Headless Mini Server

I've seen similar postings regarding using a Mini as a headless server but I still have one unanswered question. Once I have the system configured can I remove the monitor AND mouse & keyboard? If so, what happens in the event of an unexpected restart? I remember setting up an older G4 that way but needed to leave the keyboard connected in case of, for instance, a power outage. The machine wouldn't complete the boot-up process without seeing a keyboard.
TIA

My Mac mini has no keyboard or mouse and it starts up just fine. It is plugged into the TV (with the DVI to Video adapter) for a display. I use Apple Remote Desktop to remote control it when I need to. Of course, there is no power button on a USB keyboard so you won't need the keyboard to startup the Mac mini after a power outage, but you will probably have to push the power button on the back. If your Mac mini isn't set to automatically log in you'll have to remote control it to log back in. Mac OS X 10.4 allows you to turn on a VNC server in the Sharing System Preferences so you don't have to use ARD, you can use a free VNC client.
-Doug

Similar Messages

Plugging monitor into headless mini server

I bought a new monitor to place in my colocation. I plugged it into the vga dongle on my Mac Mini server, and it didn't recognize the monitor, so I unplugged the dongle and plugged it back in, and it saw the new monitor. All I got on the display, however, was a grey screen with the mouse pointer. I could get the volume control to display but no other icons or the finder, etc.
Is there a way via the shell (I can ssh in with my iPhone) to reset the display so that it will be recognized as the primary display without rebooting the computer? Rebooting fixed the problem, but I am not a huge fan of rebooting a production server unless I absolutely have to.
The monitor is small (16") and will remain in the rack, and is currently plugged into the Mini, but turned off. I have similar problems with the datacenter crash carts where the monitor won't display unless I unplug the dongle, and I still have to reboot to get control on the monitor.
Thanks for any help!
-Cameron

It really is the little things that **** us off the most.
I recall having this issue a while back, I don't make a habit of plugging in displays, but I understand how frustrating it is to have to reboot.
Have you tried clicking mouse buttons, moving the cursor around, pressing keys? You might also try remoting into the server via VNC/ Remote Desktop/ Screen Sharing and seeing if you get a picture on a remote computer/ iPhone/ iPad (whatever you use to remote in). I'm thinking logging in with remote device will trigger the display physically connected to the Mac Mini. I seem to recall doing that once... Anyway, worth a shot!

Fresh headless install of Lion (client) on Mac Mini (Server)

All,
I have a Mac Mini (Server) with two internal drives. I have successfully been running Lion (client) headless (no monitor or keyboard) for some time since I had originally 10.6 installed and upgraded to 10.7 using the Mac App Store. For backup I nightly clone my primary internal drive to the secondary drive using SuperDuper.
I'm having a problem with my Lion install which means that I want to do a fresh install. I'm stuck as to how to do this. I've tried:
1. Boot from primary disk; run Install Lion app; system reboots, freshly installs the O/S, with Screen Sharing on but doesn't wipe the disk, leaving the problem that I'm trying to get rid off.
2. Boot from the secondary disk; format the primary disk and do a fresh install on the primary disk. However this doesn't work as once the install is underway and it's re-booted onto the primary disk screen sharing is disabled and so I can't see what's going on.
(I know that it's possible to use screen sharing during a server install with no username and the first eight characters of the serial number - but this doesn't work with the Lion client installs.)
Anybody with any ideas?
Thanks in advance - Jonathan.

Here's what I would do. It might be handy to run a keyboard and monitor to the Mini at least during this process.
Reboot into the Recovery partition. Once in, launch Disk Utility. Wipe your boot volume and repartion. Create single partition called 'Server HD'. Now, quit Disk Utility and select the option to reinstall Lion. Install it on your new partition.
This should work just fine for you.

Small fast network with Mac mini server and Promise Pegasus?

