[hadocon]

It is my task to set up a new server for the human Media Lab here @ Queen's University hml.queensu.ca. Currently we are running it from a Cube running OS X workstation, but we are growing and would like to migrate to using IS X Server. We require web hosting services as well as mail hosting. My questions are:

• Does OS X Server currently support the cube officially?
• Will performance be adequate on the cube (not pushing tonnes of pages)
• Has anyone used Apple Remote Desktop?
• is NetBoot easy to use?

[Jansar]

I'm not quite sure how it would work, but I have been thinking about turning my Cube into a server long ago, and I just want to see what opther people say. My Cube has just get kinda "rusty", so I was hoping that I get a new machine very soon.

[Maneki Neko]

Originally posted by hadocon:
<STRONG>It is my task to set up a new server for the human Media Lab here @ Queen's University hml.queensu.ca. Currently we are running it from a Cube running OS X workstation, but we are growing and would like to migrate to using IS X Server. We require web hosting services as well as mail hosting. My questions are:

• Does OS X Server currently support the cube officially?
• Will performance be adequate on the cube (not pushing tonnes of pages)
• Has anyone used Apple Remote Desktop?
• is NetBoot easy to use?</STRONG>

I'm running OS X server on my cube, it works great. Performance has been fine, server is running for me and my roommates though, not a ton of load. Haven't used ARD or NetBoot.

[Exizl del Fuego]

I run OSX Server on a Sawtooth G4 @ 450 MHz, and it runs quite well. Therefore, it ought to run nicely on the cube. And yes, OSX Server is officially supported on the Cube. Just load it up with RAM, and you'd be set.

As for ARD, I have it, though haven't had much of a chance to use it yet. But from the little time I *have* used it, it seems to do everything well enough. Going over a 10BaseT connection to a PowerMac 9500, there's a noticeable lapse of time between clicking the mouse and when it registers on the 9500 to when the screen redraws back on the G4.

NetBoot: The original NetBoot Server required your OSX Server being a BootP Server so as to dish out IP addresses to the clients. NetBoot 2.0 now lets the clients use whatever DHCP server you'd have on the network, and then attach to the OSX Server to begin booting. However, NetBoot 2.0 requires a certain level of firmware. In the lab where I work, we use many PowerMac G4's of the Yikes! variety, and these cannot use NetBoot 2.0. The Sawtooth G4's can, however. All iBooks should be fine, all PowerBooks starting from Pismo on should be fine (Not so sure about the Lombard ones...), and all iMacs with the plastic (not metal) shielding and on should be fine. I think. Of course, if setting up an OSX Server to be a BootP server is not a problem, then any new world mac ought to work. NetBoot 2.0 requires you to click a few check boxes. NetBoot 1.0 requires a little bit more setup, which has mostly to do with setting up a BootP server. Both a pretty harmless, though.

[hadocon]

Originally posted by Exizl del Fuego:
<STRONG>I run OSX Server on a Sawtooth G4 @ 450 MHz, and it runs quite well. Therefore, it ought to run nicely on the cube. And yes, OSX Server is officially supported on the Cube. Just load it up with RAM, and you'd be set.

As for ARD, I have it, though haven't had much of a chance to use it yet. But from the little time I *have* used it, it seems to do everything well enough. Going over a 10BaseT connection to a PowerMac 9500, there's a noticeable lapse of time between clicking the mouse and when it registers on the 9500 to when the screen redraws back on the G4.

NetBoot: The original NetBoot Server required your OSX Server being a BootP Server so as to dish out IP addresses to the clients. NetBoot 2.0 now lets the clients use whatever DHCP server you'd have on the network, and then attach to the OSX Server to begin booting. However, NetBoot 2.0 requires a certain level of firmware. In the lab where I work, we use many PowerMac G4's of the Yikes! variety, and these cannot use NetBoot 2.0. The Sawtooth G4's can, however. All iBooks should be fine, all PowerBooks starting from Pismo on should be fine (Not so sure about the Lombard ones...), and all iMacs with the plastic (not metal) shielding and on should be fine. I think. Of course, if setting up an OSX Server to be a BootP server is not a problem, then any new world mac ought to work. NetBoot 2.0 requires you to click a few check boxes. NetBoot 1.0 requires a little bit more setup, which has mostly to do with setting up a BootP server. Both a pretty harmless, though.</STRONG>

THANX!

