Upgrading 10.6.8 to Snow Leopard Server?

After a recent servicing at the Apple Retail store, my mid-2010 MacMini has a clean installation of OS X 10.6.8 (client, i.e., non-Server). I want to re-install OS X Snow Leopard Server that came with the machine when it was purchased. Can it be installed on top of 10.6.8, or do I need to wipe the disks again and re-install from scratch using the Snow Leopard Server Install DVD?

Thanks mende1, I appreciate the quick response.
What is the general consensus within the community about the relative benefits of upgrading to Mountain Lion (particularly within a server environment)? I'm thinking that if I have to do a complete OS install, I might as well upgrade to Mountain Lion and then apply the Server.app on top of that.

Similar Messages

How do I upgrade Snow Leopard Server to Mountain Lion (client)?

I have a Mac Mini Server edition (2010) with Snow Leopard Server (10.6.8) pre-installed. I don't like the interface of Server edition because 1) I don't need the server functions and 2) I prefer client OS's easier (less powerful I know) interface to do sharing, logging in, configuring.... etc.
(I know I should've bought the non-server version with a DVD drive but I can't take it back now.)
My question is, what's the easiest way of changing it to a 'client OS', preferably to the latest Mountain Lion? From forum posts it seems downgrading from 'server' to 'client' will definitely require a fresh install. That's fine. I can move all my personal files to the second HDD in the Mini and do a fresh install of OS on the first HDD.
I can see 'Mountain Lion' upgrade in the App Store, but it doesn't say if it's server or client. I am assuming it's a server upgrade?? What will happen if I purchase it for £13.99 in App Store? Or is there an alternative way?
I have a USB Apple optical drive. I have a USB thumbdrive too for storing the OS image if required. Thank you. Any tips will be appreciated.

Not_So wrote:
I went to the AppStore and as I was running Snow Leopard Server it prompted me to purchase Lion Server which I didn't want.
Luckily, I wasn't asked to purchase the 'Server' when I upgraded from SLS to Mountain Lion via the AppStore. I think your particular problem was mentioned in some other posts where the upgrade path to Lion became an infinite loop (hmmm... ). But that's all in the past now. Glad it all worked.

Upgrade From Snow Leopard Desktop to Snow Leopard Server

I just installed Snow Leopard on my Mac Pro and it's running great! I upgraded it from 10.5 and it worked just fine for me. I was looking at the Snow Leopard Server and all the features it offers for the other Macs on my home network. My question is this: Can I install Snow Leopard Server on my Mac Pro without having to do a clean install? I have everything set up perfectly and I really don't want to have to reconfigure everything.
My other question is, besides the server software, is there any difference between the server and desktop versions? More specifically, am I still going to be able to use my audio creation/editing software and play the few games I have? Does the server strip out any functionality or is it exactly the same thing as the desktop version, but with added server tools?
Thanks in advance for your input!

1. No, you cannot upgrade from Client to Server. You will need to erase and install.
2. Generally, you can do the same things. It isn't exactly the same, even ignoring the server tools. Are there some things that won't work? Maybe. Namely because developers don't typically code with MOSXS in mind.
My question to you is this: What do you want from MOSXS that you cannot do with the Mac OS Client? And are you set on using it on your Mac Pro?
I ask because:
1. Client does most of the thing people want to do that are "server" like.
2. It isn't a good idea to mix server and production environments. OS X Server is typically easy to setup for basic operation, however, there will be issues and you will have to dig a little to get things working. Which means you will stopping and starting services, issuing terminal commands, modifying plists and .confs and rebooting. Sometimes it goes so wrong that you have to reinstall.
This is why if you are serious about a server, you should really consider a separate machine. The Mac Mini is a great option for a light duty server.
Also, carefully consider your needs. Can the things you want to do be accomplished with OS X Client and maybe a few web services. Not trying to sway you either way, but it isn't always as simple as "Click the Start button and the service is working."

Upgrade from Snow Leopard Server to Lion Server hangs at configuring services...

