Inquiry Mac Pro for OS X server

[Orguss]

Ok the boss just gave me an OK to get him a price for Hardware and OS to run a Mac server, Casper will be install on it.

I am not a Mac admin, but thrown in to support them.

Need suggestion:

1. Hardware to go with running a server OS.

Thanks in advance.

[vansmith]

Here are the system requirements for OS X Leopard Server (source, p. 32):
- An Intel processor or PowerPC G5 or G4 (867 MHz or faster) processor
- At least 1 gigabyte (GB) of random access memory (RAM)
- At least 20 gigabytes (GB) of disk space available
- An active connection to a secure Ethernet network

As for the soon to be released OS X Snow Leopard Server (Sept. 2009), the requirements are as follows (source):
- Mac desktop or server with Intel processor
- 10GB of available disk space
- 2GB of RAM

How many clients are we talking about here?

[Orguss]

Thanks, I went ahead and contact one of the apple consultant and they gave me a quote.

Xserve:
# One 2.26GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon (quad-core)
# 3GB (3x1GB)
# On-board SATA/SAS Controller
# 160GB Serial ATA ADM @ 7200-rpm
# 8x SuperDrive DL (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
# NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 256MB
# Single 750W Power Supply
# Rack Mounting Kit - Square Hole Rack

and OS X Server Leopard.

[vansmith]

You are not limited to using an Xserve if it proves not to meet your needs. For instance, I believe the user Nethfel runs OS X Server on a Mac Mini but I could be wrong. This article talks about one individual who ran it on a Mini as well. That said, you need to decide what machine fits your needs based on specs. A good place to start would be to browse what is available through the Apple website.

You may also want to take a look at these videos available on the iTMS (free) if you're interested. The one's I've seen aren't too technical but will give you a good sense of how OS X Server works and what to expect. In fact, these videos show the individuals using OS X server on a MBP.

Also, depending on your needs, you may not need OS X server and might be fine with OS X. What are you planning to have this machine do?

[Orguss]

Vansmith- it's going to be a domain server with Casper install to be able to push packages and distribute software via to remote locations.

[Orguss]

Vansmith- Thank you for the vid link..