What are the differences between Snow Leopard and Snow Leopard Server?

[Dustman]

You can throw numbers out of your rear all you want. Prove it. Back it up. Otherwise I am going to call then out on it. Apple is not targeting this at consumers. Period. Buyer beware. If they buy this without doing any research on it whatsoever (like looking at the pages Apple puts up), that’s there fault. I cite Apple’s own marketing pages on how they want to sell it. You pull one quote that is not even hosted on Apple’s own website that I am betting the same 60 percent of people have never heard of. Apple tells the buyer what the damed product is. You are deliberately ignoring Apple’s product page and are just assuming that people drop money only on their store and never see any other Apple page. I call bull on that.

There is a reason that Apple has separate pages for the normal mini and the Server mini. Look at the pages. They tell you what it does differently and what it if for. Thats because they are different products.



Yes I am serious. I present Apple’s website as proof that they are targeting this not at home users and try to show what Apple’s intents are. You show A quote that I doubt most people are going to see or hear. I have the upper hand here. Unless you want to show real statistics that you can back up from another source, lets not try to make assumptions here without something to back it up with. My assumptions are based on Apple’s own pages. Your assumptions are based on people never reading those pages. You cannot even tell me anything about your knowledge overall. How can I trust you?


Are you seriously saying average consumers do not read Apple’s own website that tries to tell people what the product is and what is is not? I can tell you just by looking at that page the average consumer is going to think that the MM Server is way too much and they would rather go with the normal Mac Mini like the link at the bottom of the page tells them about. THey are going to look at this quote:



And this quote:


And say “I don’t need this much. Its the same way with HP’s home servers. Nobody considers those to be general PC’s either. I think you are taking people’s intelligence for granted her. The Mac Mini server is specifically sectioned off from the main Mac Mini page so that people don’t think they are part of the same product line. Apple even provides links to their main server portion of their website.




Thats because they probably would do something like this:

Consumer: Gee, looking at the product descriptions that Apple puts it, I don’t need that Server OS - I would much rather just get the normal Mini and just get a 500 gig hard drive. Besides, the server looks to be pretty separate product being apart from the rest of the minis. Heck, even when I looks at buying that server it doesn’t look like the right product for me.

Here is your problem. You are assuming that people buy based on specs alone and just go to the Apple Online store and that’s it. I postulate that people are not going to look at the world the way you do. I have yet to come across one person in the real world to ask me if they should get that new Mac Mini server. Heck, most people never ask me about the minis anyway. And furthermore most mac consumers that I know are the kinds of people that know that there is not multiple versions of the MacOS - that is very obvious just by looking at the marketing pages for the OS. Unless you honestly think that people look at Windows and their server products the same way, i think you have to give people some credit and assume that they are going to do a bit of research first and use some common sense. Of course we should point out too that the only place you are going to get this is online - I have never seen this at an Apple Retail store. The only way you can find this product would be if you found it on their website where they start out by pitching it as a special product.

99 percent of mini buyers are just going to see the main mac mini pages and never see the Server product if at that. If they are going to drop a thousand on a Mac, they are most likely going to be doing it on the iMac which is a much better product. Heck, I am wiling to be that same 60% figure that you are citing (which you still never tell me where you get that figure) don’t even know what a dual hard drive setup is, don’t know about Apple remote desktop, the Promise External Raid device is etc. The person who looks at this device is going to have some idea about what it is. They are not going to be thinking OSX server = Ultimate!

And this is coming from my IT background here. I get tons of people who ask for my advice on buying computers and what they should be getting. Most consumers ask for advice from others first before they buy a computer - especially Macs. I would wager that most switchers get their first mac from the retail store. My life experience has never come across a person who bought a server product accidentally.

