Am I Crazy - want to keep the iMac just to use as a display/server

[A Hobo]

Hi there,
i love my 27" iMac. I do.
But, I miss my Mac Pro.

I want to keep the iMac just to use as a display/server.

has anyone wanted to have a layout as such? or is using this layout

Mac Mini > iMac < Mac Pro (no thunderbolt yet i know)

Im not 100% about including the mac mini yet, i occasionally hook up my macbook pro to my iMac to use as an external display as thats my main machine.

I have two time capsules as well is their any way to "raid" them? i doubt it. but if there is a way i would appreciate knowing.

or am i crazy?

 

[Apple fanboy]

Not crazy just crazy rich!

 

[zone23]

I dont think your crazy at all, are you going to buy OSX Server for it too? I would its only 50 bucks..

 

[A Hobo]

I dont think your crazy at all, are you going to buy OSX Server for it too? I would its only 50 bucks..

what benefits does it have?
im quite happy with the file sharing options in the client version of osx, but if it allows.. i dont know, combined computational power somehow then id do it

 

[David085]

not crazy, but insane... insanelymac...

 

[driftless]

What do you mean by server? I will be recycling/re-purposing my late '09 iMac as a media/iTunes "server".

 

[zone23]

Honestly I don't know too much about it other than what I read in the App Store. I guess you would have to do a little Google research to see if its worth $49.99 or not. Looks to me like it probably is if you looking to turn your Mac into a sever.

 

[BSoares]

What iMac do you have? If it's the 2011 model then it can only take Thunderbolt input which means your Mac Pro won't work. But if it's late 2009 or mid 2010 then it should be fine to function as a display for you but keep in mind it has to be running to work that way so you'll have OS X running even if you don't need it. Uses a little more power and generates a little more noise than you'd need with a simple display.

If I were you I'd sell that iMac and buy the Cinema Display from 2010 which still sells as new and would work with your Mac Pro and Macbook Pro.

 

[mono1980]

What iMac do you have? If it's the 2011 model then it can only take Thunderbolt input which means your Mac Pro won't work.

There are these magical things called adapters, or am I wrong?

 

[BSoares]

There are these magical things called adapters, or am I wrong?

No adapters yet to convert Thunderbolt signal. Kanex says they're working on one but it's not out yet.

That's the reason Apple still sells the display with mini DP instead of TB. Because the TB really can only take TB signal and someday PCs will have it but right now only newer Macs offer that.

 

[dona83]

Sheesh, I have a 2006 iMac I'm using as an iTunes server.

However, won't a Thunderbolt connection downgrade itself automatically to a Mini DisplayPort connection?

 

[mono1980]

No adapters yet to convert Thunderbolt signal. Kanex says they're working on one but it's not out yet.

Thanks for clearing that up for me.

 

[BSoares]

Sheesh, I have a 2006 iMac I'm using as an iTunes server.

However, won't a Thunderbolt connection downgrade itself automatically to a Mini DisplayPort connection?

As output, yes. Input, no. TB input only takes TB signal.

 

[iMarvin]

Ive been thinking of the same thing actually. I also have a time capsule, but if i make the iMac a server i will get rid of that and get a lacie 2big 4TB instead, because with lion server you can time machine to the server instead, and with gigabit ethernet and thunderbolt. It will be crazy fast

And more secure as well, if choose to use raid 1 since you have two mirrored hard drives, if one fails you always have the other one.

 

[TacticalDesire]

Sell your iMac, get a cinema display and use your mac pro as a server. Or get a used, mac mini server with two drive bays.