Mini server performance

I'm assisting a small workgroup using a 2012 2 core/8gb Mini running Yosemite and Server 4 (file sharing, mail and web) and it seems to be struggling. I'm fairly sure it began after they started using the mail server and transferred several years' worth of messages to it. I'm going to try the obvious thing of moving the data on to an SSD as it's currently on a 7200rpm SATA drive, but I was wondering if anyone has any thoughts about the performance of Minis as servers generally? I've always had doubts about their suitability. How would they compare performance-wise with a mid-range NAS box (which I don't have experience of)?
thanks

More memory will improve performance, so expand to 16GB will make the server run a lot better.
Also an SSD will make the server fast enough for this small workgroup.
Do you have any huge processes running (activity viewer, select all processes if needed and check) continuously? Even some small processes can make the server feel sluggish, it's only a dual core so it doesn't have a lot of processing power to spare.
Also splitting maildata from the main drive where OSX runs on, will make it more responsive.
Al those tasks need to be handled by one drive and one drive only, so mailtraffic, connections, OpenDirectory, filesharing perhaps, caches, updates, changes in files will impact the overall performance.
You're on the right track with the SSD, but perhaps an external RAID5 drive is a good option as well.
Goodluck
Jeffrey

Similar Messages

Mac Mini Server Benchmarks? Performance? vs. HP MediaSmart Server

Has anyone compiled the performance or speed of the Mac Mini Snow Leopard Server?? The one thing that worries me is the 5400 RPM hard drives in the server.
I'd like to know what the throughput is for this device and using it as central storage.
I'm coming from an HP MediaSmart Server and I am happy with it's speed but it's feature set doesn't match what I'd like from Snow Leopard Server.

The one thing that worries me is the 5400 RPM hard drives in the server.
Whether or not that might be a problem would depend on exactly what you intend to use it for and what kind of load you expect in terms of users.
I ordered a Mac mini server to evaluate as a potential replacement for our expensive leased servers. It appears to be a server in a box that's ready to configure and run. For individuals and small businesses who need a cost-effective general purpose server, it looks like a pretty good deal, at least based on the specs. Once I actually have my hands on one I'll know for certain.

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.

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.

Please help me decide on a Mac mini server or MacBook Pro i7 for Logic

Hi folks,
I've really taxed my brain trying to figure out what's the smartest way to go. I'd love to know what any of you think I should do.
My current setup:
2007 MacBook Pro 2.33 GHz Core 2 Duo
2GB Ram
FSB 667 MHz
M-Audio ProFire 610
WD-Passport external drive for samples and audio files
Logic 8 (looking to upgrade to 9)
Record 1.5
Various AU plugins including Omnisphere, Miroslav Philharmonic, Amplitude 2, FM-8, BFD 2 and Korg Legacy Analogue
Final Cut Studio (latest version) for modest HD editing but sometimes multiclips as well
I tend to use lots of tracks - around 10 vocals, 4 guitars and lots of software instruments.
As you can imagine, Omnisphere runs like a dog past 2 instances and BFD practically makes everything grind to a halt.
Since going to Record 1.5, rewiring also seems to be unusably slow.
I'd love a new iMac or Mac Pro but I make several plane journeys to visit my Mum in another country. My solution has to be mobile, although I have got monitors, a keyboard and mouse that I can use at my Mum's.
As far as I can see, there are 2 options:
1
A new MacBook Pro 2.66 Ghz i7
2
A Mac Mini Server 2.66 Ghz Core 2 Duo
Physically, the Mac Mini is the better option:
- much lighter in my hand luggage so I could take it in addition to my existing MacBook Pro.
- more USB ports
My worries with getting a Mac Mini are:
- Is it powerful enough or at least significantly better than my MacBook Pro?
- Will it run the latest version of Final Cut Studio (a little off-topic, I know but I couldn't seem to find any straight answers elsewhere).
- Is it noisy when under a heavy workload?
- There is no Superdrive so can I use my MacBook Pro to install the software DVDs across a network?
Thanks for reading this. Let me know what you think.
Kind regards,
Steve