I am running the Mac mini with snow leopard server 2.53 ghz 2GB of ram, 2x500GB hard drives, and have followed through the process to install Lion Server. The installation appears to be hung at the Configuring Services section of the setup process. I have left it for a couple of hours and nothing has progressed.
Should I leave it longer, hoping that it will work through the process (if in fact it is working through something)?
How long should this normally take?
As this is my work server, hosting mail, web, FTP, and file sharing, it is rather important to get it up and running as quickly as possible.
Any thoughts on how I can get it moving?
Hard power off of the Mac Mini reboots the machine, then proceeds back to the setup page, and then hangs on the same Configuring Services.
Any assistance would be much appreciated.
Thanks.

Lion Server Upgraders,
beware and proceed with caution.
Apple web site is naively optimistic on the upgrade process:
"To upgrade your Mac to OS X Lion, you don’t need to drive to a store, bring home a box, and install a bunch of discs. All you do is click the Mac App Store icon, buy Lion for $29.99, and your Mac does the rest. Just make sure you have what you need to download Lion to your Mac."
And then has a 3 step process...
This is completely miss leading.
Read this document first: http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/lion_server_upgrading_migrating.pdf
It will make it readily apparent that moving from Snow Leopard Server to Lion is not going to be simple.
Having done this twice now.. I have found that:
1. Open Directory migration is a weak point. Lion & Snow Leopard Open Directory are not compatible, so if you have masters & replica then expect trouble. I have an unresolved issue trying to get a simple Lion Server to Lion Server Open Directory replica up and running. This compatibility seems to also cause migration to fail, as I found that all my local User/Groups transferred ok but non of the /127.0.0.1/LDAPv3 (Open Directory) ones did. This is a very important item, as all the mail accounts in dovecot use LDAP generated UID, so you have to be careful that you do not loose mail accounts.
2. Mail - your mail aliases will not transferred, so you will need to reapply the aliases.
3. Web Server Setup - This broke, under migration as I gather the entire Web serving tree has changed. In particular I had "Snow Leopard" Web Mail (which is based on Squirel) on my "Snow Leopard" Server and this is now dead...
4. Digital Certificates - I found that the valid (ie signed by trusted CA's) did not get migrated, so I had to re-imported my Digital Certificates. If you have paid for third party CA certificates then make sure you have got these copied somewhere, as if you loose them then you will likely need to go to your provider and get a certificate revocation and new certificate, which will cost you money!
Cheers,
Zebity.

Snow leopard server upgrade to Mavericks server?

I have a snow leopard server it is possible to upgrade it to Mavericks server?

This support article has a lot of details.
Refer to : OS X Server: Upgrade and migration from Lion Server or Snow Leopard Server
Your existing server sounds like it is reliable, configured correctly, has reliable backups and since you only have one service running, worst case would be to recreate the shares and permissions once on new OS with a purchase and installation of Server.app 3.x from the App Store.
Cheers

Upgrade path from Snow Leopard Server to Lion Server

Just curious what the method is for upgrading a server currently running snow L. to Lion. Do you just buy the app and install? Will everything "reboot" exactly as is was? (Users, groups, share points, security settings, firewall, etc)
As you can imagine any changes to a server in an office environment can be stressful.
Also if anyone has successfully upgraded their servers to Lion and has feedback I would appreciate it.
- C42D

Hi there,
I would wait a little to have the early bugs in both OS X Lion and OS X Lion Server sorted out.
One common upgrade path i follow :
- Backup system disk
- Backup data disk
Why save both disk for an upgrade (as you already backup the data disk don't you ? ) and not only system ?
Imagine that once you update your server to OS X Lion Server, it updates some data too (mail database and so on) and you want to go back to OS X Snow Leopard Server...that would render your data unusable !
Regarding OS X Server in general:
- Backup Open Directory
- Backup Services configuration
Hope that helps

Upgrade MySQL in Snow Leopard Server

Hi all. This is my first post.
I have a Mac Mini Server with Mac OS X Server 10.6.8 (aka. Snow Leopard Server)
wanted to update the native MySQL. I followed these instructions
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4006
Now I know that it is parallel installation of MySQL.
https://discussions.apple.com/message/15535136#15535136
Finally,I installed MySQL 5.5.15 from MySQL.com (x86 dmg file)
Now I have three MySQL servers in the system. Runs only the oldest (native 5.0.92)
I want to:
1) Remove unnecessary MySQL servers.
2) I would like to MySQL service could be run in the Server Admin.app. If this is not possible to run the “MySQL Preference Pane” in System Preferences.
If this is not possible then I would be able to run in "MySQL Preference Pane" in System Preferences.
Working with AS is probably possible.http://www.jamesbantz.com/2010/08/08/upgrading-mysql-on-mac-os-x-10-6-snow-leopa rd-server/#more-172 (See step 6)
Now I have a “little problem” with the distinction which files belong which MySQL.
Please help
Thanks