Edit: If you think about it, a consider can do the exact same thing for the Mac Pro. Every iteration that they offer includes options for OSX server. Apple has been doing this for years without an uproar. Why do you think this will change when Apple is offering a product that people have already been using as a server for years and is offered as a very distinct product (almost as an afterthought on their main mini page). Its almost as if Apple doesn’t want the average buyer to get it. Anyone looking at the MacMini server compared to other Macs are going to be disappointed really quickly. No option to get a monitor? No iLife? No iWork? Its not as if people are going to immediately go to the MacMini page on the store and think that every Mac is going to be like this. They cannot buy it without wondering "what the heck is this? This is not like the Mac’s are supposed to be!"

I think you make a few very interesting points, but I think we're going to be seeing a lot of "how do i configure my new Mini Server" and Mac Mini vs Server Mini as Media server posts. Agree to disagree if you'd like. It's likely I could be wrong but only time will tell.

 

[belvdr]

I think you make a few very interesting points, but I think we're going to be seeing a lot of "how do i configure my new Mini Server" and Mac Mini vs Server Mini as Media server posts. Agree to disagree if you'd like. It's likely I could be wrong but only time will tell.

I tend to agree with you here. If someone were browsing the Mac Mini product pages, and then decides to buy, when they get to the store, they see 3 different options. I doubt many consumers would know the difference. In reality, many consumers don't know a lot of technical details and reading the OS X Server product page would make their head catch fire. Case in point, note how many people complain about their computers, but don't know any better than to buy them at Best Buy or Walmart. They just see a price tag. How many average consumers really know VPNs, Mobile Access Servers, Wiki Servers, or even FTP for that matter?

If they know they need more disk space, they may very well buy the Mini server edition without realizing the differences in the OS.

 

[pdjudd]

I tend to agree with you here. If someone were browsing the Mac Mini product pages, and then decides to buy, when they get to the store, they see 3 different options. I doubt many consumers would know the difference. In reality, many consumers don't know a lot of technical details and reading the OS X Server product page would make their head catch fire. Case in point, note how many people complain about their computers, but don't know any better than to buy them at Best Buy or Walmart. They just see a price tag. How many average consumers really know VPNs, Mobile Access Servers, Wiki Servers, or even FTP for that matter?

Perhaps, but I again want to point out this assumes that people just do their shopping on Apple's online store and nowhere else and they do absolutely no research whatsoever. I tend to think that is not the case and I contend that the vast majority of people are going to see the regular minis and know that the specs between the two systems are the same (minus hard drives) and then realize what is different between the two systems and go back with the all in one solution and find out that you indeed can get at least one 500 gig hard drive.

Remember that the mini server offers two separate hard drives for essentially twice the price. Why would people buy that? Plus no disc drive, the mac mini server offers nothing that consumers would want...

I more or less contend that a consumer is going to see the Mini server as more limiting than anything and that already assumes that they never looked at the product page on Apple's website. One look and most people would probably say "I'm not getting this! I would rather just get the regular mini and get lots more".

Not to mention that they will only ever see this product online - and it is a Mini. I think that the few people who are in the market for a Mini versus the more mainstream iMac are not going buy the Server accidentally and keep if for very long (they would just return it) - the purchase page offers nothing enticing to the average consumer (nobody really buys a desktop computer these days without a DVD drive built in or looks to buy a RAID system).

I mean look at other PC vendors - they don't seem to have any trouble selling servers to consumers (like home media servers) and seeing people who try to use them as general purpose machines - the ones that do are probably few and far. I am going to give 90 percent of all buyers the benefit of a doubt to buy a regular computer and not get a computer that offers them nothing - they would just move on to something that does look right.

I strongly believe that most people buying Macs would just ignore the word "server" since its more likely to be associated with their office than anything.

If they know they need more disk space, they may very well buy the Mini server edition without realizing the differences in the OS.

If hard drive space was a concern, do you think they would be looking at the Mini, or the iMac with a much larger drive. Not to mention the things that the Mini Server lacks (like iLife, Internal Optical drive, screen options).

I wager that consumers that buy on price are either going to start at the very bottom, or move right up to the iMac or even look at external drive options. Right out of the box (and on the online store) the consumer is going to see the MacMini server and see some glaring differences that you would get.

 

[belvdr]

I can't explain why people purchase some of the systems they have. That's why I think they could easily make a mistake and purchase the Mini server. I'm not sure they would notice the missing optical drive.

