Question about Mac Mini Server

[leglez]

The production studio I work for is looking into purchasing a server. We are looking into purchasing a mac mini server and an external storage device like a drobo or SmartStore. Rather than purchasing an xserve and Promise VTrak to help keep down costs at first. If we purchase the mac mini server once we upgrade to an xserve in a few years we can then replace our receptionists computer with the mac mini.

Does anyone know if we purchase the Mac Mini Server if we would be able to use the Snow Leopard Server Discs to install snow leopard server on another computer? Like if we purchase an older xserve or install it on one of our mac pros? Or is it locked to the mac mini it was purchase with?

Is there any advantage of the SmartStore over a Drobo besides cost? If we purchased a mac mini and drobopro we could keep from purchasing an xserve for quite a while. We could potentially have around 12.5TBs worth of data with 2TB drives in a drobopro, whereas a smartstore it would be less than 8TBs.

The mac mini server and a drobopro would be the perfect solution for us for a year or two since we only have 5-6 computers that will be on the server until we start expanding next year.

Thanks for any help.

 

[ViRGE]

Unless something has changed, the discs that come with the Mac Mini Server should be OS Restore discs, just like on any other Mac. So you would not be able to use those discs to install SL Server on another box.

Plus I don't see the sense in going that route. SL Server only costs $500 in the first place, versus $1000 for the Mac Mini Server.

 

[leglez]

Plus I don't see the sense in going that route. SL Server only costs $500 in the first place, versus $1000 for the Mac Mini Server.

That isn't the main advantage of us going that route. If we wait to invest in an xserve or another mac pro and only invest $2,000 right now rather than $10,000. Then later down the road buy a used mac pro or replace one of our old ones and wanted to install SL server we wouldn't have to spend another $500.

 

[Ka0t1x]

I remember using our Xserve 10.6 disks to install Server on an iMac while our Xserve was being repaired.. honestly I think you can use them as you would the SL upgrade disks.. boot to disk, install. I think an Apple Expert at the store site should be able to help you there, just go to the Chat link.

What are you going to be using the server for? Mail? Files? Web?

The only reason that I ask is that we had a 2008 Xserve fail on us, and we have around 3,000 mail accounts that are accessed everyday.. we fell back on an C2D 2.4Ghz iMac with 4GB ram, with archiving turned on it was still very comparable to the Xserve's performance. The Mac Mini server was a great idea and I think it will do great for most SOHO applications.

 

[leglez]

We plan on using it for iCal Server, Address Book Server, Wiki Server, iChat Server, Spotlight Server, File Sharing, And I am not too sure about mail yet.