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Resolved Xserve G4 1.0ghz

redhatcode29

redhatcode29

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 21, 2014
471
52
Kuala Lumpur
i lugged this in the 'tube' yesterday, it was about 6pm, just after office hours, i was the odd guy in the tube, luckily i got in the tube at a less crowded station..

US 50.00! A bit expensive for its spec i guess, but after four deals for various machines failed consequently.... I Was not letting this go ... 1ghz, 265mhz ram, 500gb hdd. Its the first model- not the dual.
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Have i lost my head ? What was i thinking when i went to get this!

Seriously, this the first xserve ive seen !
I ddnt expect it to be so big....

However, the guy who sold it to me does not have the pw nor any install discs, i guess he is making a quick buck of the items his office is ridding of...

I am guessing that its os x server 10.4 ( if there is a tiger version) if it is, can i use the normal 10.4 retail disc to reset its pw? I tried but it stopped at the grey apple logo... Or i need the server os x to reset the pw.

Saw this , but dont know if its the retail discs or the server version, which iis required. https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2116105?start=0&tstart=0

Any guide will be much appreciated.

Btw, this thing can compete with a vaccum cleaner!
 
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I bought a PPC xserve ages ago in a moment of derangement. It is still boxed at a relatives place. I think it was a G5 with 4GB of RAM. I was fascinated by the industrial quality of it, but I couldn't stand the noise of it, so never actually used it. I had 10.5 server discs.

Have you seen this:

http://www.macyourself.com/2009/08/03/how-to-reset-your-mac-os-x-password-without-an-installer-disc/

Don't know if this might work but have you tried putting the Xserve into target disc mode and connecting to another PPC machine (assuming you have one in the 18 mentioned in your signature) that will boot a 10.4 disc. Maybe there is an option to change the password of an external disc.
 
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Nice! If I had the space, I'd love to set up an Xserve for media sharing. I don't think the Mrs. would approve of me buying a 10 year old rack server and mounting it somewhere in the house though LOL
 
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kimtrang said:
I bought a PPC xserve ages ago in a moment of derangement. It is still boxed at a relatives place. I think it was a G5 with 4GB of RAM. I was fascinated by the industrial quality of it, but I couldn't stand the noise of it, so never actually used it. I had 10.5 server discs.

Have you seen this:

http://www.macyourself.com/2009/08/03/how-to-reset-your-mac-os-x-password-without-an-installer-disc/

Don't know if this might work but have you tried putting the Xserve into target disc mode and connecting to another PPC machine (assuming you have one in the 18 mentioned in your signature) that will boot a 10.4 disc. Maybe there is an option to change the password of an external disc.
Click to expand...

Hi, thanks for the link, i am aware of such method, but have never tried it, as i have most of the install disc for almost all OS x which run in PPC, until now....

I did slot in the retail 10.4 in the Xserve but ddnt work though, as for the method of connecting another PPC seems similar to the link i attached, i was not sure wheter it was the normal retail disc or server version and yeah i do have a G4 Mac Mini on 10.4, guess i have to try it out.

Yours ought to look good with a naked top, with the G5 shields!

The noise .... Yeah !
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Algus said:
Nice! If I had the space, I'd love to set up an Xserve for media sharing. I don't think the Mrs. would approve of me buying a 10 year old rack server and mounting it somewhere in the house though LOL
Click to expand...

That seems to be my issue now : space :
For the moment i have hid the Xserve and only meddled with it yesterday after my gf went to sleep. I have to hide and unhide it for time being ! Dang...what a life!

If u do set it up, i am sure you will want it to be far away from the place which u work !
 
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The Mini does not detect the Xserve's hdd on the desktop, nor does the Xserve's hdd appear in the password reset option if i use the discs. But while in the installer mode in the mini, in the disc utility, i can view the HDD's of the Xserve.
 
Xserve, wow, awesome! :D Wish Apple still made "proper" Macs like this and the (real) Mac Pro...

It can run up to Mac OS X Leopard 10.5, so you might want to put that version on there (though you'd need to upgrade the RAM if so), or at least a fresh install of Tiger rather than just resetting the password if the existing install has been previously used. Have you tried booting from a 10.4 Server and/or 10.5 Server DVD? Although as far as I know the client versions should boot as well as I think the Server flavours just include the server tools, not any extra hardware support.
 
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Question, whats the point of an Xserve exactly? Like what can these do that a G5 or G4 running Mac OS X Server do that a PowerMac can't? I've been thinking of picking one up but I honestly don't really know anything about these.
 
647156 said:
Xserve, wow, awesome! :D Wish Apple still made "proper" Macs like this and the (real) Mac Pro...

