Hi all I have a Mac Mini that I want to start using a server around the house. Manage the other Macs around the house, centralised Time Machine, and also serve as a file server for the couple of Windows machines I have. So it's a Mac Mini with 500gb of storage so I obviously need to add a lot more. Fitbit alta app for pc. Ideally I would like to build a 4 bay RAID 5 system but this is where I appear to be failing and need some help. I seem to have 3 options - Thunderbolt, USB or NAS. Thunderbolt appears to be way too expensive and a lot of people say it's overkill for a home setup anyway NAS seems to be the most cost effective way, but then does that negate the point of the Mac server anyway?

A hardware RAID can be pricey but it helps prevent data loss and improve performance. Senior Contributor, Macworld Nov 30, 2015 5:00 AM PT. It's quiz time: what's the single most important thing in your Mac computing. Prevent data loss (as best as possible); Minimize downtime in the event of drive failure; Provide.

USB seems good but i can't find any decent USB enclosures, are there any that anyone would recommend? Thanks in advance Mike.

Sadly many would say that Macs are not appropriate to use as real servers for companies, however some do and for small companies they are perfectly usable. Obviously in a home situation the concerns over the suitable of a Mac as a server are totally different. While the most common choice for storage for a Mac server these days would be an external Thunderbolt RAID solution e.g. The Promise Pegasus R4 and R6 ranges, I would agree for a home situation a NAS solution may be more appropriate. A NAS can act as a general purpose file server for both Macs and Windows PCs, it would not require leaving the Mac on all the time, and most NAS devices do also support acting as a Time Machine backup server. However some people say that NAS based Time Machine servers are not sufficiently reliable and you should only use a genuine Apple solution such as either a Time Capsule or a Mac running Server.app and sharing a drive as a Time Machine destination. I would agree somewhat that NAS based Time Machine systems are not going to be as reliable as a genuine Apple one but I would also probably say that they are not completely useless either.

I for example use a NetGear ReadyNAS as a Time Machine system and I am happy enough with it. By the way, for external storage there are additional options.

Sadly many would say that Macs are not appropriate to use as real servers for companies, however some do and for small companies they are perfectly usable. Obviously in a home situation the concerns over the suitable of a Mac as a server are totally different. While the most common choice for storage for a Mac server these days would be an external Thunderbolt RAID solution e.g. The Promise Pegasus R4 and R6 ranges, I would agree for a home situation a NAS solution may be more appropriate. A NAS can act as a general purpose file server for both Macs and Windows PCs, it would not require leaving the Mac on all the time, and most NAS devices do also support acting as a Time Machine backup server. However some people say that NAS based Time Machine servers are not sufficiently reliable and you should only use a genuine Apple solution such as either a Time Capsule or a Mac running Server.app and sharing a drive as a Time Machine destination.

I would agree somewhat that NAS based Time Machine systems are not going to be as reliable as a genuine Apple one but I would also probably say that they are not completely useless either. I for example use a NetGear ReadyNAS as a Time Machine system and I am happy enough with it. By the way, for external storage there are additional options. I repurposed my old 2010 Mini as a home server and works quite well. It is limited to USB2 and Firewire, but as a home server it works just fine. Sudo npm install -g nodemon for mac. I am using it as a generic file server, central iTunes Home Sharing server, and update server. All the external drives are USB2 connected via hub or directly attached.

It is also running and managing things with the OSX Server app. Since you list a 2014 Mini, it has USB3. If you want to consolidate drives into a single enclosure, I would suggest the following: Dual enclosure: USB3/Firewire800, RAID0, RAID1,SPAD,JBOD Quad enclosure: USB3/Firewire800/eSATA,RAID 0/1/5/10 OWC is a well respected supplier of Mac Products and thoroughly test Mac compatibility of the products they sell.

They also have various other multibay solutions. Apple Footer • This site contains user submitted content, comments and opinions and is for informational purposes only. Apple may provide or recommend responses as a possible solution based on the information provided; every potential issue may involve several factors not detailed in the conversations captured in an electronic forum and Apple can therefore provide no guarantee as to the efficacy of any proposed solutions on the community forums. Apple disclaims any and all liability for the acts, omissions and conduct of any third parties in connection with or related to your use of the site.