MDD File Server that can be accessed from ANYWHERE!

[CYB3RBYTE]

So I have a MacBook Air that I use as my portable machine, and it only has the 128GB SSD. I really wanted to store some of my photos on another machine, and be able to access those from wherever I may need to (as long as I have internet of course!). I followed the wonderful guide to creating a Mac File Server that is posted on the MacBook Air forums section, and I now have a working PowerMac G4 MDD File Server that can be accessed from anywhere!

I haven't tried accessing it from anywhere else but home yet, so I will post an update if it works or not. Also, my MDD only currently has 1 80GB HDD in it, so I plan to put either dual 80GB drives or dual 250GB drives in it.

Does anyone know if it would be okay to leave the machine on all day so I can access it whenever? I know that these MDD's have PSU issues, so I would hate to kill mine by trying to make it a server...

 

[Altemose]

So I have a MacBook Air that I use as my portable machine, and it only has the 128GB SSD. I really wanted to store some of my photos on another machine, and be able to access those from wherever I may need to (as long as I have internet of course!). I followed the wonderful guide to creating a Mac File Server that is posted on the MacBook Air forums section, and I now have a working PowerMac G4 MDD File Server that can be accessed from anywhere!

I haven't tried accessing it from anywhere else but home yet, so I will post an update if it works or not. Also, my MDD only currently has 1 80GB HDD in it, so I plan to put either dual 80GB drives or dual 250GB drives in it.

Does anyone know if it would be okay to leave the machine on all day so I can access it whenever? I know that these MDD's have PSU issues, so I would hate to kill mine by trying to make it a server...

While it is perfectly fine to leave these running as servers, it would be far cheaper to make your router a NAS that can be accessed over the Internet. I do that with my AirPort Extreme and it works great and the functionality is supported on many different routers.

 

[poiihy]

While it is perfectly fine to leave these running as servers, it would be far cheaper to make your router a NAS that can be accessed over the Internet. I do that with my AirPort Extreme and it works great and the functionality is supported on many different routers.

Cheaper in what way? Hardware costs or power costs? And how much would it cost to run a PPC Mac as a server 24/7? How much energy does a PPC Mac usually use?

 

[PowerMac G4 MDD]

Cheaper in what way? Hardware costs or power costs? And how much would it cost to run a PPC Mac as a server 24/7? How much energy does a PPC Mac usually use?

My brother's Mac Pro would run all the time and was actually costing us. An MDD uses more electricity than even a Mac Pro, and it would definitely cost something to leave running all the time. Newer computers use less and less electricity, normally, so even if you have a powerhouse of a new computer, it shouldn't use as much as an MDD. (unless it's a Windows PC).

 

[redheeler]

My brother's Mac Pro would run all the time and was actually costing us. An MDD uses more electricity than even a Mac Pro, and it would definitely cost something to leave running all the time. Newer computers use less and less electricity, normally, so even if you have a powerhouse of a new computer, it shouldn't use as much as an MDD. (unless it's a Windows PC).

That's why Mac minis make great servers
Even a Mac mini G4 would work a lot better.

 

[PowerMac G4 MDD]

That's why Mac minis make great servers
Even a Mac mini G4 would work a lot better.

Yeah, a Mac Mini makes a great server. We currently have a 2009 Mac Mini (server model) running in out basement 24/7. It runs Time Machine backups and a Minecraft server xD.

 

[Altemose]

Cheaper in what way? Hardware costs or power costs? And how much would it cost to run a PPC Mac as a server 24/7? How much energy does a PPC Mac usually use?

Electricity costs is one factor but also the maintenance factor. If something goes wrong you have to do some troubleshooting. With a basic NAS or USB hard drive on a router, it is far simpler at the sacrifice of some speed. It all depends on what your needs are and what equipment you have.

That's why Mac minis make great servers

Even a Mac mini G4 would work a lot better.

The only downfall to a Mac Mini G4 is the 10/100 Ethernet port. That being said try are great servers otherwise.