It can run up to Mac OS X Leopard 10.5, so you might want to put that version on there (though you'd need to upgrade the RAM if so), or at least a fresh install of Tiger rather than just resetting the password if the existing install has been previously used. Have you tried booting from a 10.4 Server and/or 10.5 Server DVD? Although as far as I know the client versions should boot as well as I think the Server flavours just include the server tools, not any extra hardware support.
Click to expand...

I do want a fresh install, but just attempting to get in before i wipe it. Also, need to source for e disc !
Just wondering if OS X server 10.5 is too much for this spec. True, need to up the ram. Feel like i should give preference to OS X server 10.4, but it all depends on the availability.
 
redhatcode29 said:
I do want a fresh install, but just attempting to get in before i wipe it. Also, need to source for e disc !
Just wondering if OS X server 10.5 is too much for this spec. True, need to up the ram. Feel like i should give preference to OS X server 10.4, but it all depends on the availability.
Click to expand...
I prefer 10.5 server, as it provides much more functionality than Tiger. If you do wipe, you will need a new key! @LightBulbFun can assist you with 10.5 server
 
Got a 1.33GHZ the other month myself. No OS on it...still not sure what I will do with it but for 20$ CAD it was a steal itself.
 
WalnutSpice said:
Question, whats the point of an Xserve exactly? Like what can these do that a G5 or G4 running Mac OS X Server do that a PowerMac can't? I've been thinking of picking one up but I honestly don't really know anything about these.
Click to expand...

I too dnt know anything about these. But what i know is, you are not going to be happy with the noise it produces. Also, nothing that your G5 and 4 cant do.
 
redhatcode29 said:
So you mean ... Just a complete transplant of the dual processors into the Xserve...? I think i did see an empty slot in Xserve.

Edit: just saw that his Xserve was single as well.
Click to expand...
I am saying that you can put the processor from a Xserve G4 into an MDD
 
WalnutSpice said:
Question, whats the point of an Xserve exactly? Like what can these do that a G5 or G4 running Mac OS X Server do that a PowerMac can't? I've been thinking of picking one up but I honestly don't really know anything about these.
Click to expand...

Apart from space saving, servers are designed to be be hardy and happy running 24/7. There are so-called enterprise class hard drives that can be put into them, which are also designed to be run round the clock rather than now and then, which is what you find with consumer class components. Also, they tend to require ECC memory, which theoretically allows for more accurate computing. Cooling should be optimal for a full complement of hard drives, not something you could say with Apple's G4 desktops. Where they lose out is noise pollution. Servers are normally kept in rack rooms away from users, so that noise dampening is not a priority.

One other trick, especially convenient with rackmount servers, is that depending upon the server OS you can link together server CPUs to create a supercomputer. Think for instance film and graphic shops who need a lot of raw processing power for certain tasks, such as rendering. Easier to offload this to a server with several CPUs rather than wait for your own desktop to do the same. While the desktop version of Windows NT back in the day could handle 1-2 processors, the server versions could deal with many more. I remember that even the consumer version of OS/2 could handle up to 64 processors.

If you like to hear yourself think, an Xserve is not for you. I have a few Intel tower servers of more recent vintange. Apart from the POST sequence where all fans are blaring, once booted up they are mercifully almost as quiet as their desktop equivalents. Xserves are from a period when people expected computers to make their presence felt.
 
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redhatcode29 said:
I dug up som rams which i had, will these work on the Xserve ?
Click to expand...
Yes they will since:
- the 2 middle ones are PC3200 which is compatible with motherboards requiring PC2100 (as the original stick)
- from its markings, the bottom one seems to be 400 MHz = so PC3200 too

For reference:
PC2100 = 266 MHz, 2.1 GB/s throughput
PC2700 = 333 MHz, 2.7 GB/s throughput
PC3200 = 400 MHz, 3.3 GB/s throughput

PC2100 sticks work only with PC2100 motherboards
PC2700 sticks work with PC2100 and PC2700 motherboards
PC3200 sticks work with PC2100, PC2700 and PC3200 motherboards
 
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val1984 said:
Yes they will since:
- the 2 middle ones are PC3200 which is compatible with motherboards requiring PC2100 (as the original stick)
- from its markings, the bottom one seems to be 400 MHz = so PC3200 too

For reference:
PC2100 = 266 MHz, 2.1 GB/s throughput
PC2700 = 333 MHz, 2.7 GB/s throughput
PC3200 = 400 MHz, 3.3 GB/s throughput

PC2100 sticks work only with PC2100 motherboards
PC2700 sticks work with PC2100 and PC2700 motherboards
PC3200 sticks work with PC2100, PC2700 and PC3200 motherboards
Click to expand...

Oh, thank you, thank you!
 
Give it legs and a larger than the 1U glass/plexiglass top and use it for a Server Table? Of course, that probably isn't the best idea, but it did pop into my head when I saw the OP's pic.
 
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