I have 7 Mac Pros and iMacs that need to be connected to the same storage. I'm doing non MPI-based numerical modeling so the transfer rates have to be fast but not infiniband fast. I'm considering a setup with a Promise Pegasus thunderbolt RAID connected to a Mac Mini running Lion server for Access controll/Roaming homer directories. The Mac Pros and iMacs would the be connected via 1Gb ethernet.
My question is where the bottlenecks in this setup would be. The server software/hardware? The network? What else am I forgetting

I assume you're looking at Mac mini because you've already run the numbers on Mac Pro and ruled it out. I wonder how many buyers are opting for Mac mini solely for those Promise Thunderbolt arrays.
I also assume that each of your users is currently using a single gigabit Ethernet port to connect to the LAN.
If these assumptions are accurate, then I think that a Mac mini will work as long as you and your users have appropriate expectations. The win from putting this server in place won't be networked storage that outperforms an internal SATA drive, although in bursts it probably can. The solution you've described is smart because it's centralized, securable and adds a layer of data protection (RAID).
You asked about bottlenecks. I can think of three, two of which you can work around now or in the near future. The first is Mac mini's slow internal hard drive(s). You'll have a solution in hand: Boot Mac mini from the array. Some consider that to be a controversial choice, but you shouldn't spend extra for the Mac mini server with dual 7200 RPM drives. The less costly Core i7 configure-to-order upgrade will give you a bigger boost.
Booting from the array also protects you from the most likely "repair" scenario for Mac mini: Swapping out your entire machine.
The second issue is Mac mini's lack of an expansion bus. If you get more users or start using apps that demand more from the LAN, you might want to fire up additional gigabit Ethernet ports. Mac mini has just one. At present, the only way to add a gigabit port is with a Thunderbolt PCIe bus expander. Early next year, there should be more options that connect directly or via an intermediate bus like ExpressCard/34 or USB 3.0.
The one limitation you're powerless to work around is RAM. Mac mini tops out at 8 GB. That meets requirements, but it will be tight if you try to use Mac mini as a client and a server. I deploy them headless so no one's tempted to use the console.
You can improve your odds that gigabit will cut it by using heavy, short Cat6 cables and a switch dedicated to the Mac LAN. Use Mac mini's built-in Wi-Fi to keep Remote Desktop and other low-priority traffic off the wire.
Whatever solution you choose, I wish you the best of luck.

Mac Mini Server Doesn't Support Duel Thunderbolt Displays!

I purchased a mac mini server with the intent of ultimately running two thunderbolt displays off of it. I pre-ordered in August, waited six weeks for it to arrive and realized that the mac mini server that I had been sent was a lemon. I applied for a replacement, which was built in China and it arrived two weeks later. Everything was going great - I had my mac mini server running a thunderbolt and I was thrilled! Yesterday however, I purchased my second thunderbolt display, connected it and nothing happened. Trouble shooting didn't help. Finally, I called apple and was told that the server version doesn't support duel thunderbolt displays! I had read all of the technical specifications and there was no mention (at that time) that the server couldn't support duel displays. I am now in the process of returning my mac mini server in exchange for a custom build mac mini with upgraded 2.7 GHz i7 processors and 8GB RAM. I'm really disappointed to have to be going through all of these extra steps just to realize the system that I imagined early on. I checked the Apple Thunderbolt display options page at apple and they have now posted that the server doesn't support duel displays (but that informaiton definitely was not there when I first read it!). Why would the server version not support duel displays? To me, it doesn't make any sense. What are your thoughts?

It doesn't support dual TB displays because it uses the integrated
Intel graphics HD 3000. Only discrete graphics cards can handle
dual TB displays. The integrated graphics chip just cant handle
the load.
As for the logic of it, as servers, they are usually single display
and even more often are run headless and managed remotely.
It is marketed as a server and thus the logic.

Mavericks won't install on Mac Mini Server

I am trying to install Mavericks on a headless Mac Mini Server. After I enter my admin password, the install stops with the error:
An error occured while preparing the installation. Try running this application again.
I have verified the disk - no issues
I repaired disk permission
I rebooted the server
No luck

Found a fix. I installed the 10.8.5 combo update then tried again. It is working now.

Can't Connect to Mac Mini Server 10.8

I want to use Screen Sharing to run a headless Mac Mini Server (late 2012) running Server.app under Mountain Lion.
From my Mac Mini I can connect to my iMac on the same LAN and use Screen Sharing, but I can't do the opposite, which is what I need to do. This is very frustrating because the support for this key feature is just plain awful.
Yes, screen sharing is checked under File Sharing preferences on the Mac Mini Server. And yes, both the display and the computer are set to never sleep on the Mac Mini Server.
What must I do to connect to my Mac Mini Server from my iMac so I can run the Mac Mini Server headless?
Thanks in advance for your time and consideration.

