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OperatorJ81

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 22, 2015
75
40
Hey all, I am a small business (providing ITSEC services to SMBs and enterprises) and I need a new server for some new services I am offering to my clients. I can (and would love to) run them off a Mac, but need the hp of a Mac Pro vs a Mini Server or even an iMac (need to be able to rack mount it). I don't want to buy a stale system, but need to get the server by 1 Oct this year. Do we have any realistic expectation of getting a refreshed MP anytime soon? Thanks!

Jason
 

ITguy2016

Suspended
May 25, 2016
736
581
Hey all, I am a small business (providing ITSEC services to SMBs and enterprises) and I need a new server for some new services I am offering to my clients. I can (and would love to) run them off a Mac, but need the hp of a Mac Pro vs a Mini Server or even an iMac (need to be able to rack mount it). I don't want to buy a stale system, but need to get the server by 1 Oct this year. Do we have any realistic expectation of getting a refreshed MP anytime soon? Thanks!
IMO...no.
 

keysofanxiety

macrumors G3
Nov 23, 2011
9,539
25,302
I say yes! There'll be a new Mac Pro before October; based on nothing but optimism and desperate hope.

Regardless, if the last update was anything to go by, there'll be a 3 month backlog on actually getting one. So you might as well pursue a different model.
 

OperatorJ81

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 22, 2015
75
40
I say yes! There'll be a new Mac Pro before October; based on nothing but optimism and desperate hope.

Regardless, if the last update was anything to go by, there'll be a 3 month backlog on actually getting one. So you might as well pursue a different model.

Haha. This would be my first MP, I've had an Air and several MBPs, couple of iMacs, and a Mini. Basically everything but. But I have my ways
 

ActionableMango

macrumors G3
Sep 21, 2010
9,612
6,907
Nobody knows, but I seriously doubt a new Mac Pro would be announced and available for general purchase in time for you to deliver on Oct 1.
 

chrfr

macrumors G5
Jul 11, 2009
13,492
6,981
Hey all, I am a small business (providing ITSEC services to SMBs and enterprises) and I need a new server for some new services I am offering to my clients. I can (and would love to) run them off a Mac, but need the hp of a Mac Pro vs a Mini Server or even an iMac (need to be able to rack mount it). I don't want to buy a stale system, but need to get the server by 1 Oct this year. Do we have any realistic expectation of getting a refreshed MP anytime soon? Thanks!

Jason
As someone who manages several OS X based servers, but is gradually migrating away from them, there's really nothing an OS X based server does better than other platforms at this point, aside from the caching server. I certainly wouldn't hold out for a new Mac Pro on which I'd base a server.
 

OperatorJ81

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 22, 2015
75
40
As someone who manages several OS X based servers, but is gradually migrating away from them, there's really nothing an OS X based server does better than other platforms at this point, aside from the caching server. I certainly wouldn't hold out for a new Mac Pro on which I'd base a server.

Can you expound on this at all? I would be interested to hear your feedback.
 

scotttnz

macrumors 6502a
Dec 16, 2012
817
3,383
Auckland, New Zealand
If there isn't a new Mac Pro when Sierra releases, I'd give up all hope at that point. Same goes for Mac Mini and possibly others as well. It just makes sense to me that they would release new hardware along with the new OS version....one can only hope.
 
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Bubba Satori

Suspended
Feb 15, 2008
4,726
3,756
B'ham
Hey all, I am a small business (providing ITSEC services to SMBs and enterprises) and I need a new server for some new services I am offering to my clients. I can (and would love to) run them off a Mac, but need the hp of a Mac Pro vs a Mini Server or even an iMac (need to be able to rack mount it). I don't want to buy a stale system, but need to get the server by 1 Oct this year. Do we have any realistic expectation of getting a refreshed MP anytime soon? Thanks!

Jason

No.
Call Dell or HP.
Forum member Aiden Shaw is one of the more server knowledgeable people around here.
 

44267547

Cancelled
Jul 12, 2016
37,642
42,491
Seems doubtful to me. But then again I follow the media with very little reports or indication we would see an October/Fall release.
 

dj23andMe

macrumors member
Feb 16, 2016
75
46
Seattle, WA
Hey all, I am a small business (providing ITSEC services to SMBs and enterprises) and I need a new server for some new services I am offering to my clients. I can (and would love to) run them off a Mac, but need the hp of a Mac Pro vs a Mini Server or even an iMac (need to be able to rack mount it). I don't want to buy a stale system, but need to get the server by 1 Oct this year. Do we have any realistic expectation of getting a refreshed MP anytime soon? Thanks!

