OS X Server Software for small business or not???

[videoterrorist]

Hi,

I'm currently working in a small Graphic Design office, where we currently use a G5 as a 'server machine' through file sharing, there is one folder 'work' in which all of our files live. Is there any benefit to getting and installing the OS Server software on this machine? There are 3/4 machines that are all networked together to use the harddrive on what we call our 'server machine'. I'm sure there are better ways of using our setup, I just don't know what they are!
Any suggestions would be a great help!
Cheers

 

[Serif]

Well you certainly could use OS X Server to provide a shared file store but it seems a little bit overkill unless you need some of the other services too. Instead I'd be looking at a NAS RAID device. Take a look at the Apple Store under the storage category for examples of what I'm suggesting, though you can probably source the same kit cheaper elsewhere

You should of course also have a backup scheme in place even if RAID will stop you losing data if a single drive fails. If you're still determined to go down the OS X Server route, and I'm judging your requirements correctly, then the new Mac Mini Server would be worth looking at.

 

[videoterrorist]

I was thinking of the OS X Server idea only through what people had suggested, but finding any documentation on it is hard. Am I right in thinking if all the machines are running 10.5 I'd need to get a copy of the 10.5 server - which I've found on Amazon for a good price.
But then looking at the features I don't think we need anything other than file sharing really.

 

[Serif]

I was thinking of the OS X Server idea only through what people had suggested, but finding any documentation on it is hard. Am I right in thinking if all the machines are running 10.5 I'd need to get a copy of the 10.5 server - which I've found on Amazon for a good price.
But then looking at the features I don't think we need anything other than file sharing really.

Yes you'd need the 10.5 version because the latest 10.6 version is Intel only and wouldn't run on your G5. The Apple web site actually has some decent documentation on it for OS X Server, but it takes a bit of searching to find.

From what you originally wrote, I really think you'd not be gaining a great deal of functionality from moving to the server software; you have a fairly simple requirement where the best upgrade is probably to buy a decent NAS device.

The server software is also not the easiest thing to get to grips with. I bought one of the mini servers out of curiosity. I'm used to configuring Linux servers but still found myself digging for answers on the web more often than I would have liked. That said, once set up they do make for a very nice small, quiet server for home or small office use.