"Screen Sharing is currently being controlled by the Remote Management Service"
I've been fidgeting between the Server.app server Settings tab and the Screen Sharing checkbox in System Preferences Sharing pane all day.
I had tried "Share Screen" via Finder. After I tried "Share Screen" via Server.app from my client computer I noticed the above warning message when Screen Sharing in the server's System Preference Sharing pane was highlighted. I'm not sure which is cause or effect.
Everything is checked on the server "Settings" tab in Server.app on the server. Only "FIle Sharing," "Remote Login" and "Remote Management" are checked on the Sharing pane in System Preferences on the server.
Everything is checked on the server "Settings" tab in Server.app on the client. In this case, "Allow remote administration using Server" is checked and grayed out. "Screen Sharing" is checked on the Sharing pane in System Preferences on the client. (It may not have anything to do with a successful screen share connection, but it is on.)
Everything is now working better than expected. Thanks to you both for your help!

I am having keyboard problems when trying to boot up an OS (bootcamp on Mac Mini Server)

I recently tried using bootcamp on my new Mac Mini Server.
I uploaded a windows ISO Image perfectly the way it asked, Windows 7, I followed the correct steps, euqally divided one of the hard drives, and I was ready to actually set up the new Windows section of my computer. During this booting session, my dog came in the room with her ball and knocked the computer plug out of the socket. Now when I turn on the mac, the fan still works, the same Macintosh sound comes up, the screen turns that usual very bright gray, but it stays on that gray. After a minute or two, the screen turns black, with a blinking underline, as if it were confused to choose which operating system it has to boot.
My problem here is that I use a wireless keyboard (not by Apple) -- and I suppose that bluetooth syncronizes with the OS and not the computer system itself -- so my keyboard commands do not get recognized in order for me to navigate into Windows 7 or OS X Mountain Lion. I tried solving this problem by purchasing a brand-new USB keyboard (since Mac Mini Servers do not have the PS/2 entrance). I guess this new USB keyboard didn't work, I imagine, either because the USB slots on the machine are not recognized by the computer's internal system, only by the Operating Sysytems (which I hope isn't true), or that the mac had never used that USB Keyboard and wasn't going to be capable of using it until it had installed the necessary drivers, but without the OS running that would become impossible.
So my question is: Is there a way that I can connect a keyboard to the mac so I can continue installing my alternate Operating System? Is it maybe another problem all together?

It is starting to sound more like Bootcamp failed to install properly.
Have a look at > Boot Camp 5: Frequently asked questions
then perhaps > Failed bootcamp instlation - Google Search

Cannot Search Mac Mini Server

Setup a small office network for our art dept, but have lost the ability to search for files on the Mini server. I have seen a ton of threads about this, but no definite fixes or reason. Please help! It is very difficult to work with a server that you can't use a search function on!
Imac- OSX Lion 10.7.4
Imac- OSX 10.6.8
Mini Server- OSX Server Lion 10.7.5
Thank you
-Prodigal

This sounds like a simple port forwarding issue, but I don't understand your LAN setup.
The WRT300N has DDNS service set up. NAT and RIP are disabled.
The chances are, you're running NAT somewhere in your network. If not the WRT then what? If it's your cable modem then you must have port forwarding configured on the cable modem, and that's where you need to focus - change the port forwarding to point to your Mac Mini's address rather than the WRT.
HOWEVER, it is far more common to have the wireless router perform NAT and DHCP, which is why I question your setup.
Not directly related, but:
The Mac Mini DHCP is reserved
Nix this. Your server should be configured manually, with a static IP address, not DHCP, even with a reservation in the DHCP server. The only advantage of DHCP is for dynamic hosts (hence the 'D' in 'DHCP') or if you expect to change your entire local subnet on any kind of frequent basis. The reality is that you can't just change the IP address of Mac OS X Server like this - there are too many dependencies, so it's better to set it manually, knowing that there's a cost (and pain) to change the server's address.

Website on Mac Mini Server not accessible. Error 403 index document not available.

Dear all,
I'm trying to host a website on my Mac Mini Server. As far as I can see, my DNS is working correctly. Also my firewall is setup correctly. (I'm hosting another website which works OK). But I setup a new site. Basically a copy of the working site. But this site doesn't reflect an index.htm page. I receive an Error 403 with further information that there is no index document or that the site is secured. There is a contact link on this page directing to my webmaster. So I conclude that something is working, but no index.htm page. Has anyone similar experience? And offcourse a solution?
Many thanks.