 

[pdjudd]

I can't explain why people purchase some of the systems they have. That's why I think they could easily make a mistake and purchase the Mini server. I'm not sure they would notice the missing optical drive.

Really? Take a look at the Apple online store and take a look at the Minis/Mini Server - not only is the picture very different, you notice the basic feature list fails to mention an optical drive of any kind... Looks pretty obvious to me that there is no optical drive there. That's just something that people expect in a consumer product.

I don't contend that there will be some people who unintentionally buy the MM Server, but these people are a minority and are more apt to just return it really quickly when they realize that this is not what the computers in the Apple store look like. Most people know that OSX looks a certain way and the server OS is going to be waaay different enough.

And enough can't be said that most people looking at a Mac outside of the physical retail store will see the Mac Mini Server for what it is - the product descriptor is not intended to draw most consumers toward it - just like the pages for the XServe.

I will admit that the thing that would turn most people accidentally toward the MM Server would be the dual 500 gig hard drives, but how many people get dual hard drive setups anyway? Most will just go for the single hard drive configurations. Look at it this way, if hard drive space is that important to people, they probably aren't looking at the Mini anyway - not when they have to sacrifice an optical drive or use one externally.

Overall, I think this will be a non issue for most people. Again, People buying Mac Pros could get the Server OS, and that has yet to be a problem.

 

[belvdr]

You and I certainly would pick up on the missing optical. But John Doe who is thinking of converting may not; he is likely to be focusing more on the OS. At this point, I think we're on the same track and neither of us has data to prove one side or the other.

 

[pdjudd]

You and I certainly would pick up on the missing optical. But John Doe who is thinking of converting may not; he is likely to be focusing more on the OS. At this point, I think we're on the same track and neither of us has data to prove one side or the other.

I guess you have a point. I contend that people are not that prone to confusion. Again I point to he Mac Pro which offers the choice of OSX desktop and OSX server - that choice certainly hasn't lead to any confusion that I am aware of. Same thing with the XServe - almost zero people confuse this with a desktop computer (and you certainly can't get those in store either!).

Also we are reminded that people in large don't go out and buy Windows Server thinking that it should be used as a desktop would be used. People by in large are very familiar with what Windows is supposed to look and operates - same thing on the Mac. One look at the server OS they are going to quickly be disappointed and want a refund. I Just think that your average consumer is going to take one look at the Mini Server and realize that there is something rotten in Denmark.

Again, I don;t think OS confusion is going to be an issue for most - Apple doesn't talk about it much on their OSX home page and when they do talk about the Server version, its on a different portion of the website. By then people are going to realize the difference. Very, very few are going to think of this as a "home premium vs ultimate" type difference like with Windows. People don't think of Windows in this way, why should they with the Mac when all they advertise are Mac's running the standard OS?

However as you point out, other than our own impressions, we cannot prove any of what we say. We just have to assume that Apple thought this through enough to where they are comfortable with how they differentiate the products. Clearly there was a demand for it's existence, but how do you sell it? It doesn't work next to the Pro or X serve (way different league of hardware). Putting it at least close to the Mini's kind of makes sense due to form factor alone. It is rather a unique product after all.

 

[alphaod]

I have been thinking about buying the OSX Snow Leopard Server version.
What are the pros and cons between both systems? Would the server version be slower or faster than the standard Snow Leopard? Does it have Bootcamp?

Please only reply if you are knowledgeable on the subject.

Thanks...

It's a server OS designed to be run on hardware 24/7; therefore if you're the type who shutdowns their computer at night, or is running a laptop computer, this isn't the OS for you. It's mainly for Mac Pros and XServes. I guess if you have the new Mac mini "server" it works too.

And no it does not have BootCamp, because you're not suppose to turn off your computer at all (so restarting to run Windows is just crazy talk). Snow Leopard Server does default to the 64-bit kernel if installed on supporting hardware. Not really sure if it would be faster or not. Snow Leopard Server and client are essentially the same except you get more on the Server side… file server, mail server, etc. just a few things.

