Turn an OLD Mac into a NEW Server!

What's better than recycling or selling your old Apple Mac for scraps? Turn it into a home server with macOS Server, Plex, and more!
macOS Server (10.11 and later) - apps.apple.com/us/app/macos-s...
macOS Server (10.10 and earlier) - snazzy.fm/macosserver
Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet - geni.us/iyUb2hn
USB 3.0 to Gigabit Ethernet - geni.us/nJf4
USB 2.0 to 10/100 Ethernet - geni.us/WSJCwrk
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Computers get old. Including Apple computers. But rather than throw away your iMac, Mac Pro, Mac mini, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, or MacBook adding to the world's growing e-waste, you can repurpose it as a home NAS server (and more!) by recycling and using macOS Server. From update and iCloud Drive file caching, to network Time Machine backups (a la Time Capsule), to network file sharing over SMB, AFP, and iOS' Files.app, there's a lot of opportunity! Not to mention you could install Plex Media Server or a network music app like Roon on top of that! The world is your oyster with an old networked Mac and this video will help you get started.

[@markfen88]

You should NOT use the same up address as when you got your initial DHCP lease, unless you make a reservation on your DHCP server (ie: router). Otherwise you should use an IP outside the DHCP scope set on the DHCP server (ie: router). Reason being is that the DHCP server can then assign another machine on your network with that IP and you will end up with an IP address conflict.

[@snazzy]

Good tip. I have done this but neglected to mention. Thanks.

[@WarriorsPhoto]

Good to know. Thank you Mark. (:

[@JS_i4u_support]

Agree. At least 10%, reserved, 80% dynamic, 10% vpn for home networks is ok

[@realcartoongirl]

Not really most modern routers are smart enough not to do that but there is still a possibility

[@sladerade156]

Depending on your router, you can have the router assign an IP address based on the MAC address to prevent any other devices taking it and leave the IP address on dhcp on the OS side too!

[@JohanYlinenjarvi]

I've used a couple of 2010 Mac Pros to host hundreds of websites... worked as a charm. Switched to virtual servers when they became cheaper than the electricity-bill...

[@TheGrooseIsLoose]

I’d rather turn an old server into a new Mac. Can you do that one next?

[@DominusFeles]

Can't wait for that episode!

[@hidde1626]

I actually did this recently, if you do this, you even need to find a sound card and extra devices, as a server is really barebones. I hackintoshed it, and it uses an Ivy Bridge Xeon, and a GTX 960. I'm on High Sierra, because there's no Nvidia web drivers for Mojave. It works well, and is pretty snappy though.

[@Pendleton115]

I’ve got Catalina Running on my 2009 Apple Xserve. So yes, totally doable.

[@lauralau150]

I think x79 Xeon can work

[@threepwood56]

I did that many moons ago to a G4 Server running an old Mac Classic server app called Appleshare iP Server. Like I said it was many moons ago. I could regale you with tales of Mac Manager, but thinking about that will keep me awake at night.

[@alanaktion]

I'm pretty sure the VPN option on macOS Server is actually to run a VPN server for allowing outside connections into your LAN, not for running a client that all of the LAN runs through.

[@andresvaldevit3692]

Would be nice to revisit this video with more current software. From what I've been researching MacOS has integrated a lot of server like features without the need to pay for this software.

[@OWK000]

Running Ventura 13 and I can't even find OSX server in the app store anywhere

[@andresvaldevit3692]

@@OWK000 This video is obsolete right now. You can do most of the same with any relatively old mac and stock OSX now.

[@OWK000]

@@andresvaldevit3692 I am researching that now. Thanks

[@andresvaldevit3692]

If you ask me any cheap NAS will do a far better work. That's what I ended up doing starting from a Mac

[@jonahg6564]

I LEGIT JUST DID THIS WITH MY 2012 MAC MINI! Love this channel!!! Thank you!

[@snazzy]

Awesome!!!

[@wizcombo]

Thinking my mid 2012 pro would serve well

[@jonahg6564]

EWave definitely! It’s such a good year for macs haha

[@jonahg6564]

Snazzy Labs thanks for the heart!

[@BeatsByBillawala]

EWave It's worth noting that if the machine your trying to use as a server runs El cap then file caching, sharing and time machine over the network are all built in. I didn't know that till after I paid for and installed this on my 2012 MBP and the side bar of the macos server app had only 2 options. So if your machine can run post ~2018 macos then you can achieve all of this natively

[@realcartoongirl]

apple: $20 for a server app linux: hold my package manager

[@threepwood56]

In New Zealand Pesos, it's NZ$34.99. Maybe I should ask if it will run on my G3 Wallstreet 233 running Classzilla. :P

[@DanielPinel]

daniel@X230DP:~>sudo apt install vsftpd smb samba-common (wait no, it's my laptop)

[@michaelch5060]

Old Mac Mini's work especially well for OSX Server. Been using mine for years

[@alerey4363]

Absolutely! a headless computer is the real server, any seasoned sysadmin will tell you that; also macos server is not really a good choice because: a) pricing/app model b) closed source c) really problematic at installing 3rd party programming languages or modules; maybe for "windows like sysadmins" where they need to click buttons and switches to "activate services" is an option, but for anyone with some experience in *nix those are limitations

[@ajbadenhorst]

Wow, that is awesome thanks man! Wanted a home server for a long time and have an old 13-inch air lying around. Didn't realize macOS Server is that powerful! Thanks for the videos, always enjoy them!