&lt;guess&gt; OK, the difference between the Yikes! and Sawtooth is that Sawtooth is the mobo from the original B&W and Yikes! is from the updated G4 mobo? &lt;/guess&gt;

My lab is populated with G4s and I would like to know a quick way to determine weather or not they are Yikes! or Sawtooth. can anyone help?

[halmstrz]

Originally posted by hadocon:
<STRONG>

My lab is populated with G4s and I would like to know a quick way to determine weather or not they are Yikes! or Sawtooth. can anyone help?</STRONG>

I believe the Sawtooth motherboards retained the green power light that the G3s had. When the Yikes boards shipped, the machines had white power lights. I may be mistaken, but I think that works.

[ChrisF]

Originally posted by halmstrz:
<STRONG>

I believe the Sawtooth motherboards retained the green power light that the G3s had. When the Yikes boards shipped, the machines had white power lights. I may be mistaken, but I think that works.</STRONG>

Yikes! machines are commonly known as the Power Mac G4 (PCI graphics.) Sawtooth machines are commonly known as Power Mac G4 (AGP graphics.) This should be listed in Apple System Profiler. Both will have the green power light- Gigabit ethernet G4s and later have the whitish light.
Chris

[Jansar]

Well, I'm gald all of you have a machine up an running nicely with the Server. I was going to buy a new computer before I go to college next year and install server on my Cube at home.

[lars-man]

Originally posted by Exizl del Fuego:
<STRONG>
NetBoot: The original NetBoot Server required your OSX Server being a BootP Server so as to dish out IP addresses to the clients. NetBoot 2.0 now lets the clients use whatever DHCP server you'd have on the network, and then attach to the OSX Server to begin booting. However, NetBoot 2.0 requires a certain level of firmware. In the lab where I work, we use many PowerMac G4's of the Yikes! variety, and these cannot use NetBoot 2.0. The Sawtooth G4's can, however. All iBooks should be fine, all PowerBooks starting from Pismo on should be fine (Not so sure about the Lombard ones...), and all iMacs with the plastic (not metal) shielding and on should be fine. I think. Of course, if setting up an OSX Server to be a BootP server is not a problem, then any new world mac ought to work. NetBoot 2.0 requires you to click a few check boxes. NetBoot 1.0 requires a little bit more setup, which has mostly to do with setting up a BootP server. Both a pretty harmless, though.</STRONG>

But Apple says that all Macs that use "ROM in RAM" technology are able to use NetBoot 2 (which belongs to Mac OS X Server v.10 and higher). That also includes the G3 b&w. So G4s with Yikes motherboard should be compatible to NetBoot 2. Even the first iMacs should be able to use NetBoot 2. Apple says that in the Administration Guide, that is on the Mac OS X Server CD.

Lars-man

[ 05-12-2002: Message edited by: lars-man ]

[Exizl del Fuego]

Originally posted by hadocon:
<STRONG>
&lt;guess&gt; OK, the difference between the Yikes! and Sawtooth is that Sawtooth is the mobo from the original B&W and Yikes! is from the updated G4 mobo? &lt;/guess&gt;

My lab is populated with G4s and I would like to know a quick way to determine weather or not they are Yikes! or Sawtooth. can anyone help?</STRONG>

You've actually got that backwards... the Yikes models were the ones with the B&W motherboards (with PCI graphics), and the Sawtooth ones had the all-new G4 motherboard.

Historically speaking, the "Yikes!" denomination came from Apple's inability to get the Sawtooth computers out of the door in time, so they plopped the G4 processor into the B&W motherboard, and officially called that the PowerMac G4 (PCI Graphics).