 

[belvdr]

It's a server OS designed to be run on hardware 24/7; therefore if you're the type who shutdowns their computer at night, or is running a laptop computer, this isn't the OS for you. It's mainly for Mac Pros and XServes. I guess if you have the new Mac mini "server" it works too.

I don't think OS X Server can be excluded just because you may shut it down frequently. I ran it on my old iMac 800 for a few years without issue and shut it down all the time. From my experience, that's seems to be a myth and not fact.

 

[alphaod]

I don't think OS X Server can be excluded just because you may shut it down frequently. I ran it on my old iMac 800 for a few years without issue and shut it down all the time. From my experience, that's seems to be a myth and not fact.

Whether or not you can do it is different from what the intentions are. Yes you can shut it down all the time, but that's not the design purpose. It's built to stable and secure enough to run 24/7 on server hardware; that's not to say you can't do it.

If you shut it down frequently, I can't imagine you would be running many if any of the server features. That would counter-productive if you shut off your mail server or VPN every day.

 

[pdjudd]

Whether or not you can do it is different from what the intentions are. Yes you can shut it down all the time, but that's not the design purpose. It's built to stable and secure enough to run 24/7 on server hardware; that's not to say you can't do it.

If you shut it down frequently, I can't imagine you would be running many if any of the server features. That would counter-productive if you shut off your mail server or VPN every day.

Indeed, one of the reasons servers exist is to provide services with continuous up-time requirements. Clearly they are going to be re-booted every so often (like for updates), but their intention is that you keep them up becasue they need to be up all the time. If you are shutting it down all the time I wonder why you are running a Server OS in the first place - clearly it wouldn't be because you are running mission critical services.

You get a server OS because you depend on it for something and those things tend to be defined by up time. Laptops tend to be excluded because you essentially remove the portability advantage.

 

[belvdr]

If you are shutting it down all the time I wonder why you are running a Server OS in the first place - clearly it wouldn't be because you are running mission critical services.

Testing and just general learning. That's one of the big advantages of Linux as well.

 

[pdjudd]

Testing and just general learning. That's one of the big advantages of Linux as well.

I should clarify - I was referring to a production environment where uptime is demanded. Obviously testing and education are exceptions because uptime isn’t as high in demand... In fact I have OSX server as a learning experience in VM on my MacBook - I keep it shut down all the time but that is something that I look at as extraneous and not “normal” usage since I am not running anything...

 

[pprior]

Hey all,

I'm one of those customers browsing for a solution to common issues. I saw the mini/server product as a possible answer to them.

My hassles:

1) Backing up multiple computers (3 currently) to a central array rather than trying to to it to a hard disk hung off the AEBS which is unstable and frequently pukes on itself.
2) Calendar sharing - would like to be able to have several users share a common calendar and if one person makes a change you can see that on other computers and ideally ipod touch
3) Central Itunes - would like to be able to share library and sync ipod from any machine on the network
4) Shared photo libraries. This is one of my biggest hassles - right now I have to export selected photos from Lightroom and then copy them via finder to a shared drive on my wife's MBP and then she has to import them into iphoto. Not sure if there is any better way to do this, but she really would like access to my entire aperture and Lightroom collections and this would be a killer feature.
5) Media server - if the machine in question could also serve media via DVI or HDMI to my movie room projector and sound system via ripped movies (including Bluray) that would be icing on the cake.


I think I'm the kind of user that is looking at this option - xserve is not desired/too expensive. However I don't think this product is really what I need. It seems like apple really doesn't have a product/system to readily do what I want (easily), and I think that's a big hole in the lineup. There are lots of households that want an easy way to do these kind of things, without having to learn how to admin and run a server os.

 

[pprior]

I've been looking at this more and think I'm going to give the mini with SL server a try.

One question: the Ical server software - can it push to an ipod touch or just iphone?

My son has an ipod touch and if we can push calendar updates to him that would rock!


