OsX Server questions...... Check' Em Out!!!!

Snowmann said:

2. Does OsX Server have the capabilities to host Mac games such as Halo 1, Call Of Duty 2, if so how do you do this?

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What are you planning to do that requires OSX Server, especially given it's price tag? Judging from the above statement I'm not entirely sure you understand what Mac OS X Server actually does; depending on your usage it may be gross overkill.

Snowmann said:

Im not concerned by the price tag but explain to me why you made the statement "I'm not entirely sure you understand what Mac OS X Server actually does..."?

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http://www.apple.com/server/resources/

OSX client is actually made to run 24/7. No need for server.
Nothing you said really says you need any OSX server features.

Several of my own servers (running PFSense/CentOS, no Mac OS X servers) running various services for my local network. My PFSense box acts as a network gateway with NAT, Firewall and HTTP caching proxy services (squid rocks!) while my CentOS-based server is running DNS, SMTP, POP/IMAP and Apache for my domain. Mac OS X Server will act as a server for most of these services as well and give you a nice (if limiting) GUI to go with it.

If you are just using one to create a network share, you'd probably be better off buying one of the pre-built NAS solutions or, if you would rather run your own, grab a free NAS distro such as FreeNAS or OpenFiler and install them onto your favorite hardware (FreeNAS is my personal favorite). They are both free and relatively easy to use; they can quite a bit more difficult to initially setup than a pre-built solution depending on your level of expertise.

For the most part, unless a company released a dedicated server package (which you can run on any supported machine), you will need a copy of the game installed and running on the machine you want to host. Unless you're hosting a server that you want visible to the world 24/7, it's not worth the effort to setup a dedicated system; it's far easier just to host the game from within the client (and, in many games, they can only host that way).

Snowmann said:

So I am a true Mac Geek and I have a couple of geeky questions...

1. What Mac computer could I use thats cheap, and good, to install OsX Server on and use as a small home server?

2. Does OsX Server have the capabilities to host Mac games such as Halo 1, Call Of Duty 2, if so how do you do this?

3. Does anybody have a small Mac-only home server if so tell me how you like it and how welll does it work?

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Believe it or not, I used to use an old PowerBook G4 as a home server for a couple months. I plugged it into power, left it on a chair, turned its display brightness off and there was my server. It ran some small game servers (nothing like Halo or COD) and a web server.

Although, it looks like you're looking to buy a new machine for this purpose. If so, Mac Minis are often good home server machines. It would probably be enough to run Halo or COD just fine.

Depending on your ability, if I were you I would so go with linux, e.g. Ubuntu Server, or something like that. Theres no point in paying that much for Mac Osx server if its your first time.

I've deployed OS X Server, and it would offer zero benefits for what you're looking to do.

If you want LDAP, iCal server, and other things, ok. For what you're doing, go build a cheap server and learn Linux very well.

Take some of the money you saved by not using OS X Server, and get a Mac Mini and a 24" screen as your dedicated server console. That way you're using a Mac, but you're using Linux in a situation that it's designed for.