Mac Mini Server Database Set-up - Configure & Implement Help

I have a database developer who is fluent in PC languages but not fluent with Macs who need serious help setting up my new database solution using my new Mac Mini Server running Lion 10.7.2. They are lacking the Mac knowledge - but are working on building my database / website solution - to be implementated on the Mac Mini Server.
Quickly...Here's what we are building. I own an Event Photography business specializing in Youth Sports. I bring all the Mac system Computers, (MacBook Pro's, 8 iPad 2's, AirPort Extreme, Mac Mini Server). *Important Note* - we will not ever have internet connection. We will offer photos taken directly at the Event...to View & Order via our wireless iPads (used simply for viewing photos). Customers are "viewing" photos from the iPads - accessing photos from our (off-line) website / database Hosted locally on our Mac Mini Server. All our Mac Computers are "wired" / connected / to the AirPort Extreme and "shared" on a local net (again with No-internet access).
Is there anyone out there who can help them by phone / internet / shared screen etc. to HELP SET UP THE MAC MINI SERVER - to make the database work? They need help with PHP, My SQL, Apachee set-up & configure questions.
This all sounds very complex to a Non-Database guy...but probably a simple check-list walk-thru helpful guide - for someone who's more knowledgeable with working with the Mac Mini Server.
Thanks....Anyone??

well to be honest I wanted a server to run more aspects of what I do privately (rather tahn at work) rather than use hosted accounts from disparate hosted providers on line. In partcular wanted a mail server to handle multiple mail domains, wiki server, web sever as per mail server and I was interested in what they would provide for iphone ipad etc as I have a few that I wanted to link to a server rather than individual macs and pcs
I also thought that Apple might bring their abilities to creating a great UI for essentially linux operating systems to a server os.
from initial views though it might have been easier (cheaper) to go to ubuntu and just their server version of linux. Anyway I will persist - I will read through the stuff you guys have linked me to - colinsolutions appears to have aimed me at some useful stuff. Looks like a bigger "project" than i imagined - but I havent looked at UNIX since 1986 so if I have to get into the command line it wont kill me I am sure.
thanks for the input - if anyone else can suggets good resources that would be appreciated.
ps simon - i found that the name for the server with the .local extension is visibile from the mac via finder and allows me to connect to the shared folder. so my server is sdhome - the shared resource is sdhome.local ... not sure if this helps but...

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Mac Mini Server running os X lion general help

hi
just wondered if anyone else was struggling to work out how to set up an os x mac mini server with lion server on it - with no obvious help system, manual etc. Can someone point me at any resources that might help as to be honest I am struggling with this. Many features on how you administer this have changed from the previous version (snow leopard) - and all the books are no use as they all refer to this.

well to be honest I wanted a server to run more aspects of what I do privately (rather tahn at work) rather than use hosted accounts from disparate hosted providers on line. In partcular wanted a mail server to handle multiple mail domains, wiki server, web sever as per mail server and I was interested in what they would provide for iphone ipad etc as I have a few that I wanted to link to a server rather than individual macs and pcs
I also thought that Apple might bring their abilities to creating a great UI for essentially linux operating systems to a server os.
from initial views though it might have been easier (cheaper) to go to ubuntu and just their server version of linux. Anyway I will persist - I will read through the stuff you guys have linked me to - colinsolutions appears to have aimed me at some useful stuff. Looks like a bigger "project" than i imagined - but I havent looked at UNIX since 1986 so if I have to get into the command line it wont kill me I am sure.
thanks for the input - if anyone else can suggets good resources that would be appreciated.
ps simon - i found that the name for the server with the .local extension is visibile from the mac via finder and allows me to connect to the shared folder. so my server is sdhome - the shared resource is sdhome.local ... not sure if this helps but...