Launch Terminal.app and issue the commands:
cd /Library/Webserver/Documents/
ls -al
And see if the files are readable by the web server. Here's an example index file listing that's owned by root and with group access for admin folks, and this file is marked as readable and writable for the owner and the group, and is readable for everybody else:
-rw-rw-r-- 1 root admin 5094 Jul 25 2009 index.html
In this configuration, the web server would be using the other access; the web server can read this file, but not write to it. Here is how to duplicate these ownership and access settings on your own index.html file, assuming that you have that file present in the ls listing above, and assuming that you have issued the cd (change default directory) command shown above:
sudo chown root:admin index.html
sudo chmod ug=rw,o=r index.html
You will need to enter your administrative password for the sudo command.
I would very strongly suggest that you start learning some basics of bash and of Apache, because you're going to be needing those skills very soon.

How to set up my mac mini server to use two drives seamlessly?

I have a mid 2010 mac mini server, with OSX Lion installed. It has dual 500gb hard drives.
I've been moving all my important files to it, and I've always assumed that once I filled one disc, it would seamlessly transfer over to the other and continue backing up. This does not seem to be the case.
I'm at roughly 495gb of data, and when I try to move a 10gb file onto my server, it tells me that I don't have enough disc space to continue the operation.
What can I do to make use of both drives?
-Thanks

It sounds like what you're asking for is to have the two drives in a RAID 0, where the two 500 Gb drives look like a single 1 Tb drive. I'm not sure the exact procedure for installing RAID 0 on a mini's internal drives, but the process would involve backing up, reconfiguring for RAID (which destroys all data,) restoring data from the backup, and more risk than I would personally find acceptable. I'd expect to lose a full day with the backup and restore steps. I can guarantee, there will be pain.
Instead, I'd suggest looking at what's consuming the 500Gb, and seeing if there are particular folders that can be moved. For example, a shared folder is pretty easy. Copy it over. In file sharing setup, edit the share to point to the new location. Make sure remote users disconnect, and reconnect to the "new" share. When you're happy there is no data loss, delete the old location.
User's home directories can also move, but the process has a few more steps, and depends on how the accounts are built (local vs. OD)
If the majority of the data is in a single "your backup files" folder, shared or otherwise, then I would just set up a second folder on the second drive and write to it, leaving the first alone. If it is truly a backup, then you could make the first folder read-only at this point for extra protection. If you go the 2 folder route, keep in mind your boot drive is operating with 1% free space, I like my drives to have at least 15% free, and OS drives more like 25% (you'll find some range in recommended %-free, but most will agree 1% is too little) so move SOME stuff to the new folder, before closing the old.

Using a Mac Mini Server quad Core i7 for FCPX ?

I am a student trying to
configure a final cut pro X edit system with a budget of around $4K.
I have over 400 hours of video (some Hi-8 but mostly mini-DV tapes).
For the Mini-DV tapes I plan on ingesting video into FCPX
directly from the camera via firewire DV. I will be using a Sony GV D800 to ingest
the Hi-8 tapes via firewire DV as well. I already have a 30" Apple Cinema Display.
H.264 will be used to deliver finished content to the web and/or Blu-ray.
I was leaning toward the macbook pro 17" but then I realised that a Mac Mini Server
could be configured with the same number of cores and RAM for less money.
Mac mini Server
2.0 GHz Quad Core Intel i7 -- same number of cores as macbook pro 17"
8 GB RAM
750 GB Serial ATA Drive 7200rpm + 256 GB Solid State Drive
Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter
Apple Magic Mouse + Magic Trackpad
Other Peripherals:
Promise Pegasus 8TB R4 Raid System in RAID 5 configuration or equivalent
Sonnet Echo Express PCIe 2.0 Thunderbolt Expansion Chassis with
Matrox Compress HD MAX encoding card
LaCie d2 Blu-ray 12x
Do the extra cores in the server make up for the difference in GPU?
(2.7 GHz Mini dual-core i7 with AMD Radeon HD 6630M graphics processor with 256MB of GDDR5 memory) VS (2.0 GHz Mini Server quad - core i7 with Intel HD Graphics 3000 processor and 384MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory)
Am I thinking about this configuration the right way? Is there
any overhead given that the mini will be a server? Anything missing?
thanks for your help,
Tom

Take it back for a replacement while you are within 14 days from purchase.

