Mac Mini Server - Xeon Ivy Bridge

Good morning.
I was wondering... is it feasible to equip the next Mini Server with an Ivy Bridge Xeon processor?
It could be one of these: http://ark.intel.com/compare/65733,65729,65726,65728
Pros (including other ideas):
- Capabilities to stack Mini's and assemble a processor cluster (like the first PS3 generation);
- Real server configs;
- Better computing precision;
- Multiple display capabilities (Intel® HD Graphics P4000);
Cons:
- Heat?
Thanks in advance for your professional opinion!
Best regards,

Hello Koben,
I suspect only the bottom line 45W one would work in a Mini as far as heat goes.

Similar Messages

Mac Mini OSX 10.6.5 config w/ cable/modem-AEBS-mac mini server

I'm new to OSX server, and have recently had to change locations of a OSX 10.6.5 Mac Mini. I am setting it up now as a home server and need to access from outside the home. I have had a wonderfully operating AEBS for many years, but once I started trying to set-up the mac mini server, I started having problems configuring the server to play nicely with the AEBS.
Back to basics, because for what I need the AEBS is sufficient (and technically capable) of acting in concert with my mini server (from all I've read, anyway). I just cannot configure them correctly without causing problems.
Equipment:
AEBS w/ version 7.4.1
Mac Mini OSX 10.6.5
iMac OSX 10.6.5
(2) MacBook Pros 10.6.5
(2) iPhones IOS 4.2
I have a static (known) IP from my ISP. I have no problem with configuring the AEBS to work with everything, until I plug in the mac mini. I realize the older configuration for the prior server set-up is incorrect, but making minor adjustments for moving to a AEBS from the Cisco UC500 set-up has been greater than my technological experience.
I am versed in networking, but cannot seem to get the correct configuration, and the only thing the Apple manuals have is a 'possibility' this can be done, but no specifics I can find for controlling the AEBS settings from the mac mini when connected on the LAN port of the AEBS (that's when the problems start).
Here's where I've tried and cannot access the Serv Admin program when I connect the mac mini to the AEBS LAN port:
(1) changed AEBS Connection sharing to Share a public ip address
(which I understand makes "advanced" "port mapping" possible)
(2) set AEBS Internet connection to connect to router on 192.168 network
(3) set AEBS to offer DHCP in 10.0.1 range
(4) set AEBS capsule own address to be 10.0.1.1
PLUG in ethernet cable to Mac Mini and Time Capsule
Activate Ethernet and deactivate Airport
(5) set Mac Mini Server Manual ip address to 10.0.1.2
(6) set Mac Mini Server DNS addresses to 127.0.0.1, 10.0.1.1
(7) set Mac Mini Server / Server Admin / DNS / Zones / Machine name / IP Address = 10.0.1.2
Any advice on where to start trouble-shooting?

The AEBS gets your public static IP address, and otherwise performs NAT.
(The AEBS is a good home box, but not a server-grade firewall. I do run AEBS and Time Capsule boxes, but these are generally operated as WiFi Access Points (what Apple calls "bridging"), and not as WiFi routers, and definitely not as server gateways.)
The AEBS DHCP server configuration for DNS services is set with the IP address of your new server; that's your DNS server now. Caution: +There are no references to ISP DNS nor other DNS servers.+ You're running DNS (well, you will be soon), so your local network will be configured differently than a client network.
Your Mac Mini Server is configured in a /24 subnet in one of the private blocks (eg: 10.0.0.0/8) somewhere. This for future VPNs, as everything on the planet is crammed in a few 192.168.0.0/16 subnets.
The AEBS DHCP server can be used to pass out a pool of addresses in that private /24, but the server must have a static IP address.
[Get your DNS services going for your LAN now.|http://labs.hoffmanlabs.com/node/1436] Don't skip this step. DNS is essential to servers, and you'll be serving DNS on your LAN. I'd suggest a real and registered domain here or a subdomain of a real and registered domain, as changing domain names on a network is an increasing pain in the rump as the network scales up.
For DNS services, your Mac Mini (and only your Mac Mini) will refer only to itself via the 127.0.01 on its network controller. (This is an odd case; the box is referring to itself, so it's the IP loopback address and not your LAN static IP address.) Everything else on your LAN will refer to the static IP address of your Mac Mini DNS server either via static configuration, or via the AEBS DHCP server's DNS setting referencing your Mac Mini server that are received from the DHCP server with a dynamic address.
Work your way up to configuring Open Directory (LDAP), and Kerberos, then configure the rest of the accouterments.

Use Thunderbolt cable to transfer files from a mac to a Mac Mini Server

I want to transfer a large document folder of files from a MacBook Pro (MBP) to a Mac Mini Server (MMS) using Thunderbolt-to-Thunderbolt cable. How?
Currently both the MBP and MMS are on the same Wireless-N network.
Obviously the Mac Mini Server cannot be booted in Target-Drive mode because there are other users using it as a server.
Both computers installed OS X Mavericks 10.9.1.