EDIT: it appears not - bummer

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3947

 

[Dustman]

Really? Take a look at the Apple online store and take a look at the Minis/Mini Server - not only is the picture very different, you notice the basic feature list fails to mention an optical drive of any kind... Looks pretty obvious to me that there is no optical drive there. That's just something that people expect in a consumer product.

I don't contend that there will be some people who unintentionally buy the MM Server, but these people are a minority and are more apt to just return it really quickly when they realize that this is not what the computers in the Apple store look like. Most people know that OSX looks a certain way and the server OS is going to be waaay different enough.

And enough can't be said that most people looking at a Mac outside of the physical retail store will see the Mac Mini Server for what it is - the product descriptor is not intended to draw most consumers toward it - just like the pages for the XServe.

I will admit that the thing that would turn most people accidentally toward the MM Server would be the dual 500 gig hard drives, but how many people get dual hard drive setups anyway? Most will just go for the single hard drive configurations. Look at it this way, if hard drive space is that important to people, they probably aren't looking at the Mini anyway - not when they have to sacrifice an optical drive or use one externally.

Overall, I think this will be a non issue for most people. Again, People buying Mac Pros could get the Server OS, and that has yet to be a problem.

The Mac Pro by default does not come with OS X Server, therefor, no confusion. If I don't know the difference with something, I'm going to pick the cheapest because it doesnt concern me. In the Mini Server, its included. A consumer is going to assume its the exact same OS but maybe with some extra networking features. You don't seem to understand that most of the consumer computer market still doesnt know what RAM is, or the differences between two CPUs and their frequency. Heck, the only reason people are beginning to understand what HD size translates into is because of the MP3 player era. You're giving the consumer farr too much credit. Its not that we're stupid buyers, its that we just don't know the difference as a whole. I know the difference, as most of the other posters/readers of this site do, but the other 75%* of individuals don't.


*estimate.

 

[pdjudd]

The Mac Pro by default does not come with OS X Server, therefor, no confusion. If I don't know the difference with something, I'm going to pick the cheapest because it doesnt concern me. In the Mini Server, its included. A consumer is going to assume its the exact same OS but maybe with some extra networking features. You don't seem to understand that most of the consumer computer market still doesnt know what RAM is, or the differences between two CPUs and their frequency. Heck, the only reason people are beginning to understand what HD size translates into is because of the MP3 player era. You're giving the consumer farr too much credit. Its not that we're stupid buyers, its that we just don't know the difference as a whole. I know the difference, as most of the other posters/readers of this site do, but the other 75%* of individuals don’t.
*estimate.

Look. We aren’t going to agree here so its no longer worth it. My experience says otherwise. Apple has a page on the server that is very separate. Your whole argument is based on the notion that customers do no research whatsoever and would buy a computer with no optical drive and comes with nothing that the Macs are advertised in the Apple store. That is a minority at best. My experience says that most people getting the mini are going to go for the cheapest one - the one that is not the server. Either that or they get the iMac. People have no problem not confusing the HP servers as normal computers - why must you assume that consumers are dumber?

Your average consumer is going to see the mini server as severely lacking and way too expensive - at the price they pay, they would see the iMac as a much better deal - it comes with way more.

You claim that consumers don’t know what RAM is or what processors mean anything. Then why would they buy a computer that has no optical drive that you have to add on - no PC offers that. If they are as uninformed as you think, they aren’t looking at a 1000 box that is the same size as a 600 dollar one. They are going to take one look at the mini server and think “too expensive” "No drive, worse than a PC!” And that assumes that they never see the product page and realize that it is targeted toward businesses. Even if they buy it, they will return it right away anyway when they see that it looks nothing like what they see on TV.

I contend that you are greatly misreading peoples intent - if they don’t understand hardware - why would they be spending 1000 bucks on a computer? I really doubt that people are going to look at the MacMini server as having any advantages that mean anything to them. They are going to look at it as having compromises that the other cheaper Macs don’t have.

