Apple XServe

[bansal]

Im new to apple mac, what is an xserve?

Is it just a server? and how much do they go in retail shops / stores??

I would like to find out as i have a mac mini, g5 quad and a macbook.. just a fan of apple mac lol. I do alot of webdesigning for many clients, could the xserve be a way to i don't know host these clients or something if it is a webserver?

[jramos]

http://www.apple.com/xserve/

[bansal]

Dont you think iv already checked that link out? lol its not specific about whats the purpose of this xserve and what can some one do with it?

i.e. mac g5 = a normal computer to work on / design / produce music

[DeltaMac]

Although the first link provides you with a lot of info - You should realize that a server really has no specific purpose, other than providing access to a lot of files/apps/misc storage, probably for a lot of users.
Here's a link to pricing for the xServe. http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPL...27&nclm=Xserve
You should notice that the xServe does NOT come standard with a video card, so is not very usable on its own, at least as a stand-alone computer. It CAN be used as a stand-alone, as any other Mac, but is not sold with that use in mind.
Although others may add their own opinions. a server-class system is used mostly for fast access to lots of information ('serving' the files), and with no standard video, not useful as a user system.

[bansal]

Ok cheers mate, so as im a webdesigner - would i benefit from this and lets say Host websites on it with different packages etc.. allowcated space / bandwitdh etc..?? is that possible?

[jramos]

Originally Posted by bansal

Dont you think iv already checked that link out? lol its not specific about whats the purpose of this xserve and what can some one do with it?

i.e. mac g5 = a normal computer to work on / design / produce music

Actually it does. At the right of that page you will see a link called "Server Solutions. It shows most of the things you could use the server for. Granted you could do all this with any Mac and load OS X Server on it, but the xsever is enterprise grade.

http://www.apple.com/server/

Hope this helps.

[fryke]

Do you really want to host your own sites? If you want to have good service, you'll need at least two Xserves for redundancy, as well as two fast (i.e. redundant) 'net lines. Why not get a nice package from a real provider (shared hosting) and resell that to your clients - makes more sense. For fun and learning, though, it can be nice to serve your own website on your own server. You'll have all of the problems on your side, too, of course. Nowadays, I leave that up to the pros in hosting - and concentrate on the programming and design part.

[MacDoug]

I second that, Fryke. Bansal, buying a box that can run OS X Server (even if it's not an Xserve) can be a lot of work. If all you want is hosting, I think it would be more worth your time and money to buy it elsewhere. That said, OS X Server is an awesome platform for learning things like apache, LDAP, WebObjects, Unix admin, and a lot more! if you have the time, money, and patience (and motivation) for that, get a spare G5. An Xserve is probably more than you need.

Also remember that when it comes to web services OS X won't do anything Dot Net related, just Java, JavaScript, Python, PHP, SQL, and open source packages like that. But that goes without saying.