Jason

Hackintosh
http://www.tonymacx86.com/
 

OperatorJ81

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 22, 2015
75
40
No.
Call Dell or HP.
Forum member Aiden Shaw is one of the more server knowledgeable people around here.

I'm starting to see that this might be my only (perhaps best) option. It will absolutely be Dell over HP though. I've had far too many bad experiences with HP hardware.
 

Hank Carter

macrumors 6502
Oct 1, 2015
338
744
"I'm not sure what this Mac Pro is that you speak of, but perhaps we can interest you in one of our amazing new watchbands?"


Wait for October. If nothing shows try to beat the crowd to the exits and go Linux or Windows.

I'd pass on the current nMP. Its 4 year old technology and seriously overpriced. Also too many horror stories in regards to thermal failure rates of the proprietary GPU cards.
 
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deconstruct60

macrumors G5
Mar 10, 2009
12,219
3,821
... there's really nothing an OS X based server does better than other platforms at this point, aside from the caching server....

Time Machine target may be marginally better. OS X Server may track APFS better than third parties ( if Apple does the work they should do. ... Yeah, that's an "if". )
[doublepost=1472020346][/doublepost]
Can you expound on this at all? I would be interested to hear your feedback.

OS X Server is essentially just a set of apps layered on top of the regular OS X ( soon to be macOS. ;-) ).
For basic internet/network services (i.e., email , DHCP , LDAP , print spool , etc) there isn't nothing particularly special about Apple's apps. Most have some open source foundations to them. The main development thread/effort for those are typically on Linux ( or maybe FreeBSD). Apple's ports tend to lag behind ( sometimes for no good reason). Apple's GUI wrapper around them only adds marginal value to many experienced sysadmins.

File sharing Apple is moving to SMB ( and AFP is basically in deprecated mode). Apple's SMB implementation efforts have been perhaps underfunded ( or something like where the hardware effort has been. ).

There are other iOS provisioning/management systems out there don't require Mac OS X that are at least as good as what Apple offers.

So the only specialized service that do substantially better than others is caching system updates.

If just gong to basic internet/network services then can run Linux or Windows Server and there are other hardware options. "On the Internet no one knows you are a dog" is an old cartoon. Basic Internet services are OS/hardware independent. There is little to no traction for Apple to add some "value add" to them.



If you need a Mac "Server" to run some centralized 'desktop' application ( not a network service) then perhaps.
[doublepost=1472023247][/doublepost]
... but need to get the server by 1 Oct this year. Do we have any realistic expectation of getting a refreshed MP anytime soon? Thanks!

Last couple of years Apple has only released Macs (if any ) if the mid-late October time frame. If your deadline is to deploy and be operational by October 1st then you are highly likely at odds with Apple's release schedule even if there is a Mac Pro in the queue.

macOS Sierra is coming and a new Mac Pro would be very unlikely to be introduced before that ships. There are not major hints in the Beta about new hardware which points to nothing extremely soon. Apple will likely finish the iOS transition to iOS 10 on deployed iOs devices , the iPhone upgrade , and the update of macOS to the already deployed Macs out there before getting to new Macs with the new OS. It will likely be post Oct 1. once the dust settles on all of those other rollouts.
 
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OperatorJ81

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 22, 2015
75
40
Time Machine target may be marginally better. OS X Server may track APFS better than third parties ( if Apple does the work they should do. ... Yeah, that's an "if". )
[doublepost=1472020346][/doublepost]

OS X Server is essentially just a set of apps layered on top of the regular OS X ( soon to be macOS. ;-) ).
For basic internet/network services (i.e., email , DHCP , LDAP , print spool , etc) there isn't nothing particularly special about Apple's apps. Most have some open source foundations to them. The main development thread/effort for those are typically on Linux ( or maybe FreeBSD). Apple's ports tend to lag behind ( sometimes for no good reason). Apple's GUI wrapper around them only adds marginal value to many experienced sysadmins.

File sharing Apple is moving to SMB ( and AFP is basically in deprecated mode). Apple's SMB implementation efforts have been perhaps underfunded ( or something like where the hardware effort has been. ).

There are other iOS provisioning/management systems out there don't require Mac OS X that are at least as good as what Apple offers.

