Xserve questions (I'm a newb, they're really basic)

[htg]

Ok please excuse how stupid these questions are as I am a newb and know nothing about servers.

1. It can, I assume, can be used as a web server?
2. Can I use this as a normal computer as well as a web server?
3. Does it run normal OS X or only server OSX?
4. Is it really hard to set up?
5. To make it a web server is it as easy as doing it on an iMac, Mac Mini or Mac Pro (using dyndns, enabling it to be a web server through system preferences etc..)

Thanks.

 

[CylonGlitch]

XServe Forum might be a better location to post this question.

1. Yes
2. Not really, but I'm guessing it is possible (remember it's rackmoutable).
3. Server OSX?
4. About the same as any Unix Server
5. No.

 

[Makosuke]

4. About the same as any Unix Server

I'd disagree on this one; 10.6 server is remarkably easy to set up if you're just using standard services. Not saying it's a job for a computer-phobe, but it's pretty easy so long as you're careful.

Also, on #5, there are a lot more options available compared to the simple Web Sharing, but it's still pretty easy to get it up and running if you just use the stock config.

 

[BlueRevolution]

The Xserve runs exactly the same web server software (Apache/PHP/MySQL) as any other *nix server out there, but the hardware costs three times as much and you have to pay for 10.x software upgrades. If you're just looking to run a web server, I suggest building a Dell server (much better quality than their consumer products) and installing Ubuntu Server on it. You can have it install Apache, PHP, and MySQL on setup, or after the fact using

sudo tasksel install lamp-server

and the system will do the rest.

Mac OS X Server is great for some things, but the only reason to run it as a web server is if you're also using it for other purposes and just want a web server on the side, or want a web frontend for other services running on the same box.

2. Can I use this as a normal computer as well as a web server?

Yes, you can plug in a display, keyboard, and mouse. That doesn't mean it would be particularly convenient. I haven't made a point of rigourous testing, but all of the apps designed for Mac OS X that I've tried have worked on Mac OS X Server as well.

5. To make it a web server is it as easy as doing it on an iMac, Mac Mini or Mac Pro (using dyndns, enabling it to be a web server through system preferences etc..)

Yes. Which begs the question of why, if you have your heart set on running a Mac-based web server, you wouldn't just run the consumer version of OS X. I run fully-functional MAMP (Mac OS X/Apache/MySQL/PHP) testing servers on both my Core 2 Duo iMac and my 9-year-old iBook G3.