Update:
Thunderbolt Bridge is the ultimate solution (on OS X Mavericks 10.9.1). It gives amazing speed transferring files without downtime on the source and target computers (in my case the MacBook Pro and the Mac Mini Server). Up to 7 times faster in writing and 30 times faster in reading than Wireless N!
My Settings: Systems Preferences > Network > Set Service Order ... and drag the Thunderbolt Bridge as the top Service (and thus above Ethernet and Wi-Fi), click OK and Apply. I only set it on the source computer (MacBook Pro) but you may try to set both.
Then connect the two computers with the Thunderbolt-to-Thunderbolt Cable and wait for about 15 seconds till they get the Self-Assigned IP addresses. From the Network Preferences page, you'll see the Thunderbolt Bridge rises to the top on BOTH computers. (The button remains amber, not green. It's okay.) Then you can start file transfer from the source computer (e.g. using Finder or an app such as TuneSpan to locate the target location on the target computer).
To play save, I use BlackMagic to test the connection speed before starting the real transfer. I found that sometimes I don't need to turn off the WiFi on the source computer (MacBook Pro) but turning WiFi off on the source computer gives me a peace in mind.
See what I got:
From the Thunderbolt Bridge:
From WiFi using Airport Time Capsule 802.11ac on Wireless-N:
Note: After you finished the file transfer, Turn back on the Wi-Fi and Eject the target folder from the source computer before unplugging the Thunderbolt-to-Thunderbolt cable.

Mac mini server networking and DNS setup help

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help me with this. I'm working at a small business where I'm the only guy with any IT experience at all, but I'm new to Macs and OS X (<1 year) and being a server admin so please bear with me.
We just bought a Mac mini server as we are expanding from a bunch of workstations and Google Docs. I've just gone through the installation process, but nothing else is on the server, no user data at all, so if the answer is to reinstall from scratch, I can do it.
We'd like the mini to be a file server, print server as well as the gateway for the internet. I realize we could stick to our router and have the server as another node in the network, but we also got a Time Capsule for backing up the server and will locate it in another room to be another wireless access point there.
When going through Server Assistant, I didn't really know what to name the machine so I used corp-Server.local for the Current Hostname and corpserver.private for the DNS Hostname (though i actually use a 3-letter company acronym instead of "corp").
However, i realized after setup we'd want to access the server externally by name, so I changed the DNS hostname to server.companyname.com in the Zones tab of the DNS section of Server Admin (edited primary zone name, changed Nameservers entry for both primary and reverse zone).
I don't know what else I need to do though because there are loads of instances where corpserver.private still shows up, like in the Open Directory section of Server Admin (which btw always hangs when I open it) and the Contact Info of users (eg. user email is [email protected]). I also had trouble earlier using Server Preferences and Server Admin either not connecting or not recognizing my login, but that seems to have abated.
I guess my problem is, where else do I change the DNS hostname? Or do I have to change the DNS hostname back to corpserver.private (in Server Admin)? That way, I think at least everything will be consistent, but would I be able to still configure it somehow so that externally, we could access the server by the server.companyname.com URL?
Also, can the mini be a wireless router for the office? As mentioned before, we want to cut the existing wireless router out and use the mini instead (and use the Time Capsule as a wireless bridge).

So the ISP<->router connection can have a dynamic IP address, but the router<->server one should be static? I guess that means I have to set the IP address in the router. I hope I can get access to it. I don't suppose it matters which one I set first?
An IP router does not assign addresses.
A DHCP server does assign IP addresses upon receipt of a DHCP request from a client.
Some routers (and many firewall routers) do include a DHCP server.
A box with a static IP address does not need to send a DHCP request; it has a static address.
You'll need to ensure that the IP address pool within the DHCP server does not overlap the addresses that are manually assigned to your local hosts; the static IP addresses on your LAN.
[Here is an overview of the pieces involved here, and some of the typical terminology|http://labs.hoffmanlabs.com/node/275].
I hate to belabour the point, but I just want to clarify: in my setup where ISP<->router<->server<->clients, where the server is the only machine connected to the router, which one should be the local DNS server? The server, right? So if the DNS server is turned on in the router, I should turn it off? Or do I need both (ie. router for its LAN (to server), and server for its LAN (to clients))?
So to confirm, the configuration includes (probably) a modem, a router (firewall) and a router (Mac), and then the rest of the (local) show? That is not the simplest configuration, and it's Particularly given that Mac boxes make expensive and slow routers.
The usual configuration is ISP>firewall>LAN and the LAN is usually built from WiFi, wired connections and switches. Within one subnet (which is typical) any host inside your firewall is connected on the LAN, and can communicate (directly) with any other LAN client. The firewall is configured as the gateway; that's the default route for outbound connections.
One more thing that's bugging me: I still don't understand why I couldn't connect to the internet when I plugged in the Ethernet cable from server to router. Even if I was using DHCP to get a dynamically allocated IP, shouldn't it still have worked? I'm worried that I'm going to set up everything as it should be but the connection still won't work.
That's likely because you're trying to use the Mac as a router, and that takes specific configuration steps. It's easier to have ISP>firewall>LAN, and have the Mac OS X Server box and the rest of the stuff as peers on your LAN. If you really want to use the Mac as an IP router, look around for setting up static routes on Mac; there are postings around for that.
If your data is more valuable and your security preferences and requirements are higher, then you may want a firewall with a DMZ, and put your web-facing boxes over in the DMZ. If you're serving stuff to the web or a mail server or such, it's possible to get breached, and a breach means folks can potentially get further into your LAN. With a DMZ, they're somewhat more isolated from your LAN.