The mini will be about as powerful as your current MBP. You could have more RAM in the mini, 2 GB is certainly not enough for any serious work.
People on this list were initially(LP 9.0.0) underwhelmed by the MBP i7 dual core, it is a step up from your older MBP, but don't expect miracles. Get lots of RAM/a SSD for optimum performance.
9.1.3 may have improved performance, not sure,
Fast and relatively cheap: iMac i7 quad core. Not very portable, though.
Not ideal either is your M-audio interface, its drivers are below par making your Mac sweat more than necessary.
My 2c,
Zip

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 auto commands

I use a mac mini server for FTP, the is put to sleep at night when i wake the server i need t
enter the following sudo commands to allow my clients to access
sudo ipfw l
password
sudo ipfw -q flush
i am looking for a solution to automate the entry of these commands on wakeup of the server
also i would like to be able to remotely wake up the server from my iphone or imac
and auto run the sudo commands
any help on how to achieve this would be greatle appreciated

You could simply create a cron task such as those that perform the nightly, weekly, and monthly maintenance tasks.
You could search here, CNet Downloads or MacUpdate, for an existing utility that enables you to perform an action based on a system event such as, Do Something When.

Mac Mini Server Hangs, Gets Sluggish

New 2012 Mac Mini Server (2Gig i7 with 8GB memory). Server App is off, and I'm using it as a standalone unit. Running iTunes on an external Thunderbolt RAID. Running Safari with several tabs open. The iMac generally gets irratic within an hour or so: iTunes may be sluggish, Safari slows or stalls, then eventually the whole system hangs with the fan running at full speed. I have re-set the contoller by removing power for a while and then re-initializing. No help. Seems for a loaded iMac something is very wrong. Any guesses.

1. This comment applies to malicious software ("malware") that's installed unwittingly by the victim of a network attack. It does not apply to software, such as keystroke loggers, that may be installed deliberately by an intruder who has hands-on access to the victim's computer. That threat is in a different category, and there's no easy way to defend against it. If you have reason to suspect that you're the target of such an attack, you need expert help.
2. All versions of OS X since 10.6.7 have been able to detect known Mac malware in downloaded files. This feature is transparent to the user, but internally Apple calls it "XProtect." The recognition database is automatically updated once a day; however, you shouldn't rely on it, because the attackers are always at least a day ahead of the defenders.
The following caveats apply to XProtect:
It can be bypassed by some third-party networking software, such as BitTorrent clients and Java applets (see below.)
It only applies to software downloaded from the network. Software installed from a CD or other media is not checked.
3. Starting with OS X 10.7.5, there has been another layer of built-in malware protection, designated "Gatekeeper" by Apple. By default, applications and Installer packages downloaded from the network will only run if they're digitally signed by a developer with a certificate issued by Apple. Software certified in this way hasn't actually been tested by Apple (unless it comes from the Mac App Store), but you can be reasonably sure that it hasn't been modified by anyone other than the developer. His identity is known to Apple, so he could be held legally responsible if he distributed malware. For most practical purposes, applications recognized by Gatekeeper as signed can be considered safe.
Gatekeeper has, however, the same limitations as XProtect, and in addition the following:
It can easily be disabled or overridden by the user.
A malware attacker could get control of a code-signing certificate under false pretenses, or could find some other way to evade Apple's controls.
For more information about Gatekeeper, see this Apple Support article.
4. Beyond XProtect and Gatekeeper, there’s no benefit, in most cases, from any other automated protection against malware. The first and best line of defense is always your own intelligence. All known malware circulating on the Internet that affects a fully-updated installation of OS X 10.6 or later takes the form of so-called "trojan horses," which can only have an effect if the victim is duped into running them. The threat therefore reduces to a battle of wits between you and the malware attacker. If you're smarter than he thinks you are, you'll win.
That means, in practice, that you never use software that comes from an untrustworthy source. How do you know whether a source is trustworthy?
Any website that prompts you to install a “codec,” “plug-in,” or “certificate” that comes from that same site, or an unknown one, is untrustworthy.
A web operator who tells you that you have a “virus,” or that anything else is wrong with your computer, or that you have won a prize in a contest you never entered, is trying to commit a crime with you as the victim. (Some reputable websites did legitimately warn users who were infected with the "DNSChanger" malware. That exception to this rule no longer applies.)
“Cracked” copies of commercial software downloaded from a bittorrent are likely to be infected.
Software with a corporate brand, such as Adobe Flash Player, must be downloaded directly from the developer’s website. No intermediary is acceptable.
5. Java on the network (not to be confused with JavaScript, to which it's not related) is a weak point in the security of any operating system. If a Java web plugin is not installed, don't install one unless you really need it. If it is installed, you should disable it (not JavaScript) in your web browsers. Few websites have Java content nowadays, so you won’t be missing much. This setting is mandatory in OS X 10.5.8 or earlier, because Java in those obsolete versions has known security flaws that make it unsafe to use on the Internet. The flaws will never be fixed. Regardless of version, experience has shown that Java can never be fully trusted, even if no vulnerabilities are publicly known at the moment.
Follow these guidelines, and you’ll be as safe from malware as you can reasonably be.
6. Never install any commercial "anti-virus" or "Internet security" products for the Mac, as they all do more harm than good. If you need to be able to detect Windows malware in your files, use the free software ClamXav — nothing else.
Why shouldn't you use commercial "anti-virus" products?
Their design is predicated on the nonexistent threat that malware may be injected at any time, anywhere in the file system. Malware is downloaded from the network; it doesn't materialize from nowhere.
In order to meet that nonexistent threat, the software modifies or duplicates low-level functions of the operating system, which is a waste of resources and a common cause of instability, bugs, and poor performance.
By modifying the operating system, the software itself may create weaknesses that could be exploited by malware attackers.
7. ClamXav doesn't have these drawbacks. That doesn't mean it's entirely safe. It may report email messages that have "phishing" links in the body, or Windows malware in attachments, as infected files, and offer to delete or move them. Doing so can corrupt the Mail database. The messages should be deleted from within the Mail application.
ClamXav is not needed, and should not be relied upon, for protection against OS X malware. It's useful only for detecting Windows malware. If you don't need to do that, avoid it. Windows malware can't harm you directly (unless, of course, you use Windows.) Just don't pass it on to anyone else.
8. The greatest danger posed by anti-virus software, in my opinion, is its effect on human behavior. When people install such software, which does little or nothing to protect them from emerging threats, they get a false sense of security from it, and then they may do things that make them more vulnerable. Nothing can lessen the need for safe computing practices.
9. It seems to be a common belief that the built-in Application Firewall acts as a barrier to infection, or prevents malware from functioning. It does neither. It blocks inbound connections to certain network services you're running, such as file sharing. It's disabled by default and you should leave it that way if you're behind a router on a private home or office network. Activate it only when you're on an untrusted network, for instance a public Wi-Fi hotspot, where you don't want to provide services. Disable any services you don't use.

