Find solution
How to configure dedicated server?

Recommend Apple server for a small design studio?

  • Need advice on selecting and implementing a file server for a small graphic design studio. Background and assumptions: We have six designers and an office manager. We want a server for the purpose of centralising our project files instead of storing them on designers' individual machines. There are currently a bunch of G4s, G5s and a couple of PCs on the network. Most of the design work is accomplished on Macs so we are fairly committed to getting an Xserve. We are also implementing a project management system (Studio Manager, which is a FileMaker application) on a separate machine—a Dual 1.25 GHz PowerMac G4. Ideally we would like all materials for current and archived projects to be stored on the Xserve, and be indexed by the project management software on the G4. We imagine that employees will open their files from the server each day, work locally, and upload them to the server in the evening. (The same functionality should be possible if people are working from home.) Ultimately we want a scenario in which any employee could take over the work of another by referencing the project management database and locating the related materials on the file server. My specific questions are below (please let me know if I've overlooked anything, either in the assumptions above, or in what follows): 1. If we go with Apple hardware, will a single-processor Xserve G5 be suitable for basic file-sharing services? Would your recommendation change if it would also be used as a web server in 12-18 months time? 2. How much RAM are we likely to need, and does it matter if there is a mix of Apple and third-party RAM? 3. What about protection from hardware failure? If we get the 3 x 500 GB storage option for the Xserve would it be advisable to implement RAID 1 through software? Or should we get the hardware RAID PCI adapter (assuming that is the correct way to implement a hardware-based RAID)? 4. For future expansion, should we add any other adapters now (such as the Fibre Channel card for attaching dedicated storage)? 5. Are external firewire hard drives an acceptable backup technology, or are tape drives the most realistic solution? Any particular brand recommendations? 6. What about Applecare for Xserves? Would you recommend for or against, and why? 7. What is most likely to go wrong in the first 12 months of operation? 8. What is most likely to go wrong during installation and initial configuration? 9. Could someone who is only familiar with OS X's graphical interface safely configure an out-of-box Xserve as described here, or would that be too risky without more specialised expertise? 10. What am I not thinking about that I should probably consider?

  • Answer:

    I've got about two years experience in managing Xserves and OS X Server machines. 1. If we go with Apple hardware, will a single-processor Xserve G5 be suitable for basic file-sharing services? Would your recommendation change if it would also be used as a web server in 12-18 months time? A single proc Xserve will be fine for in-office file sharing and web serving. 2. How much RAM are we likely to need, and does it matter if there is a mix of Apple and third-party RAM? For your situation, a gig should be fine. Mix of RAM is perfectly acceptable, many of our machines have Apple and Crucial; some have generic. 3. What about protection from hardware failure? If we get the 3 x 500 GB storage option for the Xserve would it be advisable to implement RAID 1 through software? Or should we get the hardware RAID PCI adapter (assuming that is the correct way to implement a hardware-based RAID)? For safest operation, get 3x500 and the hardware RAID card. The machine will come configured in a RAID 5 if you do this, and you won't have to do any work to get the redundancy. (If you don't do this and want to do software RAID 1 on two disks or whatever, you WILL have to reinstall the OS. Also worth noting: the hardware RAID card has no GUI currently, so any mucking around with that requires command-line digging.) 4. For future expansion, should we add any other adapters now (such as the Fibre Channel card for attaching dedicated storage)? If you can ever see yourself growing past your initial disk *and* needing terabytes of data *and* having cash to blow, it certainly wouldn't hurt to have a fibre card - but you can always order those later. I'd say get yourself the video card (Apple doesn't sell the OEM card separately) and the hardware RAID card; I don't think you're going to get to fibre any time soon. 5. Are external firewire hard drives an acceptable backup technology, or are tape drives the most realistic solution? Any particular brand recommendations? External firewire is fine, and certainly more realistic than tape. No recommendations from me, though - we have a big enterprise system using Tivoli Storage Manager. Do get something that does Firewire 800, though - the Xserve has two ports for it in the back and it can be a great time saver. 6. What about Applecare for Xserves? Would you recommend for or against, and why? Definitely GET. The parts are not cheap if you have something blow, and it's really nice to have a technician come in and do the repairs for you if you're not technically inclined. Apple's enterprise support is surprisingly competent by this point. (Note that getting the support for the Xserve does not give you trouble tickets for software - that's a separate contract.) Same with the OS X Server Up To Date, which gives you all OS upgrades free for three years. The cost of the service is the same as one OS will cost you to upgrade, and Leopard is coming at the end of next year. 7. What is most likely to go wrong in the first 12 months of operation? Honestly, the only hardware failures I've had to date are a busted RAID card and a drive that pre-failed due to a power surge that Verizon caused that dropped power mid-write. The machines themselves are generally rock solid. (The Xserve RAIDs are also extremely resistant to failure - more so than some of our other storage.) 8. What is most likely to go wrong during installation and initial configuration? Goofing up the network config and then leaving the box inaccessible on first boot. I've done this once, with the first Xserve I ever got my hands on. Wasn't pretty. 9. Could someone who is only familiar with OS X's graphical interface safely configure an out-of-box Xserve as described here, or would that be too risky without more specialised expertise? Yes. Apple provides very easy to use GUI tools for initial configuration (Server Assistant), as well as day to day management (Server Admin, Workgroup Manager). The manuals that come with the Xserve will help you get started; the more in-depth manuals are not terribly obtuse. For the purposes of your day-to-day, setting up shares and making users, it will take maybe 15-30 minutes to learn on Workgroup Manager. 10. What am I not thinking about that I should probably consider? Join the http://listserv.cuny.edu/Scripts/wa.exe?SUBED1=macenterprise&A=1 list - most of the big names in the Apple Enterprise community are there and the list is extremely useful as a reference point. If you do think of anything else, feel free to email me - it's on my profile page.

