Mac Server

[Mlaz81]

Hello. I've never owned a Mac and am wondering what I will need to set up a server. My PC That I use as a media server had an unfortunate accident and I am not looking to replace it. All I will be using it for is plex, picture storage, and occasionally accessing files when I'm away. Is there an inexpensive and simple way to accomplish this while I get my feet wet? Thanks for any help here.

 

[crewkid89]

Is a mac really going to be the best thing for what you need? It sounds more like you need a NAS (Network Attached Storage). Plex can run on a lot of NASs and I'm pretty sure they have a compatibility list. At work, we us Synology for both our NAS. They can be set up with as many drives as you need for redundancy or additional storage.

 

[theluggage]

Hello. I've never owned a Mac and am wondering what I will need to set up a server. My PC That I use as a media server had an unfortunate accident and I am not looking to replace it. All I will be using it for is plex, picture storage, and occasionally accessing files when I'm away.

Are you saying you want to get a Mac to use as a server, or you want to set up a server that you'll access from the Mac?

Assuming the former:

First, you don't need to buy the "Mac OS server" add-on that you'll find in the App Store.

Plex: I believe Plex server runs fine on a Mac, nothing extra needed.

Picture storage (on your local network): Doesn't Plex do that? If not, just enable sharing in system preferences (On older versions of MacOS there is a separate checkbox for "Windows file sharing" if you connect from non-Macs) then "Get Info" on your pictures folder and make it a shared folder.

Accessing files remotely: for most people, the easiest/safest thing is to use "cloud storage" such as DropBox, Google Drive or Microsoft Drive to store files you want to access remotely - there's a list of reasons why home network connections aren't great for running remotely accessible servers (dynamic IP addresses, slow upload speed, ISP terms & conditions, accidentally letting hackers own your home network...). Other solutions are possible, but beyond the scope of a short post!

Re what @crewkid89 said - Yes a NAS might be a better solution, but the wrinkle is whether or not they are suitable for running Plex, and whether you need transcoding support in Plex. You'll need to read this:
https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/201373793-Is-Plex-Media-Server-on-a-NAS-Right-for-Me-

Otherwise, Mac-wise, the best tool for the job would be a second-hand/refurb Mac Mini.