[Exizl del Fuego]

Originally posted by lars-man:
<STRONG>

But Apple says that all Macs that use "ROM in RAM" technology are able to use NetBoot 2 (which belongs to Mac OS X Server v.10 and higher). That also includes the G3 b&w. So G4s with Yikes motherboard should be compatible to NetBoot 2. Even the first iMacs should be able to use NetBoot 2. Apple says that in the Administration Guide, that is on the Mac OS X Server CD.

Lars-man

[ 05-12-2002: Message edited by: lars-man ]</STRONG>

Well, the deal was this:

With Netboot 1.0, any NewWorld mac (with the ROM in RAM deal) was compatible.

With NetBoot 2.0, you had to apply a Firmware update for these older NewWorld computers (Such as the original iMac, the B&W PowerMac, the Powermac G4 (PCI Graphics), and even the PowerMac G4 (AGP Graphics). Any Mac introduced after OSX Server 10.0 came out already had this firmware ability. The problem came about, however, in the fact that Apple never released a firmware upgrade for the original iMacs or the B&W Powermacs (and thusly, the PowerMac G4 (PCI Graphics)). Therefore, without this firmware update, which was never released by Apple for these machines, NetBoot 2.0 will not work on them.

Unless I am mistaken, which I highly doubt.

[lars-man]

Originally posted by Exizl del Fuego:
<STRONG>

Well, the deal was this:

With Netboot 1.0, any NewWorld mac (with the ROM in RAM deal) was compatible.

With NetBoot 2.0, you had to apply a Firmware update for these older NewWorld computers (Such as the original iMac, the B&W PowerMac, the Powermac G4 (PCI Graphics), and even the PowerMac G4 (AGP Graphics). Any Mac introduced after OSX Server 10.0 came out already had this firmware ability. The problem came about, however, in the fact that Apple never released a firmware upgrade for the original iMacs or the B&W Powermacs (and thusly, the PowerMac G4 (PCI Graphics)). Therefore, without this firmware update, which was never released by Apple for these machines, NetBoot 2.0 will not work on them.

Unless I am mistaken, which I highly doubt.</STRONG>

So, that means that those older machines (first iMac, G3 b&w, G4 with PCI-Graphics) are only compatible to NetBoot 1 which belongs to Mac OS X Server 1.2? So it makes no sense to set up a Mac OS X Server v10 when I have those older machines in my network and I would like to use NetBoot with Mac OS X Server v10, or what? That's fantastic Apple !

lars-man

I hope you understood me, I'm just a stupid German pupil whose English ist not the best at all!

[Exizl del Fuego]

Originally posted by lars-man:
<STRONG>

So, that means that those older machines (first iMac, G3 b&w, G4 with PCI-Graphics) are only compatible to NetBoot 1 which belongs to Mac OS X Server 1.2? So it makes no sense to set up a Mac OS X Server v10 when I have those older machines in my network and I would like to use NetBoot with Mac OS X Server v10, or what? That's fantastic Apple !

lars-man</STRONG>

Heh, no, don't worry. Mac OS X server 10.x supports both NetBoot 1 and 2. You're covered with v10.x.

[lars-man]

Originally posted by Exizl del Fuego:
<STRONG>

Heh, no, don't worry. Mac OS X server 10.x supports both NetBoot 1 and 2. You're covered with v10.x.</STRONG>

That sounds good :-) . But what are the differences between NetBoot 1 and NetBoot 2 (performance or features or something else)?

Lars-man

[Exizl del Fuego]

Originally posted by lars-man:
<STRONG>

That sounds good :-) . But what are the differences between NetBoot 1 and NetBoot 2 (performance or features or something else)?

Lars-man</STRONG>

With NetBoot 1, your OSX Server has to operate as a BootP server to dish out IP addresses to the NetBoot clients. Fine idea, makes sense, but it's really inconvenient in practice, as most places already have DHCP servers set up, and most institutions don't want to have a BootP server which might possibly conflict with their DHCP servers.

With NetBoot 2, your OSX Server no longer needs to be a BootP server, as the server no longer needs to dish out an IP address to the NetBoot clients. So long as their is some DHCP server on the network, the client machines, which support NetBoot 2, will automatically snag their own IP address before connecting to your server to boot up.

Basically, that's the deal.