Mac Mini & Mac Mini Server

Hi
I would like to know the "suitability" of Mac Mini or Mac Mini Server for web hosting (multiple domain/site) purpose. Some basic assumptions include : budget less than USD$5, user base / concurrent access less than 500, hosted at data centre with average bandwidth (not sure at the moment though).
Basically, I am disappointed with the purchase experience with Windows server. I have ready cash but the reseller seems no so keen. Perhaps, I am not the big spender. I wanted Windows server is because my developer is "brained-wash" in Windows world. He uses the standard PHP, mySQL related stuff. So I am trying to "brain-wash" him to Mac but it's a challenging task for me with little knowledge on the subject matter.
I need to know if Mac Mini and or server is "powerful" as compared with Windows server. I know it is not a very "fair" question but if I know there is very few people use such, then I more or less know the answer.
HTH.

Some things to consider.
The mini server will consume low power, generate little heat, and can be packed densely into a data center, achieving high levels of clustering or redundancy. The flash storage is plenty fast but not spacious. They are also cheap enough to buy two to form a level of redundancy, especially if you are using a load balancer.
However, Mavericks Server no longer includes MySQL. This download you must do yourself. PHP and Apache are present but Apple is not always the fastest to patch these two products. You can replace the stack with a MAMP install which might serve you well. Server.app does not expose all the Apache features that a hosting service may want/need. However, you can edit the conf file manually. If you are planning on giving your customers remote access, FTP is hobbled in Mavericks and you need to do a ton of work (or buy something else) to get multi-tenant chroot.
Regarding "powerful"... If you are using the device for a single task, then the issue falls to the performance of the network card in comparison to your internet connection speed. If you are getting a 100 MB connection then the possible concurrent requests will never saturate the server. This assumes that your HTML and images are optimized and you are not sending out a bunch of 1 MB GIFs. Also, the consideration is Apache vs IIS. Apple provides Apache and a simple interface for "casual" web services, usually one site or to support its own services.
Keep in mind that there are many Linux solutions that exist in which the cost of hardware might be equal to or less than the mini. And in this case, you are getting the raw LAMP stack that you can more fully customize and patch.
Reid
Apple Consultants Network
Apple Professional Services
Author "Mavericks Server – Foundation Services" :: Exclusively available in Apple's iBooks Store

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.

