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G-Funk

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 28, 2005
157
1
Miami , FL
Hello,

I've just ordered Snow Leopard server edition with a Mac Mini to have it set up as a server for my network, would Snow Leopard server help in having it as a gateway to my entire network (VPN) , will I be able to have it as a Spotlight server (go to my Mac) through VPN once I connect to it from the internet remotely ? will it enable me to log to it from my iPhone ? add users and manage the network from the phone ?

One more Question, will i be able to plug the Mac Mini server to the network after setting it up without hooking a keyboard and mouse and be able to control it from a remote client from within my network ?

Appreciating the help. :)
 
One more Question, will i be able to plug the Mac Mini server to the network after setting it up without hooking a keyboard and mouse and be able to control it from a remote client from within my network ?

Depends on what kinds of control you want over your Mac Mini.

1) Full desktop control. Enable ARD, Apple Remote Desktop, and use ARD to take control of your Mac Mini. No money, enable VNC.

2) Control just server settings. Using Admin tools and Terminal to connect to your Mac Mini.
 
will it enable me to log to it from my iPhone ? add users and manage the network from the phone ?

I don't know jack *hit about VPN but here is what I gather for the iPhone login.

You could VNC into Server and do your management from there.

There is this, http://iphoneapplicationlist.com/2009/01/20/server-admin-remote/ , but that just Server Admin. What you want is a Mac Manager program for iphone.

Nothing from apple for using it on iPhone.
 
yes you can setup a VPN and make the mini a gateway. If you have an apple wireless base station, server (if im correct) will auto configure your base station to allow pertinent ports to be forwarded to your mini. A VPN is the best way to go, and then you can download a VNC viewer for your iPhone to connect remotely (after connecting to the VPN). Check out 10.6 server's iphone remote access capabilities, its been one of the new touted features for this update.
 
foshizzle : Thanks.. really appreciate the info. didn't know that SLS would configure my Airport Extreme (Time Capsule) base stations for me .. that's a cool feature... ;)
 
One important thing to remember before you setup your Server. Create a IP reservation on your AEBS for the Server. You want to do this BEFORE you end your Server Config Page. This will help prevent IP issues if you ever unplug the cable or your network drops out.
 
One important thing to remember before you setup your Server. Create a IP reservation on your AEBS for the Server. You want to do this BEFORE you end your Server Config Page. This will help prevent IP issues if you ever unplug the cable or your network drops out.

JGruber: Thanks for the info, What is the best way of doing it ? Appreciate your input.
 
JGruber: Thanks for the info, What is the best way of doing it ? Appreciate your input.

Go into your AEBS, click on the Internet button, then DHCP. At the bottom you will see DHCP reservations. Click the plus and add the server. You will need the Mac Address of the Mini. You can get the Ethernet ID from the bottom of the Mini.
 
Go into your AEBS, click on the Internet button, then DHCP. At the bottom you will see DHCP reservations. Click the plus and add the server. You will need the Mac Address of the Mini. You can get the Ethernet ID from the bottom of the Mini.

Couldn't find the DHCP reservations button ? I have my AEBS setup through a switch from the mail DSL Modem/Router , The main Airport Extreme(Time Capsule) base station is linked to several time Capsules via WDS. Here's a snap shot of the internet Tap of the TC setup page .
 

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Couldn't find the DHCP reservations button ? I have my AEBS setup through a switch from the mail DSL Modem/Router , The main Airport Extreme(Time Capsule) base station is linked to several time Capsules via WDS. Here's a snap shot of the internet Tap of the TC setup page .

You are in "Bridged Mode" so it doesn't show.
 

What device are you bridging the airport with? Or better yet, what device is acting as your DHCP server? You would need to go to that device and setup the static IPs.

I will tell you that the IP of the device is 192.168.1.1 based on the screenshot you posted before. So if you have a Linksys router or maybe a DSL/Cable Modem that acts as a router, pop the 192.168.1.1 address into your browser and configure that device.
 
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