First off, if you are taking the time to read this - Thank you! As I have little knowledge in terms of networking or any server setup and have tried searching for answer on-line with little understanding on my behalf.
As a business deduction at the end of last year I purchased the mac mini server with 2X256GB Solid State Drive (I figured more expensive must mean better, but I really don't know, despite a loss in storage capacity).
I am wanting to know the best way to set this up with the following things in mind:
- I work with my brother who lives in another state, so he will need to be able to remotely log in to access all the files. The mac genius at apple told me the only way to do this was with a static IP address @ $85/month. Which for starters, I know you can get for probably $6/month. However, from what I have tried reading on the boards....the VPN option sounds like it might be the way to go? and free?
- At home I have one desktop and two laptops - that I want to be able to back-up. Initially I was thinking I could just drag it all to the server, but with opting for the 2SSD I was afraid I would be using too much space. Then I read about people who have expanded their server by adding additional hard drives and then formatting it all together. Today, I was at the apple store with the intention of purchasing the time capsule, thinking that would be the easy answer. But the business specialist told me I would be better to go with the G-Raid drive....and set me up with an appointment with another genius tomorrow. But I rather find input from the group here. Feel free to also comment in terms of RAID 1 / RAID 0....etc.....again, I have no clue of where to start.
My two laptops just float around the house and never really dock anywhere. Which is why I liked the idea of being able to backup wirelessly with the TC. However, one of the two laptops is about to be put down and really the files just need to be transferred/backed up.
I tend to have files on my laptop and desktop that I need at various times and I end up either e-mailing the files to myself or putting them on a cloud so I can pull it down on the other computer. This is a huge pain and waste of time.
Ultimately, I am looking for the best setup to be able to access any of my files from any of my home computers AND from external locations. Preferably, with some kind of back-up integrated into the setup.
Your help is greatly appreciated! Please let me know if you need any other details!
As a business deduction at the end of last year I purchased the mac mini server with 2X256GB Solid State Drive (I figured more expensive must mean better, but I really don't know, despite a loss in storage capacity).
I am wanting to know the best way to set this up with the following things in mind:
- I work with my brother who lives in another state, so he will need to be able to remotely log in to access all the files. The mac genius at apple told me the only way to do this was with a static IP address @ $85/month. Which for starters, I know you can get for probably $6/month. However, from what I have tried reading on the boards....the VPN option sounds like it might be the way to go? and free?
- At home I have one desktop and two laptops - that I want to be able to back-up. Initially I was thinking I could just drag it all to the server, but with opting for the 2SSD I was afraid I would be using too much space. Then I read about people who have expanded their server by adding additional hard drives and then formatting it all together. Today, I was at the apple store with the intention of purchasing the time capsule, thinking that would be the easy answer. But the business specialist told me I would be better to go with the G-Raid drive....and set me up with an appointment with another genius tomorrow. But I rather find input from the group here. Feel free to also comment in terms of RAID 1 / RAID 0....etc.....again, I have no clue of where to start.
My two laptops just float around the house and never really dock anywhere. Which is why I liked the idea of being able to backup wirelessly with the TC. However, one of the two laptops is about to be put down and really the files just need to be transferred/backed up.
I tend to have files on my laptop and desktop that I need at various times and I end up either e-mailing the files to myself or putting them on a cloud so I can pull it down on the other computer. This is a huge pain and waste of time.
Ultimately, I am looking for the best setup to be able to access any of my files from any of my home computers AND from external locations. Preferably, with some kind of back-up integrated into the setup.
Your help is greatly appreciated! Please let me know if you need any other details!