Resolved Lion server required, or not?

[nldrid]

Hi there,

I am also new to Apple Macs. Currently I'm am W7 user on a Dell XPS laptop which is getting End of Life. The new set-up will be based on Apple (ipad, iphone convinced me). The usage of the computer is mainly office applications, mail, surfing, photo's and some light programming.

The challenge is as follows: I have developed a tool in Excel that runs a couple of macro's on a daily basis and feeds an Access database. Basically Excel gets data from the internet, formats the data and uploads it in the database. For me it's important that this is run on a daily basis and that I can check results remotely through mobile devices or a laptop. I also want to be able to remotely access the tool via a laptop to correct or query the database.

Other requirements are:
- a big screen for programming, I was thinking of a 27" screen here and
- a 13" laptop

Q1: would I require Lion server for daily running my macro's and scripts and to ensure remote access? Or is this simply overkill?
Q2": what is the preferred HW set-up here? I have in mind:
- Imac 27 (with lion server) + MBA 13
- Mac mini entry model (with lion server) + MBA 13 + Led Cinema display
- in case of no server: MBA 13 + Led Cinema display

Thanks for you help
Dick

 

[talmy]

You don't need a server for this. You can set up an event in iCal to run a script. You can access the computer remotely using any VPN client. You may need VNC to get through your firewall.

 

[nldrid]

Ok thanks for your reply. So with iCal I can start up and close down the Mac as well? Is this robust enough? Can I remotely start-up the Mac as well? If not, is the solution to leave the Mac switched on or have a dedicated server like the mini (low power consumption)?

thanks dick

 

[talmy]

I should have been clearer -- you don't need "Lion Server". The system still behaves as a server and needs to be left on. You could attempt to rely on wake on LAN but my experience is that there is so much hacking traffic on the Internet your system will never sleep if exposed to the outside.

You could try your third choice first. The Air can be left on and consumes little power. If that isn't convenient then you could add the base Mac mini (not the server model) as your server.

 

[nldrid]

thanks Talmy, will start with option 3 and go from there