharing, it looked fine. I tried a second VGA monitor, but that still didn't do it.
    So with the DVD still in, I stay connected via Screen Sharing and begin the installation process remotely, thinking Snow Leopard will recognize the monitor eventually. Well, 10.6 is now fully installed, but still no working monitor.
    I then decided to try the Mini DisplayPort to VGA Firmware Update. I download and run the installer, but it tells me, "The Updater could not find a Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter to update."
    How can I possibly get this monitor working?
    Thanks in advance.
    Message was edited by: nappy

    Just ran in to this myself -- Nehalem Xserve running 10.6.2 Server with an MiniDisplayPort to VGA adapter connected to an Avocent Switchview 1000 KVM. Took the server offline to install RAM and after rebooting, no video. Oddly enough, the KVM's LEDs showed a display connected but Apple System Profiler showed no adapters connected to the video card. Nothing seemingly worked -- rebooting, shutdown/restart, and/or hot-plugging the adapter made no difference. I also tried a second MiniDisplayPort adapter to no avail.
    Note that the MiniDisplayPort to VGA Firmware update had already been applied to BOTH adapters prior to this issue appearing.
    What restored video output on our system: reboot from the Snow Leopard Server install media, video reappears over the adapter, and after that I can reboot from the SSD boot drive running 10.6.2 Server with video output working over the MiniDisplayPort to VGA adapter.

  • Xserve's mini displayport (dvi to vga) not working with snow leoapard

    I am using a Acer 20" display with the mini displayport to vga. and since I updated to snow leopard it is not working anymore. If I change the resolution it is recognized but it is a very bad resolution and as I have a wide screen the resoltion that works looks horrible.
    I saw that the update 10.6.2 had some updates including mini displayport problems, but it seems like it did not fixed the problem that I have!
    I tried to call the apple support hotline but I got kicked out twice after the agent asked for my serial number and online I could not find anything that could help me to fix my problem.
    so if there is someon out there with the same problem or an idea how I can fix that problem I would be very happy!
    greetings from spain / barcelona!
    cheers!

    If there are listed options available, changing the refresh rate of the display frequency in the Monitors preference pane will sometimes yield better results at given resolutions.
    I have to Xserves connected via a KVM switch to a CRT monitor; one Xserve is using the DisplayPort/VGA adapter, the other is straight VGA from the video card. I had to fiddle with the refresh frequencies to get the images to come close to matching.
    -Doug

  • Don't setup an XServe with a DVI monitor if you intend to use a VGA monitor

    Hi Forum Folks.
    A bit of a "gotcha" to warn others about, with XServes, and VGA vs DVI monitors.
    We Recently re-setup (erase + install a fresh OS) on a 2008 XServe Xeon, with a DVI (Digital) monitor connected. All worked fine, and we went to move the server into the production environment.
    However, when we moved + plugged the XServe into it's new home (a rack), it would not boot (flashing question mark).
    Moving the Xserve out of the rack, and back to it's work-bench setup, made it work again.
    We traced the problem to the monitor we used... If we hooked up a digital (DVI) monitor, the XServe worked fine (with the mini DVI to DVI connector). If we hooked up a VGA monitor (with a mini DVI to VGA connector) that's when the XServe wouldn't boot. We tried a variety of common techniques to solve the problem, including resetting various settings, re-installing Mac OS X 10.5.6 Server over the top etc.
    The solution:
    (Although I'm sure there are simpler solutions):
    We setup the server again (from scratch) using the VGA monitor combination from the very start of the setup, and all worked fine (on VGA or DVI monitors). The server is happily in production now, with it's VGA output.
    So the lesson here: Always set up your XServe using a VGA-based monitor in the first instance.
    Hope this helps someone else.
    Cheers,
    Derek

    So the lesson here: Always set up your XServe using a VGA-based monitor in the first instance.
    ... or don't use a monitor at all
    I don't think I've ever used a monitor when setting up a server - maybe used a KVM if I've re-installed or upgraded the OS, but for the main part every install I do is run remotely.
    Still it's good to know, especially since it defies logic.