Not to mention that switching to the Mac requires some savvy already. If we are talking about average consumers, they are probably not looking at Mac’s anyway. If they are looking at Mac’s they are going to have some savvy about what to buy - otherwise they are just going to stick with the $300 dell that is cheaper. Switching is not something that people do on a whim. If they are going to Mac, they have already done some reading and have some idea of what to get. People just don’t buy products that are laden with technobabble that they don’t get. The Mini server will just turn people away and the hardware certainly doesn’t draw most people either. Hey if they are willing to drop a grand - they might as well get the iMac, which for about 200 more is higher specced (numberwise) and has a built in screen and has the keyboard and mouse. If the mini means so much to them, they will just get the cheaper one.

Also - take a look at the Mini store page - again they emphasise the mini server as a business tool and point out that the regular minis have more:

It’s specially designed to be a server, with two 500GB hard drives and the software your group needs to work more efficiently. And it couldn’t be easier to set up and run.
Learn about Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server

They also point out that the normal Minis are configurable, that the regular minis offer software that the server does not. They are going out of their way to make sure customers know that they are two very different products. Someone has to make a big mistake to get the Server - it is marketed as offering less features for more.

As far as the os comment you made, I need proof before I accept it. You say people look for cheap. If that was the case, why would they even look at a one grand machine that has no DVD drive? You say the consumer assumes one thing, I say they assume another. When 90 percent of consumers get Windows, they get the home premium - the ones that get Ultimate know what they are getting. In this case people are not going to see it like that - especially when they are seeing terms like “Server, deploy, manage, collaborate, communicate”. Not to mention when the page points out that only the regular mini gets you options that the server won’t. A smart shopper looking at Macs isn’t going to like that their $1000 box doesn’t offer iLife, a DVD drive, the option to buy a monitor or other Apple software. I just don’t see that happening in most cases.

I simply see people looking at the MacMini server and think that it is way too expensive for something so limited. Plus the pages that describe this product claim its for business. Even Apple calls it a server - a product that any dictionary search can clear up. People will see that and lack of experience will draw them away. I say that if people are willing to drop a grand, they aren;t going to look at the Mini in the first place.

But none of us can prove anything. So we can’t assume anything beyond the fact that Apple pitches it as a different product. We cannot assume customer confusion without the ability to read people’s minds. We are reading two different things. Bottom line, I say that consumers who don’t do any research has as much chance of getting a MacMini server as they do getting an Mac Pro (cuz they want a kick ass tower) and seeing Mac OS server as an option, and say “Cool! Mac OS X Ultimate!” and get that instead. Ignorance is going to bite people no mater what - its even worse if they have money to burn.

 

[MacDSmith2]

A server is a very different animal than a client OS. Windows Server 2003 is a business server version of Windows and is very expensive. The Apple Server product is an OS/X server combined with the usual 1U Server rack hardware and is every bit as much a Server as Windows Server, but a lot less expensive. What Apple noticed was a lot of people turning their Mac Mini's into Servers for smaller groups, and that led to the Mac Mini Server. But Apple did not "dumb" down the OS/X Server the way Microsoft did for the Windows Home Server. It's still a full blown Server product, just a heck of a lot cheaper than any other complete Server solution on the market. That can be considered good or bad depending on your point of view. I think the Mac Mini Server is a much better server product than Windows Home Server, but it is also a sophisticated product, not a handcuffed product like Home Server. Also, a Server is not a client and you shouldn't think of buying OS/X server and then using it as if it were regular OS/X.

 

[belvdr]

Also, a Server is not a client...

A server can be a client and vice versa.

 

[Digitalclips]

I think you make a few very interesting points, but I think we're going to be seeing a lot of "how do i configure my new Mini Server" and Mac Mini vs Server Mini as Media server posts. Agree to disagree if you'd like. It's likely I could be wrong but only time will tell.

I've already had this. A client of mine for whom I run several web sites thought he'd save money (and asked me to help him not need me) and get a Mac Mini server and run his company web sites form home! I had to briefly explain about static IPs (yes I know all about No-IP) and the complexities of a server compared with the client OS and convince him to forget it. I still suspect he thinks I was fibbing. This is a person who barely knows how to save a file in the documents folder. I can imagine many, many people getting into this. The level of understanding is very low when it comes to this area and Apple IMHO need to add a note of caution to the sexy web pages for the Mac Mini Server stating set up that this is not a simple process for typical end users. Can you imagine the Apple support line once a load of novices get hold of these things?

