OSX Server - A few Q's

[Macs4u]

Hi,

I have a mac mini and am thinking of buying osx server. Am i right in thinking i could host my own website? I already have the domain and i have fast internet (38mb down and 6mb up) and its got priority for people working from home. Also its a static ip address that i have. I also have a 1tb external hard drive as the storage for the site which i think would be enough to start. Will it be secure? As secure as professional websites that use ubuntu server for example?

Also i plan to use the mac mini as my computer also, just general browsing, playing music etc. That would be ok wouldnt it?

Matt

 

[talmy]

I've got a mini with OSX Server. I access it from the outside for just about every service but the web server is on the LAN only unless I use VPN to access my LAN first.

I've got a website, and have for about 15 years, but it's always been hosted outside. Frankly, getting a web host is cheap and easy, the bandwidth is better, and you don't have to worry about operations. Get OSX Server if you are interested in other server functions other than a website.

One last thing, it's a bad idea to use your server computer as a workstation.

 

[Macs4u]

Hi,

If i used the mac mini solely as the server would it still be a bad idea running a website from home? My internet speed is fast so why would bandwidth be worse?

Sorry if these are silly questions

Matt

 

[talmy]

You 6mb up means the most anyone will get is 6mb down from your site. And multiple users at the same time would be sharing that.

There's also a problem in that if you have consumer service your contract with your ISP almost certainly prohibits running a server. At the very least they will block the common ports and at worst they could cancel your service! If you have commercial service, of course, you can do what you will.

 

[Macs4u]

You 6mb up means the most anyone will get is 6mb down from your site. And multiple users at the same time would be sharing that.

There's also a problem in that if you have consumer service your contract with your ISP almost certainly prohibits running a server. At the very least they will block the common ports and at worst they could cancel your service! If you have commercial service, of course, you can do what you will.

I can pay an extra £5 per month and that allows running of servers , it says clearly in the terms and conditions. So 6mb wouldnt be fast enough do you think? Not even to start and then obviously if my site took off i could look into my own commercial server or to use a company to do it?

My main concern would be that its secure enough.

Matt

 

[talmy]

Keeping it as a separate system, rather than the one you use for your own personal files, certainly helps security. And only open up your router to pass port 80 to your server.

 

[Macs4u]

Keeping it as a separate system, rather than the one you use for your own personal files, certainly helps security. And only open up your router to pass port 80 to your server.

tbh im a total beginner when it comes to web hosting but know a fair bit about computing in general. So if i just use the mac mini for a server it will be as secure as it would be if i built a dedicated base unit and used either ubuntu server or solaris or similar?

 

[talmy]

It's all UNIX based and basically works the same. Have a look at http://www.mountainlionserver.com for a bunch of tutorials. And also this site,http://codedmemes.com/lib/tag/setting-up-os-x-server/

I'd still suggest not doing it but buying the service from a web hosting service.

 

[John Kotches]

...

One last thing, it's a bad idea to use your server computer as a workstation.

That depends on what services it is providing. Mine provides minimal services (DHCP, caching DNS and a web server for some stuff with in the house). These represent minimal load on the server. I also use it as my workstation and as a lab (with virtuals) for learning testbeds at home.

 

[theluggage]

Hi,
I have a mac mini and am thinking of buying osx server. Am i right in thinking i could host my own website?

You don't need OS X Server to run a basic web server - just enable the web server.

These days, much of OS X Server is just about providing friendly dialogue boxes to control software that is already part of base OS X.

will be as secure as it would be if i built a dedicated base unit and used either ubuntu server or solaris or similar?

All of them end up using the same, or very similar, software. All of them, out of the box, will be configured to only allow the web server read-access to specific folders, and will be pretty safe If you're just serving .html files & have port 80 forwarded from your firewall/router. All of them will allow you to screw up if you misconfigure them or write/install faulty server-side scripts.

That depends on what services it is providing. Mine provides minimal services (DHCP, caching DNS and a web server for some stuff with in the house).

Fine... if you're just running a few services around the house, there's no external access and nobody to complain if it goes down for a few minutes because you reboot the computer, or grinds to a halt while you're hammering your CPU/disc. Even so - what you are talking about is a perfect application for a Raspberry Pi or a router re-flashed with OpenWRT or similar (I used to use a rooted "Slug" NAS box - then I switched to an old, pre-Intel Mac Mini running Linux).

"Macs4u" seems to be talking about running a public website. Doing that over a home broadband link is only ever going to be suitable for experimental purposes.

 

[Macs4u]

You don't need OS X Server to run a basic web server - just enable the web server.

These days, much of OS X Server is just about providing friendly dialogue boxes to control software that is already part of base OS X.



All of them end up using the same, or very similar, software. All of them, out of the box, will be configured to only allow the web server read-access to specific folders, and will be pretty safe If you're just serving .html files & have port 80 forwarded from your firewall/router. All of them will allow you to screw up if you misconfigure them or write/install faulty server-side scripts.




Fine... if you're just running a few services around the house, there's no external access and nobody to complain if it goes down for a few minutes because you reboot the computer, or grinds to a halt while you're hammering your CPU/disc. Even so - what you are talking about is a perfect application for a Raspberry Pi or a router re-flashed with OpenWRT or similar (I used to use a rooted "Slug" NAS box - then I switched to an old, pre-Intel Mac Mini running Linux).

"Macs4u" seems to be talking about running a public website. Doing that over a home broadband link is only ever going to be suitable for experimental purposes.

Hi,

Thanks for this. This will only be to experiment with a few ideas without incurring costs. If it proved to be good and viable i would take out a decent package with a company anyway.

Thanks

Matt