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1. #Running mac mini as a server how to
2. #Running mac mini as a server install
3. #Running mac mini as a server plus

Server.app handled the heavy lifting and made it easy for a lightweight like me to get a simple site up and running.Īlmost exactly eight years later, I’ve replaced the hardware once (a newer, faster Mini), have updated macOS seven times, and replaced Server.app six or seven times. I had previously dabbled in Linux server administration via hosted services and Microsoft IIS at my workplace, but it’s safe to say I was still a n00b. When I first got the server, I was new to Linux and was really happy Apple provided Server.app, which is a GUI for the standard fare of services, including Apache, mail, FTP, VPN, and certificate management. I’ve never looked back, and have mostly enjoyed having my own server because of the freedom it gives me to experiment and customize my environment. You can read about my reasons for moving from hosted services to my own server here. In System Preferences > Sharing, just check the Media Sharing box.In late 2009 I migrated all of my websites to my personal Mac Mini server, which is hosted in MacMiniColo’s data center (now part of MacStadium). Ensuring your Mac mini is also a solid computer should help media files play well from the server to whatever device you’re using.Īt least macOS makes setting your Mac mini up as a media server fairly simple. Regardless of the Mac mini model you’re starting with, you’ll need the space for photos, videos, and music. Storage is really key if you want to use your Mac mini as a media server.

#Running mac mini as a server install

If you’re tech-savvy you can even install dual hard disks into some models to make them more capable computers, and therefore better servers. If you have an older version of the Mac mini, though, it can still be customized with things like external hard drives. So it’s great that you can just buy a Mac mini that can handle a lot right off the bat. The more activity the server will be seeing from different users and devices the more computing power you’ll want. These Mac minis can have up to 2TB of storage and 16GB of RAM. The M1 chip available in them makes them really powerful computers-more powerful than their Intel chip predecessors. That might not be necessary with recent Mac mini models. It’s also a rare Apple product that can be physically opened and altered by users, should you want to add or alter hardware inside of the machine. With four Thunderbolt ports fast enough for external accessories that add things like storage, the Mac mini is pretty customizable. Thankfully the Mac mini is easily outfitted with such hardware. But if you want multiple people accessing your server, or to stream media from it, you’ll need some additional hardware in addition to the macOS features we described above. Many features built into the Mac mini can make it into a good private server.

#Running mac mini as a server plus

Then hit the plus button ( +) under the Shared Folders menu that appears to add folders you want accessible via the server. Note that this is different than the Family Sharing option.Ĭheck the box for File Sharing under the Service menu on the left. Once that’s done, you can set the Mac mini up for file sharing by opening System Preferences and clicking on Sharing.

#Running mac mini as a server how to

Related: How to Keep Your Mac From Sleeping: Methods That Work Namely, you have to make sure your Mac mini is set up to stay powered on and won’t go to sleep due to inactivity so you can continuously access it.

If you’re looking to make a server mostly to access or back up your own files, and to share across devices rather than several users at once, this is the perfect setup method for you.įirst, there are a few hardware adjustments to make.

Turning a Mac mini Into a Server the Simple Wayįortunately, macOS already has many sharing features available that make turning a Mac mini server incredibly easy, particularly when everything is on the same network. We’ll help you figure all that out, and help you decide if the Mac mini is the best device to use as your server. Which one you choose depends on your needs in a server. There are a few ways to set up a Mac mini to have it specifically act as a server rather than a computer. You can create that server pretty easily and pretty cheaply with just a Mac mini. Having a server is the best way to easily share and back up files or stream media across multiple devices.