snow leopard server to lion (non-server) upgrade

[Ricebucket]

I have a mac mini server that came with snow leopard server. My uses are relatively simple so I've never really used the server functionality. This has been fine, until now.

I'm trying to upgrade to Lion, but the installer won't proceed unless I also buy the $49 Lion Server add-on. Since I have no real need for the advanced server features, I prefer not to pay an extra $49. Not to mention that the reviews on the App Store have been poor for the server.

Is there a way to hack around the restriction in the installer that would allow me to upgrade to Lion? The restriction seems to be entirely a policy one and not a technical one, since upgrading from Snow Leopard Server to Lion Server requires running the Lion installer first anyway, meaning that it can successfully install on the Snow Leopard Server system.

 

[Robert Swier]

I'm interested in this as well. I got Snow Leopard Server on the previous Mini Server, which I got for the hardware and not so much for the server functionality. In fact, I don't even want the server functionality.

I have a non-server version of Snow Leopard on disk, but I'm not sure I can install that over Snow Leopard Server. (And anyway, it wouldn't save me any money because I'd have to buy the external CD drive for the Mini Server).


Example of why I don't want to run Server:

I tried to set up internet connection sharing, which is built-in to the non-server OS, but is absent from Server. With Server, you basically have to set that up the "right" way, which I tried to do, and ended up messing with the firewall rules. I could not find any way of resetting the rules, so I turned off the firewall completely (which you cannot even do in the non-server version). I used to have the machine connected directly to the DSL modem, but I wanted the machine to be behind a firewall, so I went out and bought a router with a built-in firewall to put between the machine and the modem. So Server seems to present only disadvantages, from my perspective...

 

[d1sahib]

Erase the boot drive using Disk Utility and then install Lion (please make sure to back up your apps and data under Snow Leopard Server first!).