 

[DukkyMuk]

Good Question

I think your question is a fair one. I found the post for googling the same exact question. I knew nothing about servers (or for that matter macs) when I bought my units. Its true that a server would help administration if that is what you are looking for. I ended up keeping Leopard non-server on my Mac Pros but was checking out the same question to see if there would be compatibility issues with Mac music software. So its not a bad question.

In fact, when I bought my first Mac Pro, I was highly curious about the server option because at the time I had no idea about the advantages but decided against it. However, I did a few days of online research and asking questions in forums before getting my Qnap 809 server. At the time I had no idea what I was doing with no server experience. I did however figure it out quickly thanks to online research and forums like this. If you are looking for a great file sharing server I would definitely recommend Qnap. They also seem to have the higher customer ratings. I think you will be pleased with the cross platform options and media sharing features. It may just fit your needs perfectly with a better price. Not to big on the web hosting features but mainly due to the connectivity and not the unit. Beyond that, I would not recommend the Mac Pro server unless you specifically need a feature from it for compatibility purposes. There are a lot of file sharing servers out there. Leopard servers are awesome but if you specifically do not need Mac then I would look elsewhere. If you were like me the first time I saw it, I thought it was an add on feature to Leopard with more capabilities. The features are definitely different but they are not "additional" features to the OS. It is entirely different.

 

[mortond]

I need a new system

Very interesting conversation.
I am a retired mechanical engineer and looking for something to keep the old grey matter firing.
My trusty Powerbook G4 has as many grey hairs as I.
Research at the Apple Store shows I can buy a Mac Mini with SLS for $999.
Alternatively, I can buy a Mac Mini 2.66/500GB with SL for $949.
8 GB ram at Amazon is $89.
Buying the SLS version gives me something to play with and, hopefully, succeed in creating a running system. Yes, I do want some of the components of iLife, Mail and Safari but if not included in the package they are not exactly that expensive to buy.
I would like to buy a cheap iPad, to play with, when young Steve decides to release it and include it on my network, as well as PB G4 and stream video to my TV and to a Vizio 22" Monitor/TV from my 1TB Iomega HD.

If it all goes horribly wrong I can purchase SL Box Set for $149 and, if necessary, a DVD drive for $79 install SL on the MM and admit I am incompetent.

I didn't NEED to fly but I got a pilot's license anyway.
I don't NEED a car that goes faster than 65 mph but I have one.
Some people just like to mess around and see if they can do something they haven't tried before. I bought SLS for Dummies, I think it is written in Mandarin!
BUT with the Internet and some common sense maybe I can achieve my goal. I have a million questions but somewhere out there will be someone to take the time to deal with an idiot and help.
I can understand the arrogance of some of this forums posters, I am an English ex-pat, we did arrogance centuries ago. However, some of the language used is very OTT, not exactly kind either if you think someone is an idiot don't talk to them, maintain your superior status.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[mortond]

..and now for something completely different....

SLS for Dummies mentions virtualization ah ha!
B & H sell the MM SL Server for $954 included in the price is a free copy of Parallels 6 for desktops for Mac.
They also sell Mac Box Set for $117 (SL 10.6, iLife, iWork) Adding a stand-alone Apple DVD drive for $79 is probably advisable. I am led to believe my PB G4 DVD drive wont be able to be used remotely to install an Intel based software package on an Intel machine.

If I bought this package, erased the installed SLS, installed SL & Parallels, created a virtual machine and install SLS on that machine would that work?

As I see it, probably naively, I would end up with a machine running SL and all its goodies and a separate machine where I could play/educate myself in the complexities of servers. The safeguard being if I screw it up completely I can erase, reinstall and start again whilst still having a working system to use for other things. Financially I would get a $500 server package for $117 & a free copy of SL!

