Apple OS X Server on ESXi

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KapsZ28

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As far as I know OS X is supported on ESXi 5.5, but Apple still has the policy that you can only install OS X on Apple branded hardware. However they no longer sell Apple servers....

If you want to run an Apple server in a datacenter, what are you supposed to do?
 
Mac Mini and Mac Pro can both run ESXi.
 
The real issue is the lack on nics, you can get the thunderbolt nics working with it though.
 
klank said:
Mac Mini and Mac Pro can both run ESXi.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but if I use them, I might as well just install the server OS directly on them instead of using ESXi. This customer only really has a need for 1 Apple server and a backup solution.
 
KapsZ28 said:
Yeah, but if I use them, I might as well just install the server OS directly on them instead of using ESXi. This customer only really has a need for 1 Apple server and a backup solution.
Click to expand...

I think it's easier to backup a vm then backup an OS running on actual hardware. You just going to use time machine or is their an enterprise backup solution for OSX server?
 
ND40oz said:
I think it's easier to backup a vm then backup an OS running on actual hardware. You just going to use time machine or is their an enterprise backup solution for OSX server?
Click to expand...

No need to backup the entire OS. Just certain folders/files. Right now they are currently using Time Machine on the physical server. But the server is 6 years old and the backup server is out of space. They are looking to replace it.
 
We have some rackmounted Mac Pros (both the current cylinder ones and the old tower models). The tower-style Pros fit on rack shelves (either vertically next to each other or on their sides with the cases modified), and we use a homemade mount for the cylinder Pros based on a stock half-depth shelf with a 3D-printed plastic cage for the tower to rest in.

There's a commercial alternative here, it's vastly overpriced compared to what we can make in house, but it is made completely of metal which might be a plus: http://magma.com/products/thunderbolt-expansion/mac-pro-rackmount-kit/
 
Mac Mini is the way to go. Assuming this is for some type of build system for iOS apps or something else requiring XCode and native libraries. While the devices are not redundant with their components, my suggestion would be to do local ESXi install with shared iSCSI or NFS storage (and multiple Mac Mini's for redundancy).
 
We bought an Xserve 3,1 to run ESXi to virtualize OSX for iSCSI storage AFP sharing to OSX clients.

But after stability and unreliability issues, we shut down that host and virtualized Windows 2012 instead on one of our Dell boxes. SMB3 rocks.

Now I'm ready to unrack the Xserve and put it on ebay.
 
Another option for AFP, NFS, FC/iSCSI and SMB storage is a ZFS server.

Although ZFS is available on OSX, ZFS is more stable and feature rich on Solaris or BSD
Oracle Solaris is the most feature rich ZFS server at the moment) or with the free Solaris fork OmniOS. Main advantage of Solaris: Zero config Solaris SMB and NFS server, Switch to on and everything is in ZFS on Solaris with full previous version support and Windows ntfs alike nfs4 ACL.

If you compare it with Windows and ntfs, main adwantage is the crash resistent CopyOnWrite filesystem with versioning, checksums, self healing. Installation is easy and management is done wie web browser. Unix ZFS systems are quite set and forget, not the be-weekly patch day unsecurity like on Microsoft.
 
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