RAID on Mac mini Server (2011 i7)

I just purchased a new Mac mini Server today (the base configuration 2011 Quad Core i7 with 4GB RAM and 2x 500GB 7200RPM magnetic hard disks) and wanted to share what I've learned about setting up RAID on the system.
First, as you may have heard, the Mac mini Server does not include any installation/reinstallation media (I was hoping for a USB reinstall key, but it seems that the new systems don't include these or optical discs; last year's Mac mini Server included handy reinstall DVDs even though the system didn't have an optical drive). Out of the box, the new Mac mini Server has Mac OS X Lion, the iLife suite, and the Mac OS X Lion Server tools pre-installed on one of the two 500GB internal drives; the other disk is formatted as a separate, second drive.
If this is the configuration you're looking for, you're good to go right out of the box. As an aside, this shipping configuration is ideal for using the second disk as a Time Machine drive. I would argue that Time Machine would be a better use of the second volume than a RAID 1 configuration, as Time Machine provides versioned backups and you don't incur the write performance penalty RAID 1 requires every time data is saved to the disk. I would further caution that, while an internal Time Machine disk is a convenient safety measure, any critical data should be backed up outside of the system as well.
Now for those like me who were intrigued by the opportunity to mate the Quad Core i7 with a RAID 0/striped configuration for a performance boost (or if you want to use RAID 1), a RAID configuration is possible, but it there are a few caveats.
First, Apple has two recovery options for the new Macs: a small hidden recovery partition on the boot drive and their Internet Recovery system. While it's possible to boot other systems from a Lion installation DVD extracted from the App Store Lion installer, such bootable optical discs will not boot the Mac mini Server at this time (this may change if Apple modifies the App Store Lion installer). Therefore, as of right now, the recovery partition or the Internet Recovery system are the best options for installing/reinstalling on a RAID set.
Second, if you boot the system using Command+R to access the recovery partition, you can wipe the two drives and create a RAID set, but this process will remove the recovery partition and is incompatible with FileVault encryption (a warning to this effect comes up when you try to start an install/reinstalll on a RAID set, but at that point, you've likely already erased the recovery partition in Disk Utility). If the system boots after the recovery partition is deleted, the only install/reinstall option is Apple's Internet Recovery.
Third, as might be expected depending upon your internet bandwidth, the Internet Recovery system can take a while to boot the recovery tools (10-15 minutes to boot on a standard cable modem connection) and to reinstall the OS (50+ minutes on a standard cable modem connection). Internet Recovery currently reinstalls only Mac OS X Lion and the Server tools on the mini Server; there's no option to install iLife during the OS install (Apple could always change this by updating their servers, and there is a Customize button on the installer, but it is greyed out and cannot be clicked at the present).
Fourth, once the OS is reinstalled, it's possible to reinstall the iLife applications by launching the App Store from within Mac OS and selecting Purchased. The store will indicate that the system is eligible to download the iLife apps and you can do so by agreeing to upload system-identifying information to Apple and signing in with your Apple ID.
I hope all this helps. Here's a more concise step-by-step of how to set up the system with RAID:
THINGS YOU NEED
A fast Internet connection for the mini
Patience
Hold Command+R on the keyboard at start up to boot from the system's recovery partition (if the recovery partition has been deleted, the system should start from Apple's Internet Recovery system; you may need to connect to WiFi if wired ethernet isn't available)
Once you get into the recovery utility, select Disk Utility and for each of the two hard drives:
highlight the drive
select the Partition tab
select 1 Partition from the Partition Layout pulldown menu
select Free Space from the Format pulldown menu
click Apply
After you've wiped both of the drives, highlight one of the disks and click the RAID tab, then create a RAID set (striped or mirrored, as you prefer)
Quit Disk Utility and from the main recovery utility menu select Reinstall Lion (from this point on, if you have any trouble, you can restart the mini from the Internet Recovery system and return to this point, but the recovery partition will be gone as long as you keep the RAID set)
After you install and configure Mac OS X Lion Server (which can take well over an hour to download and install), you should be able to reinstall the iLife applications by launching the App Store App and selecting Purchased, then logging in with your Apple ID and agreeing to send your system info to Apple to download the iLife Applications
If you're using the mini as a production server, I highly suggest setting up some local, external recovery tool, as you don't want to have system downtime protracted by having to wait for an Internet Recovery boot/reinstall. I would also beg Apple to consider this sort of scenario and to provide more supported methods for recovering and reinstalling from local media.
Best of luck to you all.