Welcome to the forums.
The cited Apple directions in HT4006 are for adding headers and client components for Mac OS X Server for MySQL, and not particularly for upgrading MySQL on Mac OS X Server. (That may well cause problems.)
How good are your pre-installation backups? I'd roll those in, and undo the HT4006 changes, and (if you're not going to scratch this whole upgrade) follow what Mr Bantz describes in his posting.
Irrespective of the particular path followed here, you do also still get to "own" all of these changes, including the on-going maintenance and upgrades, which means that you own any security problems, the inevitable software upgrades and updates, and whatever other fixes might be needed.
Alternatively, consider moving to Mac OS X Server Lion (10.7), as it does not contain MySQL, so you can load whatever MySQL you want and (so long as you keep it from getting tangled with PostgreSQL) you're good to go.
I would not generally expect to be able to use Server Admin or the other tools to use or manage your local MySQL. The Server Admin tools are not set up for these sorts of changes and have a history of getting tangled when the underlying servers are changed. If you do manage this goal and do have Server Admin working and whether following Mr Bantz's directions or via some other means, then your changes still might not survive any particular future Mac OS X Server upgrade, or Server Tools upgrade. (Which means you'll have to debug and rework the changes, or find somebody that has figured out what broken and follow those instructions.)
If you discover you have the need for these sorts of upgrades often, I'd suggest loading and using Linux or one of the BSDs. Installing newer versions of stuff means more work and sometimes far more work, and tends to un-do what Apple provides, and tends to cause problems like you've encountered here. In all seriousness, Linux or BSD is the platform you'll want, if you find yourself tweaking; they're set up for exactly this sort of tweaking. Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server aims at a different market.

Upgrade price to Snow Leopard Server

I run a small business and I am going to buy an iMac as a server and Leopard Server to run for shared calendars and other network features. However, I know that Snow Leopard Server is on the horizon and I didn't see that Leopard had a special upgrade price from Tiger Server. Is this correct? When Leopard Server came out did everyone have to pony up the full price to upgrade?

Only once have I been able to get a reduced price on a server OS upgrade. We purchased 10.2 server within 30 to 60 days of the 10.3 date. Apple had a program that if you could provide proof of purchase within the time frame you could get a set of media for 10.3.
No new serials were required as 10.2 server and 10.3 server used the same.
Apple occasionally will do the same for the client software.
Other than that, everyone is expected to pony up full price.
Now don't get me started on the whole "nothing but 10 users or unlimited client" price structure.

Big Project: Upgrade to Snow Leopard Server and new drive

Hi guys, with my early 09 Mac Pro (with maxed RAM) I need some advice. I am a guy who sticks with things for a long time, cautious about change, and likes consistency.
So, I have a copy of Snow Leopard SERVER I want to install from scratch. I also have 4 WD 1tb black caviar drives I want install -- replacing the current startup 640 gb drive. How would I best accomplish the backup of my current data on this smaller drive and then restore it onto the new 1tb drive?
I give you the following objectives I have for the use of these 1tb drives on the system and would appreciate any other advice you might have to offer.
1) I envision using two of the drives as primary, and the other two as backups using TimeMachine.
2) I would like to have the following partitions on the startup drive (#1).
a)one boot partition for installation of Server OS and Application programs.
b)one boot partition for future Mac OS installations.
c)one data partition to house the /Users filesystem - 4 named users in household who share two macbooks.
d)one or more partitions for separate deployments of Guest OSes for XP, Window 7, etc. using Parallels.
3) As far as partition sizes, I am thinking 50 Gb for each of the MacOS bootables and apps, 100 Gb for the Guest OSes. Leaving about 500 or 600 Gb for /Users, including an iTunes library, and the wife's scrapbooking.
4)Ok, drive #2. I want this drive dedicated to demanding storage needs of video.
5)Drive #3. TimeMachine Backup for Drive #1.
6)Drive #4. TimeMachine Backup for Drive #2.
Thoughts? I appreciate your questions and critique on my outline here.
Thanks much!