  • Xserve RAID Admin Tool 1.5.1 not quite working

    I have an Xserve RAID that's currently at firmware 1.3.2/1.26a according to Xserve RAID Admin Tool 1.5.1. However, when I try to upgrade the firmware to 1.5.1 via the RAID Admin Tool 1.5.1, it just doesn't do anything--it accepts the .xfb file and then...nothing. Quitting out of the the Admin Tool and restarting still shows the firmware at 1.3.2/1.26a. Same thing if I shut down and restart the Xserve RAID from the RAID Admin tool. Any tips? There's nothing stored on the RAID system yet (the array hasn't even been created--it's a blank system) and nothing is attached to it either (I've just plugged in the ethernet links to format it first before I start attaching an Xserve G5 to it). Also, even though the lower controller is showing green and I have an ethernet cable plugged into it, I can't get any info out of it nor can I configure it with an IP address. Only the top controller seems to allow some configuration such as IP address.

    Okay, I've solved the problem.
    Basically, the issue was that the lower controller wasn't seated right despite it showing a green light in RAID Admin. When I went to visually inspect it, I noticed that despite what RAID Admin 1.5.1 claimed, its light wasn't even on, let alone green. And since the lower controller handles slots 8-14 of an Xserve RAID and my slots 8-14 are totally unpopulated (empty) at the moment, it was never noticed. Now that I've reseated the lower controller, everything is visually showing green across the board and the firmware upgrade is proceeding as expected and it has upgraded the firmware from 1.3.2/1.26a to 1.5.1/1.5.1c complete with autorestart of both upper and lower controller modules.
    Basic lesson learned: RAID Admin lies. If possible, visually inspect the box itself!
    Thanks to all who responded.

  • Two Xserves running 10.5 Server and setting up DNS...

    Hello.
    I have two Xserves (a G5 and a new Intel), both with fresh installs of 10.5 Server on them.
    Xserve #1 not going to be hosting any external services (FTP, web, email) and only housing internal, mission critical & confidential data (the server is set up with a mirror RAID on the OS drive as well as mirror RAID on the storage drives + nightly tape backups for offsite storage). Right now there are no plans for enabling iCal on this server as we're trying to keep the server as basic as possible (as we can afford zero downtime on this server), but if the initial setup of 10.5 requires configuration at first run to allow this type of thing, I'd like to deal with it now so as to keep my options open (as I know iCal on 10.5 requires Open Directory enabled).
    Xserve #2 is going to host FTP (for external clients) and internal file sharing for the design/production department (basically, for transferring files back and fourth between departments, so no data via this share will be "critical" as it's only temporarily on the server and will always exist in other locations). Even though this server will not host "critical" data, it will share the same backup/RAID scheme as Xserve #1.
    So, I'm curious as to how I set up DNS in this situation (so we can associate a domain name to our static IP address). We already have our main domain setup via 3rd-party hosting service (for web & email as we do not want to bring these services in-house), but we're purchasing a second domain that will be associated with company (via a static IP, so we can give a domain name instead of IP address for people needing to connect to the FTP server, make it easier for employees to remember the address for remote connections, etc.).
    Because Xserve #2 is going to be hosting FTP, would it make sense to setup DNS on this server and not set it up on Xserve #1? Also, and this could just be me being paranoid, but because Xserve #1 will be housing "critical & confidential" data I want to eliminate as much contact with the outside world as possible with this server, so this is another reason I feel Xserve #2 should have DNS running instead.
    Oh, and not sure if this makes any difference, but between the WAN and the LAN is a SonicWALL firewall and currently it deal with port forwarding, etc. depending on what services are being requested from the WAN (ie. remote machine connections, FileMaker remote connections, etc.).
    Any advice would be appreciated!
    Regards,
    Kristin.