I found the basic principle on another forum thanks to a guy called 'e-whizz' and this what I did to make RAID 1 work on a mac mini server with LION server.
You can easily configure the second drive on a mac mini server for a Mirrored RAID 1 set with Lion Server without either reinstalling or erasing your existing setup.
The initial setup process takes about 30 minutes, though the rebuilding of the mirror disk will take several hours, depending on the amount of data you have on the drive. It took around 3 hours on a new mac mini server with lion server installed, nothing else configured.
Before you start, please ensure you have a current backup of the server. Getting the following commands wrong can render you server unusable.
What you need to use is the command line version of Disk Utility, diskutil.
Before you start, clone the hard drive. You can use SuperDuper (or similar, I have used SuperDuper) with copying all files onto a USB memory stick. If Lion is freshly installed, 8Gb will do. SuperDuper will create a bootable copy on the USB.
Boot the mac mini from the external USB. To do that, reboot and hold down the option key while restarting. You will see a window, select the USB drive to boot from.
Launch the terminal and type the following command:
diskutil list
This gives you a list of all the drives and partitions your system knows about.
You need to find the Server HD partition (the first disk) and the HD2 partitions (the second disk). These are the two main ~500GB drives. You will be using the disk IDENTIFIERs when issuing the diskutil commands. For a stock standard Mac Mini Server, the commands below are correct, but if you have previously changed the volume names, or repartitioned at any stage the disk identifiers and volume names may differ.
First enable RAID mirroring on existing Server HD volume. This will create a single disk, unpaired mirror, without affecting your data.
Using this syntax:
diskutil appleRAID enable mirror disktomirror
where disktomirror is your disk identifier for Server HD
On my mac mini server, Server HD was disk0s2, so I used this command:
diskutil appleRAID enable mirror disk0s2
You now need to run diskutil list again to see the disk identifier for the new RAID volume. The new RAID volume will be listed as disk# on its own at the bottom of the list.
On my mac mini server this was disk3 (disk 2 was the USB I booted from, disk 0 the first disk and disk 1 the second disk)
Next add the disk HD2 to the Server HD raid mirror volume (on my mac, as I said before, this is disk3) as a new member.
This step will erase disk HD2 and begin an auto repair of the Server HD.
Using this syntax:
diskutil appleRAID add member newdisk raidvolume
replacing newdisk and raidvolume with your particular disk identifiers
On my server this was:
diskutil appleRAID add member disk1s2 disk3
To follow the progress of rebuilding the mirror set, type
diskutil list
It will show you the progress in % of the rebuilding under status
Once finished, reboot and your RAID 1 is up and running and you have also a working backup on your USB (coz' that's where you booted from ;-)
After reboot you can check the status of your RAID with
diskutil appleRAID list
Both drives should show ONLINE under status, interestingly, the device node for the RAID changed on my mac mini server from disk3 to disk2
That's it

Mac Mini Server Backups

Dear all,
I am using a Mac Mini Server for filesharing, iCal, etc. I want to make sure all data is safe, so I want regular backups. The Mac Mini Server is set up to work on Disk 1 and backup on Disk 2. But in case the server is stolen, crashes or something similar this set up is pretty useless.
Therefor I am investigating different possibilities to back up safely. I have two option I want to investigate further, however I'm not sure what's possible and what not.
1. I have a second Mac Mini Server available. Is it possible to have the primary Mac Mini Server backup on the secondary Mac Mini Server?
2. Is it possible to run backups on an external server? E.g. FTP.
Thanks in advance!
Nick

This is what I would do.
I would repartition the server to use software RAID 0.
What this would do is mirror both hard drives. Lets say one day that one of the hard drives failed, its ok because all you would have to do is put a new hard drive in and you are back online.
This means you will not have to deal with any down time.
For backups you could run Carbon Copy Clone to an external hard drive. This will make an exact clone of your hard drive that you can even boot too!
You can bring this off site for better data protection.

Mac Mini server connections

I have an old 2002 23" Apple Cinema Display (plastic rounded frame). It used to be plugged into an old G5 with a 30pin oval male DVI type connector. Now I need to plug it with a new 2012 mac mini server (hdmi/thunderbolt). Anybody can help me to solve this apparently impossible task?

Use the HDMI to DVI adapter that came the the computer, followed by a DVI to ADC adapter
<http://www.amazon.com/Apple-M8661LL-Display-Adapter-4038234011420/dp/B00011KHT2>

What is "best practice" to set up and configure a Mac Mini server with dual 1 TB drives, using RAID 1?