Off load /users to another hard drive
don't use internal drives for TimeMachine, especially both. Safer to be external. And if internal, use extra drive sleds.
Depending on what you use it for, the 640 might be fine. Maybe use it as a bootable clone though.

Lion Server upgrade for Snow Leopard Server

I can't seem to get the App Store to sell me Lion Server for my Snow Leopard Server. I'm trying to remain positive about this but I'm getting really ****** that money isn't enough to make this happen. My experiencewith the App Store and Apple policies in general is its almost time to dump OS X and head back to Open Source.
So, what's the secret? I put money in my iTunes account. I've done the 15 logins it takes to satisfy AppleID my account is complete and up-to-date in the store and the Support Communities. How do I buy the software and actually download and install it?
Thanks

Upgrading Snow Leopard Server to Lion and then adding Lion Server is the ONLY way to go, There is no other way to install Lion Server.
http://www.apple.com/macosx/server/how-to-buy/

Remote Desktop and Snow Leopard Server

What is the best way to use Remote Desktop with Snow Leopard Server?
I purchased a mac mini with snow leopard server and Remote desktop so I can easily manage my 11 computers, install and upgrade software etc. etc.
The mac mini server will basically be nothing but a server.
I will use as my main computer a mac pro. Do I need to install Remote Desktop on the server and on my mac pro? What is the best way to deploy the services of Remote desktop and mac os x server?

You install Apple Remote Desktop on the machine you want to control from. In this case, install on your Mac Pro. All you have to do on the clients (controlled Macs) is enable remote management in the System Preferences under Sharing. Just make sure that all your controlled Macs are up to date on their ARD version (v3.3.2) which can be taken care of from Software Update.

Error configuring services from Snow Leopard Server to Mountain Lion Server

I am trying to upgrade a Snow Leopard Server Mac Mini to Mountain Lion Server.
We have two Mac Mini servers at our office (production and backup) so I migrated the everything from our production server to the backup using the migration assistant when setting up the backup computer.
I now have the backup at home trying to upgrade it to Mountain Lion Server. I have downloaded and installed Mountain Lion as well as the Server App version 2.2. I basically followed the simple directions found in the Apple documentation.
I started the server app and it got to the part where it said "Upgrading services". After running for a few minutes, I get a window that states "An error occurred while configuring your server." It also sayd "The following actions failed or were not attempted:" with a red dot next to "Upgrading services". The other three items: "Authenticating to local directory", "Reading directory configuration" and "Authenticating to local directory services" have gray dots so I'm sure they were not even attempted.
Our Snow Leopard server is setup for SMB file sharing, LDAP services, FTP, Web, DNS, DHCP.
Can someone point me to where I can figure out what exactly is failing? Are there specific log files I need to look into?
Thanks

Have EXACTLY the same issue - also tried reinstalling mountain lion server fresh and still had the same problem...

I've got Snow Leopard Server, but don't need the server functions. What to do?

This is somewhat complicated, so please bear with me. My Mac Pro was running OS X 10.5 and required updating. But we have legacy Power PC apps (mainly FreeHand) that we want to continue using, even though Mountain Lion doesn't support them.
As a solution, I'm going to run Snow Leopard Server in emulation on Parallels 8 Desktop. I would rather have used plain old Snow Leopard instead of the server version, but Apple's EULA only allows 10.6 Server to run in emulation.
So, I got Snow Leopard Server and have used it to upgrade 10.5. Eventually, (once I get everything working properly), I'll upgrade that to Mountain Lion and use SL Server in Parallels emulation to run the old Mac apps we can't do without.
But I've run into a problem I didn't anticipate: I don't have a clue about running a server.
I'm having trouble setting it up so the other Mac user in my department can access a shared folder. Also, I want the login window to display the list of users, but that option is grayed out.
What I'd like to do is strip out all the server functions and just run as if 10.6.8 was a standard version of Snow Leopard, which I'm familiar with. If that's not practical, please explain how to get sharing to work since that's the main problem.
I've tried turning off the services listed in the Server Preferences (iCal, Mail, etc.) but that hasn't fixed the problems. I think there may be server functions running that I haven't found preventing me from fixing the problems. Or it could be something else entirely (as I said, no clue).

