[FX.php List] Economical Mac Server setup

[Bob Patin]

Karl,

Respectfully speaking, I think you're not considering the most  
important aspects of hosting databases:

1. Drive speed - I already talked about that, but I'll reiterate that  
drive speed is an important part of serving databases;

2. Reliability - Here's a good comparison -- on Smile On My Mac's site  
right now they have a G5 dual-2.0Ghz for $699; they also have an Intel  
Mac Mini 1.66 for $499; granted, an Intel Mac would be a better  
choice, all things equal, but having used both extensively, I would  
trust a G5 tower much more than I'll ever trust a Mac Mini. I have 6  
here, so I do have lots of experience with Mac Minis; incidentally, I  
have 4 G5 towers too.

I just don't see a $200 savings being the determining factor when  
choosing a production machine, when one catastrophic failure can cause  
you to permanently lose a client.

3. If your client were to visit your facility, and you showed him the  
Mac Mini on which his precious databases were running, would he feel  
reassured? Probably not. On the other hand, you show him a G5 tower-- 
would he feel reassured? Most likely. Granted, the G5 is not cutting- 
edge by any means, but I use it as an example of what I consider to be  
the lowest acceptable machine for production use.

Here's one last consideration: on Smile on my Mac's site (I use them  
as an example because they sell a ton of used Macs and are very  
reliable), you can make these choices:

G5 2.0 dual - $699
G5 1.6 single - $449
Mac Mini 1.66 Intel - $499

What would I choose, if money were really tight? The 2nd option.

I agree that you need to balance your needs, but needs should be  
prioritized:

1. Reliability - this MUST be first in the list
2. Speed
3. Price

... not the other way around... :)

OK, I'm off my soapbox now!

Bob Patin
Longterm Solutions LLC
bob at longtermsolutions.com
615-333-6858
http://www.longtermsolutions.com
Twitter: bobpatin
iChat/AIM: bobpatin
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On Feb 10, 2009, at 6:09 PM, Karl Johnson wrote:

> John,
>
> We are setting up a Mac Mini as a  FMPro 10 Server advanced to share  
> out to a number of clients.  The one draw back I see potentially  
> coming in is the limitation of the hard drive size especially if the  
> clients need to store photos.  Other than that a Mac Mini or a G5  
> will work wonders.
>
> Whenever I look at setting up a new server of any sort, I always try  
> and weigh affordability now and how long until I need to upgrade.   
> The upgrade piece can be tricky as software (FMPro or other) may  
> require newer OS than machine can handle.  When you find the balance  
> of needs then choosing a machine is easy.
>
> Karl