Mac mini: Apple's new entry-level server platform?

Apple keeps upping the specs on its Mac mini. Last spring, it gave it near parity with the iMac desktop. With its fall update, the hardware combined with Snow Leopard Server sounds just right for small businesses and workgroups, according to a recent review. According to Glenn Fleishman at Ars Technica, the $999 box bundled with a $499 server package — supporting unlimited clients — is easier for in-house staff to support than entry-level Windows Small Business Server 2008 and Linux servers.

The Mac mini server — its full name is the Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server — brings together two separate developments: a substantial price cut for OS X Server and increasingly powerful Mac mini models that have the gumption to work as servers.

Fleishman points out two "stumbles" on the hardware front: the Mac mini's 4GB RAM specs are underpowered, and its limitation to 5,400RPM drives will limit performance. He offers a good suggestion to Cupertino.

The issue of RAM and drive speed are interrelated. More RAM would increase caching and reduce disk accesses; a faster drive would make a system with less RAM work more efficiently. Apple should consider offering a higher-end mini for what would likely be $1,299 to $1,399 with two 7200 rpm drives and 8GB.

Now, I admit that I've been somewhat diffident about the Mac mini's capabilities, especially on the server front. About a year ago, I pointed out how several companies were using it for a turnkey black box server and a home video server. But this was with the previous, lower-powered hardware. For small businesses that want to keep networked services in-house, rather than seek the cloud with Web hosted services like Google Apps, Fleishman suggests the Mac mini server should be considered.

Is the Mac mini server and OS X Server the right match for your office? It certainly depends. In my weeks with the combo, I found much to praise, and many elements improved significantly over the 10.5 release. For a straightforward start-to-finish setup, this combination seems like a steal at the price, despite the problems I found — and especially if you take my advice for tweaking spam-filter settings. As with many Apple products, I would prefer if the experience were less frustrating at points at which the company should have tested and anticipated problems. But overall, Apple has kept most of the rough edges and hidden much of the configuration madness from the potential smaller-office audience.