DON'T MAKE A MOUNTAIN (lion?) OUT OF A MOLEHILL!
Several points in response to your post, in chronological order, not necessarily in order of importance:
• It was a common Urban Myth that Snow Leopard (client's) EULA prohibited its virtualization in Lion or Mt. Lion on a Mac! That myth has been largely debunked in the last 18 months.
Here are detailed instructions on how to install Snow Leopard client into Parallels 7 or 8:
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1365439
That being said, and being the author of the aforementioned thread, I STRONGLY recommend that, where possible, you use Snow Leopard Server in favor of Snow Leopard client. This will side step some later corruption problems that can arise from the improper use and shutting down of this Parallels partition.
Historically, this thread was written when Apple sold Snow Leopard Server for $499+ or ceased sales altogether. Now, Apple has rendered the (now diminishing) debate over the EULA moot, by its recent release of Snow Leopard Server to the US & Canadian community for $20; leaving those who cannot purchase SLS (or get someone to purchase it for them) to continue to follow the instructions in my thread (or asking me to purchase SLS for them and forward it to them; my preferred course of action!).
• I ALWAYS recommend that data files be stored on the real Mac's HDs and NOT in a virtualized world. This is easy to accomplish and establishes a backup regimine (Time Machine, etc.) that will protect the users data. Lost applications are easily restored from their installer discs.
• In practice I find that using SLS in Parallels 8 is the same as using SL client in Parallels. I have even removed the Server apps from the Dock so as to not be confused by them.
So, your solution is to establish a "shared folder" on the hard drive of the Mac that is hosting Parallels. When in SLS in Parallels you will have access to your shared folder, ironically through Parallels' "Shared Folders" feature that is now present in Mac OS Guest installs on version 8 (see the "Shared Folders" SERVER on the right side of the screenshot, below).
When using Freehand MX or other PowerPC apps, save your data files into your shared folder through access to it by Parallels' Shared Folders. Other users on your network will have access to the SAME data files, through their customary use of file sharing to access your shared folder from your Mac's hard drive.
IGNORE the Server applications in the Applications folder...
Freehand MX running in Snow Leopard Server installed into Parallels 8 for use in Lion or Mt. Lion:
[click on image to enlarge]
Postscript: your post was so easy to follow!

How do I reinstall Snow Leopard Server on a Mac Mini Server 2010?

How do I reinstall Snow Leopard Server on a Mac Mini Server 2010? I have already attached a Mac Superdrive and tried to download, but the buttons at the bottom of the dialog screen are greyed out.

Not sure where you're getting tangled here or how much you know about OS X Server 10.6, so...
AFAIK, Snow Leopard Server wasm't available as a download, it was a separate DVD distribution.
Unlike more recent versions of OS X Server, the 10.6 server distributions were usually standalone DVD disks, as well.
(There is a slight wrinkle if your Mac needs a newer version of 10.6 than your server distribution; there was a different streaming upgrade process for that. IIRC, the appropriate OS X client version was installed first, then you booted that client version and loaded the DVD and installed OS X Server.)
But if you have a Snow Leopard Server distribution that supports your particular Mac Mini model, then boot the DVD, use Disk Utility from the Utilities menu in the bootable DVD environment, wipe the disk, and then install OS X Server.
You'll need a 10.6 license key, if you don't already have that.
FWIW, here are the available manuals.

Installing Snow Leopard server (10.6.0) over Snow Leopard 10.6.2

I need to convert my Mac Pro to run Snow Leopard Server. I have the DVDs.
The installer tells me I cannot perform the upgrade because the OS on the machine
is more recent than the one on the DVD. I guess I have to downgrade to Snow Leopard 10.6.0
before I can install the server OS. I do not want to reformat my hard disk, because I want to
keep the data there. How can I accomplish what I want to do.

server questions should be asked in the server forum
http://discussions.apple.com/category.jspa?categoryID=264
assuming your mac pro did not come with 10.6.2 preinstalled you can reinstall 10.6.0 on it in the usual manner. boot from the snow leopard 10.6.0 install dvd (insert the dvd, reboot and hold "c" at the chime). and follow the instructions. this will preserve your data and applications. but as with any system install you should have a full backup before doing it.

Upgrading 10.6.8 to Snow Leopard Server?

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