So the only specialized service that do substantially better than others is caching system updates.

If just gong to basic internet/network services then can run Linux or Windows Server and there are other hardware options. "On the Internet no one knows you are a dog" is an old cartoon. Basic Internet services are OS/hardware independent. There is little to no traction for Apple to add some "value add" to them.



If you need a Mac "Server" to run some centralized 'desktop' application ( not a network service) then perhaps.
[doublepost=1472023247][/doublepost]

Last couple of years Apple has only released Macs (if any ) if the mid-late October time frame. If your deadline is to deploy and be operational by October 1st then you are highly likely at odds with Apple's release schedule even if there is a Mac Pro in the queue.

macOS Sierra is coming and a new Mac Pro would be very unlikely to be introduced before that ships. There are not major hints in the Beta about new hardware which points to nothing extremely soon. Apple will likely finish the iOS transition to iOS 10 on deployed iOs devices , the iPhone upgrade , and the update of macOS to the already deployed Macs out there before getting to new Macs with the new OS. It will likely be post Oct 1. once the dust settles on all of those other rollouts.

Thanks for the very good info. One of my potentially most useful components of OS X Server is Profile Manager as a sort of rudimentary MDM for a client's Apple devices. Is there a good open source / free version you guys are aware of? Client is a small business who doesn't want to pay a monthly fee per device for the fee features they are actually going to use (Airwatch or MobileIron would be overkill)

I spec'd out a Dell server yesterday for the other components for another client.
 

chrfr

macrumors G5
Jul 11, 2009
13,492
6,981
Thanks for the very good info. One of my potentially most useful components of OS X Server is Profile Manager as a sort of rudimentary MDM for a client's Apple devices. Is there a good open source / free version you guys are aware of? Client is a small business who doesn't want to pay a monthly fee per device for the fee features they are actually going to use (Airwatch or MobileIron would be overkill)

I spec'd out a Dell server yesterday for the other components for another client.
Profile Manager has been a particularly unreliable system in OS X Server, but you absolutely don't need a Mac Pro if you'd like to run it. It'd run as well as anywhere on the entry level Mac Mini. Cisco's Meraki MDM is free for up to 100 devices; JAMF's Bushel is about $2/month/device.
Personally I use Profile Manager, or sometimes a tool called MCXToProfile, to generate profiles but then push them to client machines using Munki. That way, when the Profile Manager database corrupts itself I can just generate new profiles without having to worry about re-enrolling workstations into PM.
What else would you be running on this server that leads you to think a Mac Pro is necessary?
 

Silencio

macrumors 68040
Jul 18, 2002
3,447
1,552
NYC
Outside of a very few specific applications, a nMP is not a great choice for a server, especially in a rack mount environment. What services do you want to run on this server? What are the performance / availability requirements? What kind of network / storage connectivity do you need?

If you need to manage Mac clients (MDM, Netboot, SUS, etc), there are loads of free and open source server tools that don't even have to run on a Mac. Munki for automating software installs and updates, Reposado for a much improved version of Apple's own SUS, FreeNAS for file sharing, etc. There is a Linux-based NetBoot and system imaging replacement as well, but I forget the name of the project(s).

If I were building a fresh infrastructure for managing OS X and iOS clients, I'd probably virtualize all my services.

If you really want to stay on OS X, a Mac mini ought to be more than sufficient.
 
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buster84

macrumors 6502
Oct 7, 2013
428
156
Hey all, I am a small business (providing ITSEC services to SMBs and enterprises) and I need a new server for some new services I am offering to my clients. I can (and would love to) run them off a Mac, but need the hp of a Mac Pro vs a Mini Server or even an iMac (need to be able to rack mount it). I don't want to buy a stale system, but need to get the server by 1 Oct this year. Do we have any realistic expectation of getting a refreshed MP anytime soon? Thanks!

Jason

Do you need it for a rack? If so you can still buy the xserve models online or on ebay. Otherwise apple stopped using those as options and your only other choice is the trashcan models.

Since it sounds like you really want a mac pro for your business and dont want to buy a 3 year old outdated computer (how apple could let it go this long makes us wonder if this is the new apple), why dont you buy a 27" imac for now, then wait till the mac pro's come out and replace it. Then sell the imac on cragslist for a marginal tiny loss depending on how long you've had it, or buy a used one with applecare left on it then resell it after the mac pros come out. OR better yet, when you replace it take the 27' home to your family since you own the business xD.
 
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