Advice on a Mac server
I need to price and spec up an apple mac server. Space wise it needs to store around 2TB and have its own tape backup system.
I was thinking of the Xserve and preferably the Intel version when it is released which is rumoured for sometime next month I believe.
I dont suppose there are any leaked specs about? :)
The current Xserve can support only 1TB (if using RAID 5) so I guess we will need the X-serve RAID and I might aswell spec the 3TB (7*500GB) enclosure as the lower one is only 750GB (4*250GB).
If I use the raid enclosure I will need a fibre channel interface in one of the slots.
I assume I wont also need a RAID card aswell?
I am guessing this is to do hardware raid with internal drives only?
Next comes the tape backup system. Originally I saw the Exabyte VXA-2 (http://www.clubmac.com/clubmac/shop/detail~dpno~432846.asp) but this wont be big enough now. So perhaps the VXA-320 (http://www.clubmac.com/clubmac/shop/detail~dpno~627773.asp) which will give 1.6TB of native capacity which should be fine. This appears to be SCSI only so I will need the other PCI slot fitted with a SCSI card.
This means that there is no spare slot to fit a video card. I know these servers are designed to be run with no video cards but the IT deaprtment does not use macs so it makes it a bit more of a pain to manage. Perhaps we can get a mac mini for it management.
What would you recomend for use as backup software?
Any alternative suggestions?
I was thinking of the Xserve and preferably the Intel version when it is released which is rumoured for sometime next month I believe.
I dont suppose there are any leaked specs about? :)
The current Xserve can support only 1TB (if using RAID 5) so I guess we will need the X-serve RAID and I might aswell spec the 3TB (7*500GB) enclosure as the lower one is only 750GB (4*250GB).
If I use the raid enclosure I will need a fibre channel interface in one of the slots.
I assume I wont also need a RAID card aswell?
I am guessing this is to do hardware raid with internal drives only?
Next comes the tape backup system. Originally I saw the Exabyte VXA-2 (http://www.clubmac.com/clubmac/shop/detail~dpno~432846.asp) but this wont be big enough now. So perhaps the VXA-320 (http://www.clubmac.com/clubmac/shop/detail~dpno~627773.asp) which will give 1.6TB of native capacity which should be fine. This appears to be SCSI only so I will need the other PCI slot fitted with a SCSI card.
This means that there is no spare slot to fit a video card. I know these servers are designed to be run with no video cards but the IT deaprtment does not use macs so it makes it a bit more of a pain to manage. Perhaps we can get a mac mini for it management.
What would you recomend for use as backup software?
Any alternative suggestions?
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The Exabyte 221L looks very nice but is way too expensive.
To be honest having a mac server is overkill really. Do you know of any network attached storage devices (with built in RAID) which are mac compatible?
I am considering getting one of these instead and backing up the data to separate discs or something.
We have Linux servers and the macs do work with them but with the mac (unix underneath) talming windows networking to the server which is just emulating it itself does introduce the windows filename limits and has caused file locking issues in the past aswell.
What do the macs use for file sharing?
I assume they now use a form of NFS rather than appletalk?
To be honest having a mac server is overkill really. Do you know of any network attached storage devices (with built in RAID) which are mac compatible?
I am considering getting one of these instead and backing up the data to separate discs or something.
We have Linux servers and the macs do work with them but with the mac (unix underneath) talming windows networking to the server which is just emulating it itself does introduce the windows filename limits and has caused file locking issues in the past aswell.
What do the macs use for file sharing?
I assume they now use a form of NFS rather than appletalk?
> What do the macs use for file sharing?
> I assume they now use a form of NFS rather than appletalk?
Mac OS X supports NFS (Unix), AFP (Apple), or SMB (Windows) file sharing protocols.
> I assume they now use a form of NFS rather than appletalk?
Mac OS X supports NFS (Unix), AFP (Apple), or SMB (Windows) file sharing protocols.
ASKER
One supplier I spoke to said they were not particularly reliable and recomended LTO instead.