[@mediaman2467]

Great video. I just purchased a 2019 Macbook Pro and using my older 2013 Mac Pro as a Home Server. Your video helped a lot to move forward.

[@henrikpetersson3463]

Had a 2007 MacBook. Really loved that little machine. It had by far the best keyboard Apple has ever made. And it was so easy to service!

[@HenrikoMagnifico]

I want to know how I can revert my Mac Mini 2012 to a previous version. Now it's on Mojave but it lags like hell and is really slow. If I could go back to Mavericks or something that would be great (I have no time machine backups)

[@nate6862]

You can set a static IP that isn't currently being used but you're you may still run into issues down the road if you used an IP in the DHCP scope.

[@hugodsa89]

Now this is the type of videos I have been waiting to see from you Snazzy!

[@applehelper2748]

could you do an updated video? id love to see how to do this the best way now that macOS Server is done.

[@suvabratasinha1157]

Its amazing how many of your videos I have saved and followed through as "weekend projects" ! Thanks

[@tristanskylark]

Can you still use the server remotely when you’re not on the same Wi-Fi network like across the world for example

[@KurisuYamato]

I went the classic "Snow Leopard on a Core Duo Mac Mini" route. Shoved a 500GB HDD I had spare in it, loaded up my regular digital media library on it and haven't had any issues! As I retire newer hardware I'll certainly be giving the later "consumer friendly" Server App a try, but for now all I truly need is file sharing and it works an absolute treat. Keep in mind you only should have as much power as you need, so given what hardware you have spare and operating system versions you may have available to it, sometimes the "standard" OS version will do just fine. Other times, going all out is best! It just depends. It's fun, regardless, to have a machine set up to do such duties.. to know you're always running something. Oh, and since it's worth noting, a friend of mine wants to run a G5 tower as a home media server, simply because. Yep, he's crazier than I am with this stuff!

[@Zizzily]

3:30 Afraid we're going to find out that your subnet mask is 255.255.255.0?

[@MrFurriephillips]

Not necessarily. The 10.x.x.x schema isn’t restricted to /24

[@MrFurriephillips]

C S it could be anything from /8, to /30, but likely is /24

[@jafizzle95]

Yeah why on earth did he hide that? I didn't think subnet mask was all that sensitive.

[@AndyMcBlane]

Probably has a special DNS service subscription or something like that

[@AndyMcBlane]

Cherry Lee oops. Need more sleep. I wonder if it was a miscommunication with his editor, I could find out but again, sleep. Haha

[@robsmith4884]

This weekend I will be step by stepping this into my Mac Pro 3,1. I’m still learning but loving the potential. I already have quite a bit of mac hardware.... but i am curious how to implement my 2tb airport extreme into the mix. Thanks for the great content.

[@carlosaguilarc]

El Capitán...... perfect spanish XD Saludos!

[@snazzy]

😉

[@revolutions88]

San Miguel

[@Fuciro]

I came to say the same ¡pronunciación perfecta!

[@ElZamo92]

Carlos Aguilar Quinn’s Spanish is really good, as demonstrated in his video talking about why Siri is bad at understanding English.

[@AmplifyDIY]

Wow - MacOS Server really has changed a LOT since I last messed with it... have you given any thought to setting up essentially the same sort of server on the same laptop using Linux instead? Most of what you showed in this video is really simple in recent Linux distros. A comparison of the process as well as pros/cons of OS X Server vs, say, Ubuntu would be interesting.

[@PUNKSTER690]

Just a heads up for those that need it. The rang of IPs that can be used is usually between 2 and 254 on a 24 bit subnet. 0 is for the network address and 1 is usually left for SOHO router login page, however it maybe another address like 254. Check your router settings

[@WOSArchives]

1:45 You know you're old-school when you accidentally think 10.14 Mojave is 10.4 Tiger. feels

[@theodom1858]

Snazzy Labs stop reading my mind! I was just thinking about this yesterday but I didn't know how to get started with it, thanks a lot Snazzy-san

[@gastypm]

Great video Quinn! My first Mac was a Mac Mini Server but I’ve never quite understood how it worked. This is a really good tutorial on how to get it started. I have one question: How do you make the file access on the internet and not only on the home network?

[@barkingsheltie]

Great video. Very helpful. Going to use Mac Mini @ home, and older iMac for work. I will have all macs at work use this new server for time machine backups. Have to see if I can use this server to back up the windows machines we have as well. Thanks!

[@DvdXploitr]

This is awesome...had no idea how simple it was to turn a Mac into a server and that caching thing is fantastic! I have a 2012 MacBook Pro that has all kinds of issues (dead battery, half the keyboard doesn't work, backlight on keyboard doesn't work...) that I might try this out on. Would be great for my music storage or even just media storage (pictures, music, videos)

[@noisycarlos]

Just letting you know that as of March 2020, the app doesn't have all those services anymore. I paid for it, just to find out they merged most services into the OS (I still liked this approach of having everything on the same place, but the app doesn't have any of the options seen on this video anymore). I just asked for a refund, hopefully I get it.