I have been handed a new, out of the box, Mac Mini server. Has two 1 TB drives in it. Contractor suggested RAID 1 for the set up. I have done some research
and found out that in creating the software RAID, this takes away the recovery partition, so I have been reading up on how to create a recovery "disk" using a thumb drive. this part of the operation I am comfortable with, but there are other issues/concerns that I have.
Basically, what is the "best practice" to setup the Mini, configure the RAID and then start the server. I am assuming the steps would be something like this:
1) start up the Mini and run through the normal Maverick setup/config - keep it plain and vanilla
2) grab a copy of the Server app and store it offline in a safe place
3) perform the RAID configuration / reinstall of OS X Maverick using the recovery tools
4) copy down and start the server app
This might be considered a very simplified version of this article (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4886 - Mac mini server (Late 2012 and Mid 2011): How to install OS X Server on a software RAID volume), with the biggest difference being I grab a copy of the Server App off of the mini before I reinstall, since I did not purchase it from the App store, but rather it came with the mini.
Is there a best practice / how-to tutorial somewhere that I can follow/learn from? Am I on the right track or headed for a train wreck?
thanks in advance

I think this article will answer your question. Hope this helps: http://wisebyte.blogspot.com/2014/01/best-configuration-for-mac-mini-server.html

How can I set-up my mac mini server to be a central file server for my windows boxes (they don't see the mac on the network), and how do I set-up a central iTunes server so that all my devices sync to the mac mini?

I am looking for step by step instructions to configure my mac mini server to support the following:
1. Central itunes server for all my devices (ipad, ipod, iphone, etc.)
2. Central file server so that my windows devices can save and retrieve data from the central system (the mac does not show up in the network for the windows systems - all running windows XP or 7)
Thanks,
Keith

You will need to enable file sharing in System Preferences
as well as setting up sharing and permissions for the
directories that you want shared. You may also want to
setup a non-administrative user or allow limited guest
access. The user would require entering a user name and
password to make the connection, but would allow remotes
to change files, if set up tat way.
As for serving iTunes media, better to post in the iTunes forum.

Cannot see Mac Mini Server from Internet: DynDNS alias gets thru cable modem to wireless router, not to the Mac Mini. How to configure?

I want to make my Mac Mini Server (Lion) visible to the Internet from my home LAN. I have followed the Lion server install wizards and also set up a dynamic DNS at DynDNS.com.
When I enter the Internet address with the proper alias from a web browser, I get dumped into the admin screen of the Linksys wireless router WRT300N. Hint: the WRT300N provides DHCP for the LAN, not the cable modem providing DHCP. The WRT300N has DDNS service set up. NAT and RIP are disabled. The Mac Mini DHCP is reserved.
Suggestions? I could use the Motorola Surfboard SB6121 to provide DHCP but have hesitations.
Point me to the right discussion/article and get me back on track, please.

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.

Can I set up RAID 1 in Mac Mini Server?

Sorry if I am in the wrong forum, but would like to know if the new Mac Mini server can be set up as RAID 1 or 0 and does it require reinstalling OS after formatting, or it comes already in RAID?
thanks,

Officially, yes, you need to off-load to a backup, configure the RAID-1, and reload onto the mirrorset.
If you're feeling lucky, you can potentially [activate RAID-1 without the archive|http://www.afp548.com/article.php?story=20040827122302975]; on-line. Search for (other) discussions of using the DiskUtil tool and enabling disk mirroring for various of the previous discussions.
But if something goes wrong with the on-line conversion, a bug or a power drop-out or a disk glitch or or... ?
RAID-0 is striping; two disks together presented as one bigger disk; targets I/O performance.
RAID-1 is mirroring; two disks together presented as one; targets reliability.
RAID-0 and RAID-1 (and the other RAID levels) can be hardware-based or software based.
The Mac Mini Server uses software-based RAID.
And for completeness, neither RAID-0 nor RAID-1 is an archival strategy.
As for the other question, do you have one disk showing, or two? If two, you're not running RAID-1. All of the Mac Mini Server boxes I've seen have arrived not configured for RAID-1. They've arrived as two single disks; as what the RAID folks tend to call JBOD; Just a Bunch Of Disks.