Exchange 2013 CU7 server performance/outage issues.

Hi Forum,
We are constantly faced with incidents from users that the connections are lost with the exchange server. As a result, we hired a consultant to install an new Exchange 2013 environment based on the Microsoft, VM-Ware and NetApp best practices.
We are still having problems with performance issues. From the client prospective, the performance has not changed, weekly hangs are still happening and I’m at my wits end.
This is our configuration:
2 Windows Server 2012 R2 CAS and DB
VM with 4 vCpu, 16GB, 1 Vmxnet3, IPv6 disabled (the Microsoft way)
VM Ware 5.1 U1
Cluster without AAP
DB1 active on Server 1 (Datacenter 1 with 3 host cluster)
DB2 active on Server 2 (Datacenter 2 with 3 host cluster)
Veeam 8 Backup (Move-ActiveMailboxDatabase DB2 -ActivateOnServer Server1 , backup server 2 then Move-ActiveMailboxDatabase back to
Server2.
Exchange is in Online-Mode due to Citrix XD VDI clients.
1300 Mailboxes and 750 users.
NetApp with SATA disks. (1.5TB E: Vol for DB1/1.5TB F: Vol for DB2)
No archiving
Unlimited mailbox sizes.
The problems are:
If we migrate a non-Exchange VM in the same cluster or to\from the same host, this results in a 30 second to 5 min Outlook outage;
If we make both DB’s active on mail server 1 and reboot server 2, this results in a 30 second to 5 min Outlook outage;
If we make both DB’s active on mail server 1 and do a Veeam backup of server 2, sometimes one of the DB’s go back to server 1, on its own;
While monitoring we see that the w3wp.exe and the Microsoft.Exchange.Store.worker.exe are consuming most of the cpu and memory;
What can I do to solve the outages?
Tnx. Timotatty.
Exchange server performance issues.
Hi Forum,
We are constantly faced with incidents from users that the connections are lost with the exchange server. As a result, we hired a consultant to install an new Exchange 2013 environment based on the Microsoft, VM-Ware and NetApp best practices.
We are still having problems with performance issues. From the client prospective, the performance has not changed, weekly hangs are still happening and I’m at my wits end.
This is our configuration:
2 Windows Server 2012 R2 CAS and DB
VM with 4 vCpu, 16GB, 1 Vmxnet3, IPv6 disabled (the Microsoft way)
VM Ware 5.1 U1
Cluster without AAP
DB1 active on Server 1 (Datacenter 1 with 3 host cluster)
DB2 active on Server 2 (Datacenter 2 with 3 host cluster)
Veeam 8 Backup (Move-ActiveMailboxDatabase DB2 -ActivateOnServer Server1 , backup server 2 then Move-ActiveMailboxDatabase back to
Server2.
Exchange is in Online-Mode due to Citrix XD VDI clients.
1300 Mailboxes and 750 users.
NetApp with SATA disks. (1.5TB E: Vol for DB1/1.5TB F: Vol for DB2)
No archiving
Unlimited mailbox sizes.
The problems are:
If we migrate a non-Exchange VM in the same cluster or to\from the same host, this results in a 30 second to 5 min Outlook outage;
If we make both DB’s active on mail server 1 and reboot server 2, this results in a 30 second to 5 min Outlook outage;
If we make both DB’s active on mail server 1 and do a Veeam backup of server 2, sometimes one of the DB’s go back to server 1, on its own;
While monitoring we see that the w3wp.exe and the Microsoft.Exchange.Store.worker.exe are consuming most of the cpu and memory;
What can I do to solve the outages?
Tnx. Timotatty.

