If your considering a server I recommend checking the Apple specs for features you want. There are some neat tools, but remember with a little skill you can normally replicate that stuff using open source software. The back end is — after all — UNIX.

So, this is exactly the doubt I have now, I mean for a home or small business use. Any one could help with this doubt, please?

Good Luck!

I would immediately pull the two 500GB drives, sell them on eBay, and install whatever size SSD drives I felt I needed, either in RAID 0, with an external back up like a 2TB drive via Firewire, or back up over ethernet. Another option, that would keep the whole package tiny, is to use RAID 1.

SSD’s make a Mac Mini blazing fast, and they are reliable.

RAID 0 would nearly double your access speed.

I’m not sure RAID 1 would be needed with reliable SSD drives, but on a server you need some redundancy don’t you? I’d lean towards RAID 0 and remote storage over ethernet–which puts your “back-up” at a different location for true redundancy.

The big advantage of the SSD drives is they run much cooler than hot running spinning disks in the poor thermal environment of the Mini.

I don’t enjoy checking temperatures constantly. I use software to spin up the fans to manage heat with the hotter conventional disk drives. I’d rather rely on cooler, more reliable Solid State Drives, and save energy too.

So the last issue is cost. It is still cheaper to use a Mac Mini server with SSD’s than any other brand server with SSD’s. For many applications a large SSD is not necessary–so size it appropriately.

The real question is this:

Do you need to run “Snow Leopard Server”, or can you run “Snow Leopard” {the non-server version} as your server?

That would keep costs down and still provide great performance.

Older, slower Mac Mini’s can do the job as well as the new Server Version.

The newest, fastest processor has one advantage:

—-with Solid State Drives, a faster processor does make a significant difference keeping the data moving.

I haven’t seen a post about backing this thing up. Can anyone say RAID or at least mirrored drives? How about the cost of the external drive for Time machine?

This is a CHEAP solution. I’m not so sure how great it is. I guess if you don’t mind the downtime when a drive fails or you’re just going to drop $599 to replace the system at the first hardware failure. Maybe it’s great if your reselling Mac minis. As a long term solution for a small business that might decide to put all of their business data in one basket, I don’t think it a good idea.

Spend another $800 – $1000 for external storage or maybe a fail-over Mac mini and then you might have a solution a business can rely on.

And yes the base Mac Mini should be $499. There is no reason for it to be $599 anymore.

The only thing overpriced here is the standard Mac Mini. $599 was steep before — given the new server and iMac choices, it’s inexplicable now.

http://www.macminicolo.net/state2009.html