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The Bottom Line

The Mac mini server is by far the least expensive way to run Snow Leopard Server. The mini’s hardware is up to most of the tasks you can throw at it, as long as you keep the appropriate scale in mind. Ideal uses for the Mac mini server include workgroup, classroom, lab, small business, home office, and home. At $999, the mini offers terrific value, especially when you consider that if you purchased it separately, you would pay $499 for the Snow Leopard Server software.

If you need a small, versatile server, consider the Mac mini server. It’s easy on the budget, as well as easy on the power and heat footprint.

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Pros

• Dual hard drives.
• FireWire 800 port.
• Unlimited Snow Leopard clients.
• Small footprint.
• Low cost.

Cons

• No optical drive.
• No eSATA port for hard drive expansion.
• 4 GB maximum Apple-supported memory.
• 5400 RPM hard drive.

Description

• 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor
• 1066 front side bus
• 4 GB RAM (2 SO-DIMM memory slots)
• NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor
• Two 500 GB hard drives
• FireWire 800 port
• 5 USB 2.0 ports
• Built-in AirPort Extreme (802.11n) WiFi + Bluetooth 2.1
• Gigabit Ethernet

Guide Review - Preview of the Fall 2009 Mac mini Server

In fall 2009, Apple added a new version of the Mac mini to its lineup: the Mac mini Server. Take one Mac mini, mix in Snow Leopard Server software, sprinkle in some hardware changes, and stir until done. What you end up with is a $999 Mac server that may be the perfect candidate for workgroups that need a file server, email server, and basic web services.

Apple started with the basic, familiar Mac mini and configured it with a 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 4 GB of RAM, and an NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor. So far, pretty standard stuff for a Mac mini. But this is where Apple engineers started customizing it.

Gone is the 8X slot-loading SuperDrive. With the space formerly occupied by the SuperDrive freed up, Apple was able to add a pair of 500 GB hard drives, for a total of 1 TB of storage. Next, Apple pre-loads the Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server. This is not a “light” or special version, but the same unlimited client, 64-bit Snow Leopard server that Apple sells separately for $499.

Apple delivers the Mac mini server with the hard drives configured as two separate drives. One is the startup drive, with Snow Leopard Server installed; the other is an empty 500 GB data drive that’s ready for use. You can use the configuration as is, perhaps letting the second drive serve as a Time Machine volume for backup, or you can combine the two drives into a software-based RAID array. You can add more storage with external drives connected via the FireWire 800 or USB 2.0 ports.

So, what’s missing from the littlest Mac server? First off, there’s no optical drive, which isn’t much of an issue. I’ve been running Mac servers for years, and I’ve only used the optical drive once: to reinstall the server software from scratch. With no built-in optical drive, you will either need to use ‘Target Disk Mode’ to use an optical drive on another Mac, or purchase a USB- or FireWire-based CD/DVD drive. The server also has limited memory. Apple sells the Mac mini server with 4 GB RAM, the maximum according to Apple. Actually, you can use two 4 GB RAM modules to bring the maximum to 8 GB. The last missing pieces are hard drive performance and expansion options. The hard drives used in the mini are laptop drives that spin at 5400 RPM, effectively creating a possible I/O bottleneck if you perform extensive file transfers. The solution would be to use high-performance hard drives on an external interface, but Apple only offers a single FireWire 800 port. It would have been much nicer to see the Mac mini server with two eSATA ports for hard drive expansion.

Overall, the Mac mini server is an attractive option if you need an inexpensive Snow Leopard server solution. It makes a great workgroup server, as well as a nice email and web server. Of course, the Mac mini server will run all of the available Snow Leopard services, so how you use it is up to you. But for small business, workgroup, or even home use, I wouldn’t hesitate to look into its capabilities.

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