Hi Simon,<o:p></o:p>
Apparently we are using basic authentication which result in a FailingCode=401 as seen in the Event Log under Active Monitoring --> Probe Results from ECP and others. This
became apparent after reading this blog:
http://blogs.technet.com/b/ehlro/archive/2014/02/20/exchange-2013-managed-availability-healthset-troubleshooting.aspx<o:p></o:p>
We are now overriding some of the monitors which require Forms Based Authentication.<o:p></o:p>
Regarding the other 2 issues we have changed the licensing model for Veeam 8 to allow full throughput which will reduce the backup time and add compression.
The KEMP support team helped us by deselecting Use HTTP/1.1 under View/Modify Services --> ECP –> Modify --> Real Servers. This
now only flags a service (ECP or ActiveSync or OWA) as being down instead of an etire server should one component fail.<o:p></o:p>
I am satisfied but still not happy with the steps required to troubleshoot an Unhealthy Health Sets:<o:p></o:p>
Invoke-MonitoringProbe always returns with: WARNING: Could not find assembly or object type associated with monitor identity '<Healthe Set >\< Probe >'. Please ensure
that the given monitor identity exists on the server.
This makes it very difficult to troubleshoot
Unhealthy Health Sets.
Regards,
Timotatty

How to install OSX 10.6 client in Mac Mini Server 10.7 Lion Server

I am ordering a Mac Mini Server with Lion Server 10.7, with 256GB SSD and 750GB HD. I want to use Snow Leopard (client/workstation) instead. Previously I have already purchased retailed version of 10.5 clients and 10.6 client upgrade. Please advise the best approach from the followings (or more suggestions from you guys...).
(A) The boot disk (likely to be the SSD) will be re-formatted and re-installed by "clean" installation of 10.6 client. But I am not sure whether all hardware drivers for the new Mac Mini (2011) are available in the 10.6 client disk. Also, it seems to me that installation disk of 10.7 server will not be provided. So I shall not be able to re-install server version again if I want to change this Mac to a server sometimes afterwards. Of course I would like to keep this server software for investment protection, no matter I use it or not. If 10.6 client can be installed, I shall use bootcamp to install Windows 7 also. So there will be 2 partitions to be usable aparently.
(B) The factory-installed OSX 10.7 server is kept, and one more partition is created (with Disk Utilties). Snow Leopard workstation 10.6 will be installed at this new partition. If 10.6 client can be installed, I shall use bootcamp to install Windows 7 also. So there will be 4 partitions, including 10.7 server, 10.6 client, 10.7 recovery drive and bootcamp for Windows 7. Since I want to put all OS software at the SSD (faster boot-up and better performance), the drawback is that each partition is with less space.
Do you guys have other ideas or suggestions?
[Background]
In fact I want to make use of its strongest computing power (amongst available Mac Mini computers in store), quad-core CPU & dual disks, to run music applications (DAWs). Operating systems are put at SSD, and data is put at traditional harddisk. As some music applications (e.g. Calkwalk Dimension) only support 10.6 currently, I need to down-grade from Lion server to Snow Leopard workstation. Also I think applications can run faster in a hardware with workstation OS (rather than server version). Please correct me if this belief is wrong.
Thanks / Howard.

If you completely wipe the original Mac mini boot drive you will wipe the Server.app software an dlose it. You should make a backup first, perhaps by saving the entire boot drive as a Disk Image file on to another drive.
In terms of install 10.6, the 10.6 DVD will not boot on the new Mac mini even if you connect a DVD drive. You need to put the Mac mini in to FireWire Target Disk Mode and connect it to an older Mac that will allow booting from that DVD, then install on to the Mac mini (over FireWire), you then need to upgrade it using the 10.6.8 Combo Updater this will add the drivers needed for the new Mac mini.

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.