Setting up RAID on a Mac Mini Server

I just bought a new Mac Mini server with two 750GB drives. I'd like to use the RAID utility to set them up in a RAID 1 array so I have 1 logical 1.5TB drive. However, the utility won't allow me to drag the primary drive into a configuration. I assume this is because it's the boot drive.
Is there any way to do what I'm trying to do?
Thanks!
David

David,
Does it allow it if you boot to the Restore Partition with CMD+r ?
If not,do you have an external drive to Restore to & boot from?

Configuring Mac Mini Server via Airport Extreme via Netopia Modem

Can any anyone help me with the settings to allow internet access to my Mac Mini Server by a Web browser. What way to you configure the modem and extreme. The modem seems to want to duplicate a lot of the features of the extreme in it a has its own port forwarding etc. I have manually set all devices with fixed ip addressas it shares the net work with a Windows SBS. I have a static IP Address and Domain name registered and hosted dns has the domain tranfered. Nat is enabled and ftp, itunes ports open.
Internet is working on the local network which has a 3 Capsules, IMac, and 2 apple TV's all working and streaming from the server. Running Lion from last week.
Would appreciate any help as this is is my first time to use the forum.
Thanks again.

First welcome to the discussions.
To set up the client you'll first have to ask the Network Administrator for the name of the VPN server. The username and other details you will need to log on.
You will also need to find out if the VPN uses PPTP or L2TP over IP Sec. with that information in hand open Internet connect in the Applications folder choose NEW VPN Connection then you click on either PPTP or L2TP whichever the network uses, then click continue in the confiquration pop up menu, Choose Edit confiqurations Then enter the information the Network administrator gave you.
Bear in mind that the OSX client does not work with all VPN's.
You may have to purchase a universal VPN client such as VPN Tracker from Equinux ($90.00).
http://www.equinux.com
Good Luck Don

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.

How To Set Up Mountain Lion Server/Point DNS to Mac Mini Server

Hello, First of all I have no experience with setting up servers whatsoever. Below is what I have
- Mac Mini with Mountain Lion Server
- Time Capsule as my router
- Comcast as my service provider
My goal is to set up my MacMini as a sharepoint for files and other data with my other partners.
- I have purchased a domaine name from NetworkSolutions. Does this mean that they are my DNS hosting as well? Not really sure. My biggest question is how to point my DNS to my mac mini server correctly.
1. How do you point the DNS to my mac mini server.
2. I've read somewhere to use the IP address from my mac mini server. The only IP address I see is from my Time Capsule (router). I know what my public IP adress is but I am not sure if that's the one to use. I think once I figure this DNS thing I can figure out the rest.
Thanks - Need lots of help.

Here's a detailed write-up on setting up internal (private) DNS on OS X Server, and no, you're probably not going to be setting up external DNS on your servers. Your public DNS service will be hosted on and served from the Network Solutions DNS servers.

I have a mac mini server which I want to set up for remote access from windows and mac pcs. How do I do this. I can access it form my home network OK

I have a mac mini server which I want to set up for remote access from windows and mac pcs. How do I do this. I can access it form my home network OK

Posted in error.

Help Setting up Mac Mini Server for Printer/File Sharing to Windows comp.

Hi, so in our office, we decided only to switch half of the office to macs for budgetary reasons. We purchased the mac mini server to replace the 5,000 year old one and have also gotten to macbooks and a mac mini. My other two co-workers unfortunately still are using two windows vista machines. We have important documents on the server hard drive and they also need our OLD ACT! database to access from it and I have not been able to get them to access the hard drive. Can someone please walk me through these steps? Also, ideally we want to be able to access this servers hard drive when we are out of the office and edit word documents and such, but I also have not been able to do that or make that work. Any help in these areas would be greatly appreciated!

If you use a different login name for the network account to your existing local account then the local account will not be affected. You might want to transfer the contents of your existing local account to the new network account. To do this you could try the following
Create new network account
Login using old local account
Now while logged in using old local account - connect to the File Server
Enter the new login details
It should hopefully list the Share that stores your new network account, complete the connection
You should now have the Share mounted, copy the contents of your local account to the corresponding location in your new network account
Note: The Library folder in your home directory contains all your settings
Once complete logout of the old local account
Try logging in to the new account
In terms of limitations, it is going to be slower than a local account because it has to go across the network, and some badly written applications may have some issues but most will be fine.
At this stage your local account has not yet been deleted so if you have problems you can revert to it.

Mac Mini Server Database Set-up - Configure & Implement Help

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