ads at Ask.Metafilter.Com Visit the source

Was this solution helpful to you?

Other answers

Eesh, harsh, seanyboy. Perhaps not specifically helpful, but I work at a small design studio where we have all our files hosted on a G4 running Mac OS X Server. We just mount the server on each client computer and work directly with the files there. It's not as slow as you might expect. When we make changes, we save new versions with updated names (i.e. "Foobar v2"). The whole thing is backed up to external hot-swappable Firewire hard drives by Retrospect every night. It's pretty simple, but it gets the job done for us.

designbot

Thanks designbot, I didn't realise a PowerMac could be as effective as that. I'm reasonably familiar with desktops but I've never worked with servers before, so that could save the company money and provide a more familar environment for me. Thanks also for the info on your backup system. Simple is probably better for us while we're just getting started.

ads

Glad that was helpful. We keep our files organized on the server by main folders for each client, sub-folders for each job number, and sub-sub-folders for images & reference. That seems to be enough organization to find what we need.

designbot

Thanks Remy, brilliantly helpful. Many of the things you mentioned I had wondered about but was unsure of, like the three-year software ugrade program, the RAID setup, etc. Thanks for taking the time for such a detailed response. I may have follow-up questions and would love to take you up on your offer, if/when they arise. Best wishes,

ads

One thing to add is to make sure you have the fastest network in place as you can, especially if you work on large design files. 10 base-T Ethernet crawls, so Gigabit would be ideal. You just don't want your designers spending 2 hours each day downloading and uploading files from/to the server.

lunarboy

Appreciate the data organisation tips as well designbot. We've been thinking about our filing structure and it's good to know what works. lunarboy, I've wondered about regular ethernet. A few other people have mentioned that the physical network may be the weakest link, speed-wise. Do you think this is mainly relevant for DV and related work? Most of the work we do is in identities, signage, print and basic web.

ads

Test it: copy a typical large file from one computer to another. If it takes a second or two, you'll be fine. If it crawls, you'll be in for a frustrating experience - especially when you add the server overhead into the equation. Obviously this isn't an authoritative test but it should give you an idea of the speeds you can expect. Networks never come close to their theoretical maximums for various reasons; you may need to upgrade your network hardware before making the switch. One of the design shops I work with decided against the 'central server' move for exactly this reason - it would have required re-cabling the entire building.

blag

Related Q & A:

Just Added Q & A:

Find solution

For every problem there is a solution! Proved by Solucija.

  • Got an issue and looking for advice?

  • Ask Solucija to search every corner of the Web for help.

  • Get workable solutions and helpful tips in a moment.

Just ask Solucija about an issue you face and immediately get a list of ready solutions, answers and tips from other Internet users. We always provide the most suitable and complete answer to your question at the top, along with a few good alternatives below.