I just wiped the boot disk of my little server from Catalina and went back to Sierra Server. The reasons are simple:
My CarbonCopy clone of the earlier Sierra install abandoned in Fed 2020 would not boot, so I had to install from a stick with the date wound back using date. I downloaded the updated installer later but did not want to wait. I was able to use Migration Assistant. TimeMachines backups from a mix of systems but mainly Big Sur simply works. I had lots of issues with Catalina serving. It would start and then mysteriously stop later never to work again.
Very efficient, too. This box only has 8GB, but only 4GB are in use with a normal load leaving the rest as cache.
- Content caching that works nicely.
- TimeMachine that always works.
- A Server interface that makes control simple and tells me whether all the Macs in the house are getting backed up.
- I might crank up the mail server if I need it and maybe a VPN, but that is better deployed on my router.
My CarbonCopy clone of the earlier Sierra install abandoned in Fed 2020 would not boot, so I had to install from a stick with the date wound back using date. I downloaded the updated installer later but did not want to wait. I was able to use Migration Assistant. TimeMachines backups from a mix of systems but mainly Big Sur simply works. I had lots of issues with Catalina serving. It would start and then mysteriously stop later never to work again.
Very efficient, too. This box only has 8GB, but only 4GB are in use with a normal load leaving the rest as cache.