 

[CYB3RBYTE]

That's why Mac minis make great servers
Even a Mac mini G4 would work a lot better.

Yeah I got yelled at by my father for even trying to do this because he thought the machine may catch fire and burn down the house while we weren't home...

I may just get a Mini and use that as a server, but I would schedule my computer to turn on at about 8:00 and shut down at around 2:00. I don't actually know how to setup a NAS, although I have heard they are pretty handy.

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Yeah, a Mac Mini makes a great server. We currently have a 2009 Mac Mini (server model) running in out basement 24/7. It runs Time Machine backups and a Minecraft server xD.

I would love to host a server off of a Mini! In fact, I too use an Airport Extreme 5th Gen for the wireless at my home. I just need to find a way to access the drive while I'm not at home...

 

[CYB3RBYTE]

Okay I looked up an article that entails how to connect an external hard drive to an Airport Extreme and be able to connect to it wirelessly from anywhere. Here is the link: http://itsmetommy.com/2012/12/11/airport-extreme-share-disks-over-wan/.

In order for this to work you are going to need your IP Address, which can change from time to time. If you need to check your IP, you can go to this website that will tell you your current IP: http://checkip.dyndns.com/.

BTW, I was not aware of how much power a MDD would use versus a newer PC. I obviously knew that newer PC's are more energy efficient. I'm thinking that there has to be a way to schedule when the Mac starts up and shuts down, so that it conserves some energy... anyone know how you would do this?

 

[128keaton]

Yeah I got yelled at by my father for even trying to do this because he thought the machine may catch fire and burn down the house while we weren't home...

I may just get a Mini and use that as a server, but I would schedule my computer to turn on at about 8:00 and shut down at around 2:00. I don't actually know how to setup a NAS, although I have heard they are pretty handy.

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I would love to host a server off of a Mini! In fact, I too use an Airport Extreme 5th Gen for the wireless at my home. I just need to find a way to access the drive while I'm not at home...

Honestly, check out this link for a great home server using Raspberry Pi. My server is a P4 machine with Ubuntu Server on it. Great torrentbox/Minecraft server/anything else. It runs a Docker stack for virtualization, so each process that I use is separate. Very speedy and handy. I'd highly recommend running Docker on a Mac Mini.

 

[Altemose]

Okay I looked up an article that entails how to connect an external hard drive to an Airport Extreme and be able to connect to it wirelessly from anywhere. Here is the link: http://itsmetommy.com/2012/12/11/airport-extreme-share-disks-over-wan/.

In order for this to work you are going to need your IP Address, which can change from time to time. If you need to check your IP, you can go to this website that will tell you your current IP: http://checkip.dyndns.com/.

BTW, I was not aware of how much power a MDD would use versus a newer PC. I obviously knew that newer PC's are more energy efficient. I'm thinking that there has to be a way to schedule when the Mac starts up and shuts down, so that it conserves some energy... anyone know how you would do this?

If you use an AirPort Extreme it will work fine and even accounts will work over the Internet.

 

[128keaton]

Okay I looked up an article that entails how to connect an external hard drive to an Airport Extreme and be able to connect to it wirelessly from anywhere. Here is the link: http://itsmetommy.com/2012/12/11/airport-extreme-share-disks-over-wan/.

In order for this to work you are going to need your IP Address, which can change from time to time. If you need to check your IP, you can go to this website that will tell you your current IP: http://checkip.dyndns.com/.

BTW, I was not aware of how much power a MDD would use versus a newer PC. I obviously knew that newer PC's are more energy efficient. I'm thinking that there has to be a way to schedule when the Mac starts up and shuts down, so that it conserves some energy... anyone know how you would do this?

Its extremely easy to set a power on/off schedule. Open Preferences, then go to Energy Saver, and there should be a button on the bottom right that says 'Schedule'. Click that and adjust as needed.