10.6.4 Server on Mini Server - DNS Problems - Slow, EDNS log messages

Like a few of other people here, I'm having a hard time getting DNS to work smoothly on my new Mac Mini Server, now running Snow Leopard Server 10.6.4. I'd been running Leopard Server on a previous machine with much smoother DNS (though the Server Admin config didn't work, that's another story).
Resolution takes a very, very long time and eventually I'll get messages in the log saying 'success resolving 'xxxxxx' after reducing the advertised EDNS UDP packet size to 512 octets'.
I've searched everywhere and there seem to be two reasons why this is happening:
1. The DNS server is stopping responding on TCP, and is only responding on UDP;
2. Some other portion of my network (maybe the router) doesn't like UDP packets bigger than 512 octets.
For the first - is there any way I can fix this within OS X Server? There is no problem in the network since the router itself (running Linux) can resolve via TCP (using the forwarder addresses that are set up in my OS X Server config) instantly, and any clients that I switch from using the internal OS X Server (for DNS resolution) to use an external resolver work immediately too. I'm not sure why the daemon on OS X Server stops listening on TCP port 53 and only accepts UDP - and then only forwards on queries via EDNS via UDP - which is where I seem to have a problem.
Secondly - can I disable EDNS somehow and just do plain old DNS?
Some of the threads point to routers that don't like UDP packets over 512 octets, some point to firewalls and adaptive code that closes off ports when an app tries too many times, etc. I've opened ALL firewalls - turned off the OS X Server firewall, turned off the SPI firewall in the router (it's a Netgear DG834 with the DGTeam custom firmware), and I'm as far as I can go without buying a new router.
If the only answer is 'OS X Server needs a better router' then I'd appreciate what router I should buy - this situation is becoming untenable since the DNS resolution performance of my entire network is unpredictable, and I don't want to have to reboot the Server on a regular basis when there are loads of clients and their home directories sitting on it, since OS X Client gets twitchy when your home folder vanishes off the network…
I'm happy hacking config files - but can't seem to see anything in the DNS config that would allow me to either turn off EDNS or restrict the packet size to 512 octets (there's a comment in the config file that the directive is ignored for this one, fat lot of help that is). As to why the server itself stops listening to TCP port 53…. I have no idea and I can't find a solution with a search.
So in the absence of solutions - can anyone help me with a workaround? The only 'answered' question in this domain was 'answered' with the OP finding a workaround in their router firmware that changed the DNS cache packet size. I can't find anything like this in my router config, so I can't use this workaround. Are there any workarounds I can apply to my OS X Server, that don't rely on my router?
Yes, I know the router isn't that special, but it's a small business network. Advice on an upgrade would be welcome but doesn't solve the problem for me now. I'm based in the UK, if anyone also in the UK can recommend a suitable small-business NAT router I can use then I'd find that helpful, but I don't want to be told to purchase an enterprise-class router, turn off NAT and be recommended a store in the USA as it won't be that helpful
Ideally there'd be a way to tweak the DNS server on OS X to not bother with EDNS, or to stick to 512 octet sized packets (can I do this globally for all UDP from my server?), or to keep working on TCP…
Anyone know? The machine hosts client homes internally and serves mail, web and DNS externally. It's not a high-traffic system and it sits at the end of a business-grade ADSL line. I'm not being DoS'd - this behaviour seems random as to when it strikes. I try to restart the named daemon on the server when it strikes, but I need to be on the network to make that happen….
Solutions appear to be out, but I'd really appreciate a workaround. Many thanks in advance!

Hi Rob,
Not much of a MAC person myself however this support matrix might help:
http://www.adobe.com/products/coldfusion/coldfusion7/pdfs/cfmx7_systemsupportmatrix.pdf
Seeing your getting a few Java errors perhaps the JVM in CF7 1.4.2_09 is too early for MAC OS 10.6.4?
HTH, Carl.

How do I install OS X Lion on mac mini server

I have purchased mac mini (the server version because of quad-core performance), but I don't need any server features. All I've found regarding this question is simply removing the server app, but as I can say all the processes still work — emails about IP address changes are generated and sent, you name it.
So, what should be done?

k1lly wrote:
Thank you, woodmeister50, I think it worth a try!
BTW, as I understand, it is impossible to reinstall OS on mac mini 2011 from usb — well, I tried it in the first place and it didn't work.
If you mean from the Apple Lion USB stick supplied by Apple
that is true, it won't work. The Apple supplied USB stick will
only work on systems with Snow Leopard or earlier, if the
computer is compatible of course.
But the App Store download should. At least it did for me when
I created a minimal "emergency" SD card for use on my Macs
(base OSX install plus Disk Warrior, Tech Tool Pro, etc.). Was from
the download for my MBP. But it may have been able to because
I was installing to the SD card and not the internal.
The key thing though is that the App Store download must be
from your account to a Mac that you own, as the license permits
you to install Lion on any Mac that you own and directly control.
You cannot legally use a copy of an installer made from a download
someone else has done. So, if you don't own a Mac other than
the Mini Server, you are basically stuck.

Mini server performance

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for