Using a Mac Mini Server as a traditional stand alone desktop

Hello all, currently I have a late 2008 model 17" MacBook pro, Time Capsule, Apple TV and an Iphone 3GS and Ipod Traditional. I would like to add a desktop system to coordinate all of these items, to be the centerpiece is you will, in my home. I'm interested in buying a mac mini, I began to do research however and saw the Mac Mini Server which has greater memory capacity 4GB vs 2GB RAM, and dual 500Gb vs the standard Mac Mini which has one at 320GB. I would like to take advantage of these upgrades as I'm a writer and will be constantly on the web for work as well as likely keep a lot of items on the hard drive.
However I noticed the Mac Mini server utilizes Mac OSX snow leopard SERVER as opposed to the user grade Mac OSX. *My question is if the Mac Mini Server with MAC OSX server can still be used as a stand alone desktop, connecting it to a spare LCD television I have and a mac wireless keyboard/mouse?*
I'm aware that unlike the other mac mini and imacs it does not come with ilife and other pre-installed software, and *I want to know if it's still possible to purchase after market and install said software utilizing them in the traditional manor?*
Thank you in advance for any feedback you can provide and I apologize if my question was difficult to comprehend due to my lack of computer knowledge. I also apologize if this question is similar to others you've received lately as I did a quick scan of google and these forums and did not seem to find the specific answer I was looking for.

Welcome to the Apple Discussions!
Let me clear up a misperception that you have. Both the Mac mini and the Mac mini Server have a capacity to address 8 GB of RAM. There are two SO-DIMM slots in each model. The mac mini comes preconfigured by Apple with 2 GB of RAM (2 x 1 GB). The mini Server comes preconfigured with 4 GB of RAM (2 x 2 GB). You can buy and install yourself up to 8 GB of RAM (2 x 4 GB).
You can even install Mac OS X Snow Leopard client, which will meet your needs a bit better than Server, now that folks have figured out how to do it;
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2539663&tstart=0
And yes you can buy and install iLife, and pretty much everything else that you want to include in your kit. Either model of mini works fine with wireless keyboards and mouses. If your LCD TV has an HDMI port, then a simple HDMI to HDMI cable would be the simplest manner to connect it to the mini.
Dah•veed

Is the mac mini server the same hardware as the other mac minis (except for the quad core i7 and dual hard drives) with different software or is it configured differently?

I have a mac mini with an i7 dual core processor. It is perceptably slower than my macbook pro with a quad core i7. Does the mac mini server have the same hardware configuation as the regular mac mini with server software or is the hardware different (aside from the i7 quad core and dual hard drives)? I want a mini with a quad core i7...

Your assumption is correct. The server does however only
have the Intel HD3000 graphics like the base model with
no option, at this time, for the discrete graphics chip. So,
depending on what you are using it for, that could be a deal
breaker. Remember that your MBP does have a discrete
graphics chip.
I have a 2011 Mini Server connected to a Thunderbolt display
that gets used as an engineering workstation and general
personal use (some photo editing, LP restoraton, general
internet browsing). You simply just not enable any of the
server services. I find the combination to work quite well
for my purposes. I also have a 13" 2.7 GHz i7 Macbook Pro
which is pretty much strictly for work. As far as CPU
power it is pretty much equivelent to your Mini. For the most
part I find the Mini does outperfom my MBP. I heavily use
Parallels and Windows7 virtual machines, so the more cores
the better.
So, If you do a lot of CPU intensive stuff that is multithreaded,
the Server may help. If it is graphics intensive and your software
heavily leaverages the GPU, you may actually take a hit on
performance.

Mountain Lion Mac Mini Server Ethernet Port Not Working

I have a Mac Mini Server and once I upgraded to Mountain Lion Server the Ethernet port is unresponsive. It worked before upgrading. Is there something with Mountain Lion Server that is causing the Ethernet port not to work properly?

Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store.
Back up all data on the internal drive(s) before you hand over your computer to anyone. If privacy is a concern, erase the data partition(s) with the option to write zeros* (do this only if you have at least two complete, independent backups, and you know how to restore to an empty drive from any of them.) Don’t erase the recovery partition, if present.
Keeping your confidential data secure during hardware repair
*An SSD doesn't need to be zeroed.

Headless Mini Server

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