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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. In the browser window that just appeared you would want to click on phpMyAdmin because we have to create a database for WordPress to use. A Mac mini or Mac Pro are ideal candidates for server use, but you can run Apple’s server app on any Mac so if you have an old MacBook Pro or iMac, you can use that too. System Requirements for a Time Machine server.
#Setup mac mini server how to
Thankfully the Mac mini is easily outfitted with such hardware. This article covers how to set up your own Time Machine server on a Mac.
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Then hit the plus button ( +) under the Shared Folders menu that appears to add folders you want accessible via the server.
#Setup mac mini server manual
Change your server from an automatically acquired IP address from DHCP, to a manual one. Note that this is different than the Family Sharing option.Ĭheck the box for File Sharing under the Service menu on the left. To get VPN working over a public network, youll need to do the following: 1. Once that’s done, you can set the Mac mini up for file sharing by opening System Preferences and clicking on Sharing.
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Related: How to Keep Your Mac From Sleeping: Methods That Work Now enter the 4-digit access code from your iOS device. Go back to iTunes on the Mac Mini and click on your iOS device on the left hand menu. You will given a 4-digit access code (this will be used to pair your iOS device with your iTunes library). 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. Once downloaded you must launch the application, go to Settings and choose Add an iTunes library. 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.
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