So I've made several interesting observations while experimenting with turning a 2013 MBP into a personal plex / media automation server.
I already have a machine running unRAID, but at this point it's basically a gigantic server that I use 5% of the time - so I wanted to retire it slowly.
I had several strange issues and eventually narrowed it down so that I could inform anyone else with this very particular quirk.
TL;DR: you can run a macbook in clamshell mode without a display (headless) 24/7 assuming you use Amphetamine app + enhancement for no sleep closed mode...
but if you remote into it using another mac, it "breaks" that session on Amphetamine and it will then sleep after you have remoted in already.
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I also want to point out that I occasionally remote in that extra Macbook Pro using Screen Share with my own Mac desktop.
The "server" MBP has no display attached and is just sitting there, folded shut.
Here's a rundown,
Cheers.
I already have a machine running unRAID, but at this point it's basically a gigantic server that I use 5% of the time - so I wanted to retire it slowly.
I had several strange issues and eventually narrowed it down so that I could inform anyone else with this very particular quirk.
TL;DR: you can run a macbook in clamshell mode without a display (headless) 24/7 assuming you use Amphetamine app + enhancement for no sleep closed mode...
but if you remote into it using another mac, it "breaks" that session on Amphetamine and it will then sleep after you have remoted in already.
__________________
I also want to point out that I occasionally remote in that extra Macbook Pro using Screen Share with my own Mac desktop.
The "server" MBP has no display attached and is just sitting there, folded shut.
Here's a rundown,
- I have a 2013 MBP sitting around so I install all my media automation software and get it set up.
- I disable display sleep and uncheck all HDD sleep settings in macOS
- I start watching something on Plex streaming from the MBP until 20 minutes in, it stops and loses connection
- I assume it's still sleeping so I install Owly (saw a student use it once for a presentation) to keep it awake.
- I try again and continue watching my show - 20 minutes in it's still losing a connection. I give up for that evening.
- The next day, I research and then am led to installing Amphetamine + the enhancement application since it supports "closed mode".
- I test it immediately after installing amphetamine (using the physical macbook display and keyboard, NOT remote in, this is what led me to this discovery)
- it streams for 1 hour without stopping while closed. Great. Problem solved?
- several hours later, I decide to remote in to check some things before i stream another show to it.
- After I close the Screen Share (remote) session, I watch something on my Plex TV - 20 minutes later it loses connection. "What? I literally just remote in it several hours later after it turned on"
- I open the MBP, log back on, restart Amphetamine, close the MBP, and resume my show on Plex. It plays non-stop and never drops.
- The next day, I repeat short experiments where every time I "remote in" - it will start going to sleep while in closed mode, leading me to assume that a Screen Share session interrupts Amphetamine & supercedes its' enhancement app and then there's nothing to start it back up after the session is done.
Cheers.