HT4929 I have a mac mini server and iCloud

running a mac mini server, system 10.6.8, purchased Jan, 2012 (same time purchased iMac with newer OS & no problems syncing). Can I upgrade this mac mini server to sync with iCloud?
thanks in advance

Welcome to the Apple community.
It's difficult to say whether your Mac will run Lion, and hence iCloud, without knowing the specifications. The specifications required for Lion are as follows:
An Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, or Xeon processor
Mac OS X v10.6.6 or later to install via the Mac App Store (v10.6.8 recommended); you can install without Mac OS X v10.6 by using an OS X Lion USB Thumb Drive, available on the Apple Online Store
7 GB of available disk space
2 GB of RAM
However, it is sometimes simpler just to try to purchase Lion from the Mac App Store, the Mac App Store will let you know whether your Mac is capable of running Lion.

Mac Mini Server setup with airport express

I have had issues trying to setting up mac mini server on my network. I wonder if my current hardware is the problem? At present I have a Thomson Router plugged into an airport express which broadcasts wifi for my house. I have been connecting to my wifi with my mac mini server. Despite running server assistant and setting up a DNS server in Mac Mini server no clients are able to connect to the DNS server (i.e. dig command works on server but not on clients). I found reference somewhere on the internet to the fact that the mac mini server must be plugged into the router via ethernet for it to be setup properly.
Could this be the cause of my problems? Is it true?

Just to clarify this is an airport express and not airport extreme therefore I am reliant on a wireless connection between my mac mini server and the airport express.
The model of the Airport device here is largely irrelevant.
Currently my Thomson router serves out an address of 192.168.1.67 to airport express router.
Do you have any control over the gateway router?
The airport express is configured to share out a single IP address
Double NAT (which is what you have here) will cause you problems. Get rid of one layer of NAT.
The airport express gives out addresses in range of 10.0.1.2-10.0.1.202 with 10.0.1.1 being the address for the airport express and 10.0,1.201 being assigned via DHCP to the mac mini server (using its MAC address to reserve the address)
Within the private blocks, the IP addressing organization is your decision.
The DNS server is set on the airport express to 10.0.1.201 (i.e. my server).
OK. (I usually pick smaller numbers for more important boxes, because I tend to type addresses for those boxes more than the addresses of the boxes over in DHCP-land. But again, this is your call.)
I guess I wondered if something funky was going on with server assistant during the setup. A post I read somewhere (I've lost the link) was someone in an identical situation who had issues and said that apple had stated that he need to be directly connected to the router by ethernet cable to get things working. I wondered if this is the issue. An airport express does not have a spare ethernet port to plug into so I wonder if I need to buy a wireless router with built-in ports i.e. airport extreme (expense+) or something similar.
I'd probably switch the box to access point, but that presumes you can get (more) control over the gateway router.
I can access by Thomson router but I able unable to change the DNS servers that it provides (set by my ISP) from the GUI. I'm sure you could probably do it from the commandline but I think this is beyond me. I did wonder if that is what is causing problems
Talk with the ISP. You'd prefer to have the device switched to a bridge, if that's feasible. If not, then you're going to have to work within the confines of the particular model.

