[aaanorton]

Sorry for the x-post.... I posted this in Servers, cuz I didn't realize Xserve stuff was OK here.

I want to set up a small network of 4 clients with access to a server to store large image files. I'm interested in the BEST option available. I've been looking at the Snap Server 4500 and the Xserve. I really need a fast, reliable solution.
On the Snap Server, I like RAID 5 configuration, simplicity, price and low power req's.
With Xserve, I like that it could be a print server and that, well, it's an Xserve.
Anybody have any advice for me? Can Xserve be config'd as RAID 5?
And now the rub... I gotta buy one of these Monday. Any advice GREATLY appreciated.

Please help me out if you can. I'd especially love to hear from people who've used a Snap Server in a Mac environment.

[geekwagon]

Originally posted by aaanorton:
Sorry for the x-post.... I posted this in Servers, cuz I didn't realize Xserve stuff was OK here.



Please help me out if you can. I'd especially love to hear from people who've used a Snap Server in a Mac environment.

Well, an xserve holds 4 disk drives, but it has no internal raid controller. You could use OS X's software RAID to do RAID 5 though, but performance is not going to be as good as a hardware RAID solution. That said, if you are only going to have one 100mbit line into the thing, drive performance is not going to be your bottlneck. For a fileserver, you should be fine, but for running a medium to largish DB I wouldn't use anything that doesn't have hardware RAID.

Management of an actual server is going to be a lot more work than a simple NAS system, but obviously that is because you get a heck of a lot more flexibilty (flexibilty breeds complexity.) OS X server has nice admin tools though.

I haven't really used software RAID on OS X, so I don't know if you can boot off of a RAID set. This is a problem for most OSes, usually you can only mirror the boot disk (not stripe it.) So, you might have to buy 4 disks, use one with no RAID to boot off of, and create a RAID set with the other 3 disks to store your data. Obviously not ideal, but doable for a small office or something.

[Macrat]

**shivers** Snap Server **shivers**

We had one at work a year ago, to serve about 10 mac designers. While the cost of serving lots of space on the cheap was appealing, it was slow, slow, slow, (don't remember how it was configured though) and crashed several times a week. We finally gave up and got a real server.

They could be better designed now, but I think the biggest issues were lot's of people swamping it really bogged it down, and it was never stable.

[aaanorton]

Do you remember what model it was?
I'm looking at the 4500.The previous, 4100 model seems pretty weak.

[Macrat]

I didn't know any real specifics about it, sorry.

[CatOne]

Originally posted by aaanorton:
Sorry for the x-post.... I posted this in Servers, cuz I didn't realize Xserve stuff was OK here.



Please help me out if you can. I'd especially love to hear from people who've used a Snap Server in a Mac environment.

Have you looked at Xserve RAID? A little over 2 TB of RAID 5 storage, which can transfer 300 MB/sec sustained.

If you want serious disk you want Xserve RAID. You can connect it to an Xserve, or you can connect it to something else (gasp, PC) with Apple's HBA and cables, and with the right drivers (Qlogic?).

[aaanorton]

Originally posted by CatOne:
Have you looked at Xserve RAID?

Ya, I have. I really only need the smallest Xserve RAID with 720 GB. In fact, I don't even need that much for this purpose. And at 6k, it's 50% more than I'd pay for the same amount of Snap Server 4500. I'm not even saying that this makes it totally out of the question, but what will I gain for that much more money? I also like that the Snap Server is only 1U, as opposed to 3U. I have a limited amount of space for all this: a MB/Freightliner Sprinter.
I'll only need to connect Macs to whatever I get. I really hope someone can compare pros/cons for me of the Snap Server vs. Xserve/Xserve RAID.
Thanks.