 

[CYB3RBYTE]

Okay so I just decided to go the Airport Extreme route. I set it up at my house, however whenever I enter in my home IP address, I get a cannot connect error, even when I'm on a open wifi or my home wireless. Does anyone know why I can't connect to the disk even though I have my correct IP? Could it be my Cable Modem? Do I have to go through that first or what?

 

[Altemose]

Okay so I just decided to go the Airport Extreme route. I set it up at my house, however whenever I enter in my home IP address, I get a cannot connect error, even when I'm on a open wifi or my home wireless. Does anyone know why I can't connect to the disk even though I have my correct IP? Could it be my Cable Modem? Do I have to go through that first or what?

Is the modem in bridge mode or is it also a router?

 

[CYB3RBYTE]

Is the modem in bridge mode or is it also a router?

What is bridge mode? The modem simply separates my phone, cable television, and internet all from one Cat-5 coaxial cable from outside.

 

[Altemose]

What is bridge mode? The modem simply separates my phone, cable television, and internet all from one Cat-5 coaxial cable from outside.

What type of modem is it? Essentially, the AirPort must see the external IP. If the modem takes the IP and gives a private address to the Extreme then disk sharing won't work. You would need to setup an IP passthrough, DMZ, etc. on the AirPort on the modem for it to work.

 

[Intell]

Don't put the router in bridge mode or turn on DMZ. Just forward the internet port to a higher, non-standard external port and connect to that. I don't recall what encryption, if any, default AFP has. You may want to research that first. Why don't you connect to it via SSH/SFTP?

 

[Altemose]

Don't put the router in bridge mode or turn on DMZ. Just forward the internet port to a higher, non-standard external port and connect to that. I don't recall what encryption, if any, default AFP has. You may want to research that first. Why don't you connect to it via SSH/SFTP?

Well if you put the modem into bridge mode or add the AirPort to the DMZ then the AirPort handles DHCP and NAT as well as the firewall. This eliminates double NAT issues that can cause problems with applications.

 

[CYB3RBYTE]

Don't put the router in bridge mode or turn on DMZ. Just forward the internet port to a higher, non-standard external port and connect to that. I don't recall what encryption, if any, default AFP has. You may want to research that first. Why don't you connect to it via SSH/SFTP?

How do I connect to it through SSH/SFTP?

 

[Intell]

Forward the internet port to an external port that isn't 22 and connect to your IP address with something like Cyberduck or Transmit.

 

[goMac]

Okay so I just decided to go the Airport Extreme route. I set it up at my house, however whenever I enter in my home IP address, I get a cannot connect error, even when I'm on a open wifi or my home wireless. Does anyone know why I can't connect to the disk even though I have my correct IP? Could it be my Cable Modem? Do I have to go through that first or what?

You're using your external IP, right? And not your internal one?

Go to whatismyip.com from home. That is your external IP.

 

[poiihy]

It's sad that every idea of using an old PPC Mac as a server is beaten by a NAS or Pi in terms of energy usage, noise, efficiency, size, etc. Every idea you come up for an old PPC Mac is just not worth it and cheaper, better alternatives always win.

 

[CYB3RBYTE]

But sometimes just having an older machine still be able to do something cool and useful is pretty neat!

 

[2984839]

It's sad that every idea of using an old PPC Mac as a server is beaten by a NAS or Pi in terms of energy usage, noise, efficiency, size, etc. Every idea you come up for an old PPC Mac is just not worth it and cheaper, better alternatives always win.

True, but if you already have a PPC machine sitting around, it costs you nothing, so it is still worth it over a NAS or Pi IMHO (unless you also have one of those sitting around too). I wouldn't go out and spend money on a PPC just for this purpose.

 

[redheeler]

True, but if you already have a PPC machine sitting around, it costs you nothing, so it is still worth it over a NAS or Pi IMHO (unless you also have one of those sitting around too). I wouldn't go out and spend money on a PPC just for this purpose.

A PowerPC tower sitting on 24/7 will cost you money on your electric bills. Something like a Pi or even a used Mac mini would pay for itself after some months.