Going from xserve to Mac Mini Server

I have a graphic design studio (design for print and web sites) that requires a new server.
Currently around 6-8 users working on files (InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator etc) directly from the server.
The server is configured with RAID1 and has aggregated ethernet.
I am looking to replace our 2007 xserve 2.66Ghz Xeon with a 2012 Mac Mini Server.
I expect there will be a drop in performance in terms of the speed with which files can be copied and opened over the network.
My main points of concern are: the speed of the internal HDs, and lack of ethernet aggregation.
Are there any ways of limiting this drop in performance, ie use an external thunderbolt RAID (I am thinking of the LaCie 2big Thunderbolt™ 2 6TB http://store.apple.com/uk/product/HFYG2ZM/A/lacie-2big-thunderbolt-2-series-raid -hard-drive?fnode=cb26126edba6d5cf1f20a1188ab2f9a15577d8779cb89532f051d642f0462 5 9ef9b142bff2e3ddede4276fdae4b4074b80ffc3c6968f0fa0f13643559d04820cd08bdea7601a2 5 1154a61b6497c20fc6ec726f25583cf16d5946c93865ea04dbfaea9c26291ec67aef08afd262a35 c 7c)
And would it be possible to use a Thunderbolt to ethernet adapter connected to the external RAID to create the aggregated ethernet?
Any help or insight into this matter would be greatly appreciated.
Richard

Thanks for the concise reply John.
I think the Lacie drive I am considering is RAID hardware, would you be able to check the link and confirm for me?
Any ideas if this will be as adequate as the Promise Pegasus R4 Thunderbolt RAID for serving up image and InDesign files of about average size of 40MB to 6-8 users?
As we are coming from an xserve we have taken for granted the speed at which it can handle the demands we put on it without breaking into a sweat.
I am just worried I will get this new system and be disappointed in a big drop in file access speeds.
Thanks again for your time and appreciate it is hard to be definitive in the answer as there are numerous factors involved that can effect the end result.
All the best,
Richard

Mac mini Server as a gateway/router

I'd like to make my Mac mini server my main gateway for my office.
I'd like it to perform the following tasks:
- DHCP & NAT for sharing an Internet connection
- a wireless access point so that no AEBS or TC is necessary
- VPN for access to the Daylite server that will be running on it as well as file sharing for remote users
My goal here is to create a single Internet alliance that will prevent me from having to use a separate router and will provide secure remote access to the LAN.
I have a Mac mini server and a USB Ethernet adapter. I connected the USB Ethernet adapter to the WAN which has a static IP. And the built in Ethernet to the gigabit switch for the LAN.
So far, I have two problems:
1) I can't seem to VPN in from remote despite my best efforts of setting this up with the gateway assistant.
2) I have no idea on how I can use the built-in airport card to become a wireless access point for the wireless clients in the office. I chose the airport in the gateway assistant but wireless clients are on a different subnet and can't see the LAN resources.
I'm interested in hearing other ideas and strategies on how to use the mms in this way. Is anyone else doing this? Everyone seems to want to use an AEBS or TC in addition to the mms and maybe I'm missing something but why would you need one?

It wasn't so much the $50 that I was worried about... just the redundancy... having both an OS X Server AND an Airport Extreme (or third-party router) seemed like such a waste if the server could be made to do it all.
So, at this point, I see two options:
1) Put an AEBS on the gigabit switch (LAN) and turn off everything... essentially reducing it down to a wireless access point... and put it in Bridge mode so that wireless clients can see the wired LAN.
2) Use the AEBS as my gateway and DMZ the server... turning off the gateway features (DNS, DHCP, NAT, etc...) on the server. This would remove the need for the USB Ethernet adapter but would I still be able to configure it as a VPN?
Either one seems a shame. I was really hoping for a single-box solution to sell my clients.
The other problem is still happening... for some reason, I can't connect to the VPN... it doesn't even seem to be getting to the authentication part. It simply says, "The Server is not responding". This is strange since other services for which I've forwarded specific ports seem to respond without issue. I assumed that all the neccessary ports would be opened when I turned on the VPN feature... did I miss something?

Singing the praises of the new Mac Mini Server

I've been running Maya (a 3D modeling and animation application) on a mid-2010 17" MacBook Pro: dual core 2.66GHz i7 processor, 8GB of RAM. It's done quite well, even when rendering frames of animation, but I knew I needed to speed things up a bit when I'm rendering out longer animation clips at reasonably high resolution. When the new Mac Mini refresh kicked in I decided to take the plunge and pick up the new Mini Server as an extra render node.
Wow, was that a great decision.
With the same 8GB of RAM, but adding quad core i7 plus Sandy Bridge, it screams. I just ran a disributed render test: 10 seconds of animation at 24 frames per second, 1080p HD. The Mini Server easily rendered three frames for every one the MBP churned out. That means my overal render time has been cut to roughly 25% of what it was before.
If ever you wondered what that extra horsepower means in actual useage terms, now you know.

Any time. I have some real numbers:
240 frames, 1080p resolution.
MacBook Pro alone: 4 hours, 17 minutes.
With Mac Mini Server added (distributed render): 1 hour, 3 minutes.
Yeah, I'm pleased.

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

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.

Mac Mini Server - Xeon Ivy Bridge

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