    There's a couple of things in your post I don't understand:
    the server is set up with a mirror RAID on the OS drive as well as mirror RAID on the storage drives
    How are you doing this? Both XServes support only three internal drives and two mirrors require 4 drives. Where does the fourth drive come into play?
    I'm curious as to how I set up DNS in this situation
    There are numerous ways of doing this, but with a single static IP address your best bet is to leave DNS where it is - managed by your hosting provider. Just add a record in the domain zone (e.g. ftp.yourdomain.com) that has the IP address of the public interface your SonicWall firewall. You don't need a separate domain for this. You also don't need to setup internal DNS for this (although you may need internal DNS if you're running Open Directory.
    Because Xserve #2 is going to be hosting FTP, would it make sense to setup DNS on this server and not set it up on Xserve #1?
    Assuming you're referring to setting up a DNS server - use them BOTH. Make one of the servers the primary server (I'd pick the internal-only server for this) and set the other server to be a slave (so it copies all the zone data from the primary server). That way you have a replica of the data to provide additional resilience.

  • Switching to Xserver/Xserve RAID

    Hi boys and girls...
    I was looking for a little assistance in switching over to Xserve. Let me give you some background info first.
    Were a small studio in London, with only 11 people in-house and the majority working externally whether free-lance, from home or from another country etc. Were mostly Mac based, though 4 machines are those little beige pc things all running XP 2002. At the minute its 1 G5 and a collection of G4 tower's and G4 power book's, G4 cube's and so on. Were all connected to a G4 server running Mac OS X Server 10.2.8 with a very small dual 120GB HD raid thing running Retrospect.
    Our problem is, this system was set up some time ago and were starting to outgrow it.
    What were looking for is a way to backup all of our current work and archive all of our old work. Most users like to work directly off the server as theres so much file sharing between the macs and pc's, directly updating files so there isnt any duplication etc.
    First question, is it possible (and a good/bad idea ?) to have 10-15 users working directly from a Mac server, that stores the archived work for users to reference and also current work which is backed up to tape and duplicated (as we currently have) to another HD?
    Secondly, Is the ideal way to be running things? Is there a more efficent way?
    Finally, what kind of spec should we be looking at? There's such a huge difference between servers, while were willing to invest, we dont want to go crazy (maybe a little) on costs.
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    Marcus

    There are certainly some drawbacks with your current setup that mean you should make some changes.
    In general, there's nothing wrong with working with files directly off the server, however, 10.2.8 has some issues with multiple users accessing the same files at the same time, so you should look to move to 10.4 ASAP to address that issue, regardless of any other changes you make.
    I am assuming that the remote users don't work this way - uploading/download files as appropriate - it would be painful to work off the server remotely.
    The only real disadvantage with working with files directly off the server is that if a file is changed erroneously and saved, there's no easy backup.
    If the file was copied to the local drive and saved, it's easy to roll back to the previous version by re-copying it from the server, but if that change is saved directly to the server the only rollback involves pulling out Retrospect.
    The other change that would make a difference is installing a gigabit switch and connecting the server to it. Even if all the host systems don't have gigabit ethernet, the extra bandwidth to the server will definitely help.
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    You should first decide how much disk space you need. With 500GB drives, the XServe can handle up to 1.5TB on its own, without any additional XServe RAID. However, you might want to consider RAID (using RAID you're limited to 1TB of RAID 5 storage, or 500GB of mirrored storage in the box).
    In addition to your current data usage, consider using an online disk backup where multiple copies of the data is stored on the server itself before (or in addition to) backing up to tape.
    While tapes offer several long-term archive advantages, they really don't work so well for quick restores of a file or two. Having a snapshot of the last couple of days data online makes it trivial to step back a day or so without having to resort to tapes. This may mean, though, that your 100GB of data requires 200 or 300GB of disk space.
    If you do decide than an XServe RAID is the right solution, consider getting it right-sized from the get-go rather than buying it small (e.g. 4 drives) and adding later. While it can be done, adding drives to an existing array is a PITA.
    If you do opt for an XServe RAID, and you don't currently have any rack-mounted equipment, consider using a PowerMac G5 as your server rather than an XServe. While similar in terms of performance, the PowerMac can work out cheaper depending on configuration.

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