Pre-Installation

So, after receiving purchase approval, I made my way to the nearest Apple Store to snag one of those precious jewels. I knew things would work out too when I made it to Santa Monica and lucked up on a parking space about 40 feet from the Apple Store entrance.

Once in the store, I didn’t waste anytime. I needed to get my server and split. Of course I ended up browsing and didn’t leave until about 20 minutes later. But, I had our new server in hand ready to be welcomed into the fold.

Once I made it back to the office around 9pm, I had to prepare the rack for a new family member. Finally, we could have all of our servers consolidated in 1 area instead of scattered around thanks to the form factor of the Mac Mini. It really takes up very minimal real estate and makes me wonder if I’ll ever deploy Xserve now that the Mini is a viable option. The cost-to-value ratio here is excellent. I mean you get a terabyte server with 4GB of RAM and an unlimited client license to Snow Leopard Server for around $1200 (including Apple Care). To do the same with a new Xserve could easily set you back $3000+. It might not work for a video shop but at these prices it’s a no brainer for powering an expanding network.

Anyways, it’s now time to put this puppy into action. So I roll up my sleeves and get to crackin’.

The Arrival

The box that it comes in adds an additional 1/3 to the dimensions. So you know the footprint on this bad boy is going to be small.

Installation Preparation

After inspecting the package contents, it was time to get to work. About 9 hours later, the new machine was installed into its new home ready to provide core and directory services to the team with overall workflow only slightly bruised…:D

Home, Sweet Home!