Was trying to get rid of it, and halfway through a purchase for a nas setup from amazon, i thought why not use the mac mini. This story, make the most of your mac by adding nas was originally published by. Is synology nas a good replacement for macos server. Best nas for mac for households and smbs for mac users, theres no better way to expand storage capacity and share files across networks than nas. Qnap nas provides mac os x users with an effortless solution to back up desktop data. The mac mini does very well as a media player with software such as plex or xbmc. External storage using mac mini as server nas or other. Additionally, macos also lacks critical support for things like iscsi making it a poor choice for a storage server. Its broader than the scope of this article, though im going to save that for another time. Turn a mac mini into a media server with plex macworld. My debate is between a nas device versus a mac mini server regular mac mini running os x server with external storage. A network attached storage device can provide shared storage, a time machine backup target, and additional useful features for mac, iphone, and ipad users on a local area network and beyond. Doc documents technical documentation erp here you will. Nas network attached storage fills in the gaps, acting as a central hub for all your photos, videos, music, and other files.
It contains services like ssh, sftp, smbcifs, afs, upnp media server, daap media server, rsync, bittorrent client and many more. Opensource nas software cannot be run on windows natively but these home server software which we are going to show can be and gives you the almost complete file share and media solution for your home and small offices. If you have an external nas or are simply very good at. I use a quad core 2012 mac mini as my plex server, and currently have two 3 tb external wd hdds attached via usb3 along with a single 6 tb external wd.
A nas drive that provides shared storage for everyone on your network is ideal for homes that own multiple macs and mobile devices. Nas storage is that it is much slower than a hard drive. Heres how mac users can make the most out of nas, and a look at the top four nas solutions currently available. But for those who rely their lives on a mac or multiple. A network attached storage nas volume is another way to offload itunes files, but there are a lot of caveats. It was where all my music and movies were stored, but it also served as overflow storage and an occasional testbed for beta software. Software, firmware, updates please enter the name or product code of your device. You can really get into computer gaming with the help of a mac mini. Remote file access, raid features, my cloud os 3 software. Im not going to call this video a tutorial, but if you.
A proper nasmac setup can save time and reduce stress through easier downloads, improved organization, smoother backups, and more. You can, of course, use that mac mini for other things, such as. Top 3 nas for plex of the year if you are looking to upgrade your multimedia. Downloads software, firmware and updates here you will find the latest updates for your product. The freenas mini is the perfect compact system for your home. Hit the like button and subscribe let me know what you think in. Older imacs, mac minis and mac pros have bigger hard drives that use standard. Others are ready to go out of the box, complete with an os, ram, and memory installed. If you have a large media collection, you may want to use a mac as a dedicated device to run plex. Zfs enterpriseclass file system that provides software raid to protect your data from drive failure, data corruption, file deletion, and even malware attacks. For many years, ive used an old mac mini connected to a large external hard disk as a generalpurpose network server.
Has any one had an success in in running freenas of a mac mini and having the drives housed on an external enclosure. Ill be recruiting the help of some extra hardware and nonmac software to get us to the point where we can use the mac mini as a proper gaming hub. Today, we will be focusing on the basics how to integrate the qnap nas into your daily workflow as a creative user. If you havent yet sorted out some networkattached storage nas, you might want to think about. Freenas mini freenas open source storage operating system. In this article, im going to tell you how you can set up a mac mini as a dedicated plex server.
It has worked, mostly, but has always felt clumsily patched together. For home freenas open source storage operating system. Buffalo provides an extreme solution if you are struggling with storage issues. Lovers of macos server dont have to fear having their mac minis pried from their cold, dead hands quite yet. Mac mini features the apple t2 security chip secondgeneration custom mac silicon designed by apple to make mac mini even more secure. In addition to current software and firmware, you will also find operating instructions and utilities. Here are the best applefriendly nas units to meet and exceed the now discontinued.
With the purchase of my new mac mini ive decided its a good time to transfer the bulk of my data over to a network attached storage device. Large external hd array for a mac mini with raid to run the mac. No more dedicating external hard drives just for your time machine. Product firmware product if your product is not listed above, please visit the product page. Top 3 nas for plex of the year nasdriveof2019 if you are looking to upgrade your multimedia. If you do have a lot of videos that need transcoding, a nas might not be a good fit for plex. Think of it as being more like a filing cabinet or bookcase. When connected to the mac via a usb port the device. Best network attached storage options for mac, iphone, and ipad users. Another thing to consider the mac mini doesnt have any sort of.
If you dont fancy selling your old mac for a decent price, youll probably want to repurpose it so that its not sitting around doing nothing. Powered by freenas, the worlds most popular open source storage os. Nas stands for network attached storage and is essential for those using a network instead of a single computer. Using os x as a file server for a network lifewire. Professionalgrade network attached storage for home and office. Would anyone else like to share their experiences of or recommendations for using a nas, mac mini, or other machines as servers for sonos. In this video i will be showing you how i turned my mac mini into a plex media server. For mac users, theres no better way to expand storage capacity and share files across networks than nas. In this video i demonstrate every step i take to set up a mac mini as my home server for file sharing, backup, itunes duties and printing.
A nas is like a personal server which lets you share files, remote access, stream with onthefly transcoding, virtualization and more. I use mac minis and love them as players and they can do other things as well which makes them an excellent deal especially a higher end used mini. Xigmanas supports sharing across windows, apple, and unixlike systems. Make copies of mac documents, applications, and system files systematically. But with so many nas solutions available for home and business use, knowing what youll need can be tricky. As example, if you have a mirrored nas with 2x4 tb drives, you may want a 3rd drive connected to your mac and back up the mirrored drives from time to time or at least some type of schedule. Kirkville turn a mac mini into a media server with plex. Small enough to fit in a closet or under a desk, no other system in its class can match the power offered by the mini. The t2 security chip consolidates several controllers into one, and includes a secure enclave coprocessor that provides the foundation for encrypted storage and secure boot capabilities.
From small office storage to huge businesslevel service, this nas provides economical storage solutions. One of the great unsung features of macos is time machine, the software that sits inside your system. Im not wanting to host websites, emails, or caldendars, as i use icloud for these things and dont wish to keep the mini on. I have an old dual core mac mini 2009 intel version.
Owning a mac is more than it seems since for some people it seems simple and often regarded as the easytouse computer. Store all your media including movies, tv shows, photos, and music on the nas, then enjoy them from anywhere. Running a mac server isnt for everyone, but it can be useful. I have movies, music and such, but my biggest concern is using it to archive projects and photos from. Use your old mac as a server or nas drive heres how tim brookes march 15, 2016 15032016. So, if youre going to turn a mac mini into a file server, plan on using external. Seagate nas and pcmac back up the nas see backup jobs for a complete explanation on how to automate backups of data stored on your nas. Adding network storage nas to your mac macintosh how to. Its shit slow and any 3rd party software that does run on it shouldnt used. Manage your content with a rich set of collaborative and data protection tools. Known as nas network attached storage is a central storage system consisted of multiple hard drives and is constantly connected to the network. Use your old mac as a server or nas drive heres how. Master your digital files for work and daily life qnap us.
How to set up your 2018 mac mini as the ultimate macos. Best free media server cum nas software for windows. Xigmanas is the simplest and fastest way to create a centralized and easilyaccessible server for all kind of data. Additionally, hosting some form of media server, storing images, mirroring to. Once you set up this nas for your mac or iphone, multiple users can access the personal cloud storage from anywhere, all you need is internet connectivity.