What's wrong with this picture? (I do not offend easily)

 

[chrismacguy]

SLS for Dummies mentions virtualization ah ha!
B & H sell the MM SL Server for $954 included in the price is a free copy of Parallels 6 for desktops for Mac.
They also sell Mac Box Set for $117 (SL 10.6, iLife, iWork) Adding a stand-alone Apple DVD drive for $79 is probably advisable. I am led to believe my PB G4 DVD drive wont be able to be used remotely to install an Intel based software package on an Intel machine.

If I bought this package, erased the installed SLS, installed SL & Parallels, created a virtual machine and install SLS on that machine would that work?

As I see it, probably naively, I would end up with a machine running SL and all its goodies and a separate machine where I could play/educate myself in the complexities of servers. The safeguard being if I screw it up completely I can erase, reinstall and start again whilst still having a working system to use for other things. Financially I would get a $500 server package for $117 & a free copy of SL!

What's wrong with this picture? (I do not offend easily)

You've forgotten to add in the amount of money that learning OS X Server (Its a hobby, but it will consume your life...) will cost you in productivity - Trust me, as someone who has had a Mac Server kicking around somewhere or other for the best part of a decade (Major Geek from Birth), as a "hobby" it gets frustrating and time consuming in equal measure, in fact Ive semi-given-up on OS X Server and returned to running the Client on most of my machines for simplicity (Excluding a Single G4 I use to do all the serving in my house, which is on 24/7).

 

[Q-chan]

Very interesting conversation.
I am a retired mechanical engineer and looking for something to keep the old grey matter firing.
My trusty Powerbook G4 has as many grey hairs as I.
Research at the Apple Store shows I can buy a Mac Mini with SLS for $999.
Alternatively, I can buy a Mac Mini 2.66/500GB with SL for $949.
8 GB ram at Amazon is $89.
Buying the SLS version gives me something to play with and, hopefully, succeed in creating a running system. Yes, I do want some of the components of iLife, Mail and Safari but if not included in the package they are not exactly that expensive to buy.
I would like to buy a cheap iPad, to play with, when young Steve decides to release it and include it on my network, as well as PB G4 and stream video to my TV and to a Vizio 22" Monitor/TV from my 1TB Iomega HD.

If it all goes horribly wrong I can purchase SL Box Set for $149 and, if necessary, a DVD drive for $79 install SL on the MM and admit I am incompetent.

I didn't NEED to fly but I got a pilot's license anyway.
I don't NEED a car that goes faster than 65 mph but I have one.
Some people just like to mess around and see if they can do something they haven't tried before. I bought SLS for Dummies, I think it is written in Mandarin!
BUT with the Internet and some common sense maybe I can achieve my goal. I have a million questions but somewhere out there will be someone to take the time to deal with an idiot and help.
I can understand the arrogance of some of this forums posters, I am an English ex-pat, we did arrogance centuries ago. However, some of the language used is very OTT, not exactly kind either if you think someone is an idiot don't talk to them, maintain your superior status.

Just my 2 cents.

I admit I didn't read the whole thread...

I have the MM SLS and three other "normal" Macs. Here are my observations:
1. Can I use SLS as a workstation? Yes, you can, but not really out of the box. User account set-up is more complex, and than you have to reconfigure your desktop environment (almost) completely. After having done that, you can use it as desktop (as I did when my MBP was in for repair). However, you have to be prepared that getting certain ported Unix / Linux applications to run correctly can become challenging due to the LDAP based server accounts.

2. Does SLS have all desktop capabilities: No. There are a couple of typical desktop applications not included, in particular iLife is missing.

3. Is SLS faster? Certainly not. There are tons of things running to provide the server features, which are absent on a Workstation.

4. Is it easy to set-up? That depends. It comes with reasonable defaults out of the box, and simple things are very easy using the Sever_Admin utility. More complex things become challenging and will easily eat up a lot of time.

5. Do I recommend the MM SLS? Absolutely. When you have mastered the set-up (which is btw. aided with real good documentation), then the baby runs like a charm with no need for constant care.