[@MarcGerrard]

I love your videos. I had an old iMac that I wanted to use for this purpose, mostly for networked time machine backups. I bought the server program to run with my computer's High Sierra and sadly it wasn't included. After some searching, I found how to enable time machine through System preferences. I can then mount the networked drives no problem and then through time machine I can log to them to start the process. (it accepts me username and password of the server machine) However, once I try to start the actual time machine I get the following error. I have been trying to fix this for a few days but with no luck. Any pointers? "The network backup disk could not be accessed because there was a problem with the network username or password. You may need to re-select the backup disk and enter the correct username and password."

[@yatheesh999]

Waiting for '2019 iMac cpu swap' and Thunderbolt 3 ssd enclosure reviews

[@SquirreliciousMe]

thanks for this, gave me a few new bits of info on Mac Server options I hadn’t considered.

[@stevedotwav]

I'm so glad you did this video. I love MacOS Server. I have it running on my 2008 Mac Pro (which is still my main desktop w/ 10.13) to host my website and do file sharing. There's also a great app on the app store called dDNS Broker which I use to keep my domain name pointed to my IP (Comcast doesn't offer static IPs to residential customers). I have both my standard website, as well as a personal cloud, a la Google Drive, built with NextCloud. Saves tons of time doing client work since the only transfer time is from their computer to mine, versus uploading to Google and then downloading to me. If you haven't already, you should do a video on ARD. Screen Sharing/Bash/Installing over networks, both LAN and WAN, is such a godsend.

[@robertoaguiluz7350]

Hey Quinn, how is it going my dude, thanks for making this video, I was planning turning my 2012 Mac Pro to a small office server but wasn't sure how to start, will surely use this.

[@pieterbikkel]

Just the video I was looking for! Clear explanation! Now I have a use for my 2008 iMac 🖥.

[@HeavyChordz]

You explain things well. Great communicator with an easy, relaxing style.

[@johanfernhout9180]

When i use for this an old iMac (2013) is it possible to use it accidentally as an ordinary iMac en let it go in to sleepmode when not in use ?

[@jpmnmx]

Hi, I have a printer connected to my Mac mini via usb, is there a way to access it from my iPad and iPhone thru this software so I can print documents via WiFi?

[@RicardoAum]

Hey, have you ever tried to salvage an old MacBook power adapter? I was wondering how hard it would be to get a broken one and make one with a removable cord, almost like the USB-C one. I saw some people replace the cable, but it ends up just pushing the problem for later.

[@nikola054]

Hi, I am running MacOS Mojave 10.14.6 on Mac Pro 2012, and MacOS Catalina 10.15.7 on iMac 2012, and neither allows me to buy the app from App store, now it says that it requires MacOS 10.16. Should I look up for the OS X Server 3.2.2 instead?

[@bkboii24]

This seems pretty interesting. Guess I'll dig up an old 16" Pro I've got lying around somewhere to test this out with. *Thanks for the tip!*

[@JDW-]

Thank you for the excellent video. But is it wise to use a notebook which has an internal battery, placed in an attic which I doubt has A/C or good cooling as a 24/7 server? And if one choses a desktop Mac instead (which doesn't have an internal battery that can rupture), one must consider the old machines may require more power than newer machines and therefore 24/7 operation could run up one's electrical bill in a noticeably way. Therefore, one should consider whether the benefits of a local MacOS server outweighs the caveats.

[@ohms]

Question! If I were to connect an external HDD - how does the mac deal with sleep cycles? Is it always on? Does the app allow power saving for external or internal drives?

[@davidworth4692]

I just received a new MacBook Air as a birthday present, and I was looking what I could do with my old white MacBook running High Sierra. So your video was perfect. Thanks

[@footballhead667]

Nice! I've got an old "headless" 2008 BlackBook I may try this with - Any issues leaving the MagSafe adapter plugged in and "unattended"? Those old ones get pretty hot. Would you leave the old battery in there as well?

[@jedwardoo]

Quinn, I hope you so an in-depth setup and how to properly use the Caching part for the Mac server.

[@santoro2020]

How do you connect a PC to the server? I have had zero luck, but my other Mac connects just fine.

[@dlfzstuff4343]

Great Video worked !! but when l open my mimi from my iMac the remote desktop image is square l can’t change this tried everything. Help !!

[@LaczPro]

I was expecting something crazier, but that MacOS server interface looks so clean for a 2006 Mac Pro lying around here. Maybe a good project for Plex and local backup.

[@petracartermitrovic]

What device are you using for your notes (sitting on the desk next to the mac)? :) and thnx for the How To, setting up my dusty mac mini as I type.

[@talin3]

Would be awesome if you could do a comparison between this and third party NAS solutions such as Synology. If starting from scratch would you be buying a second-hand mac mini and adding external storage, or going with a NAS? Thanks!

[@SteveOwensRoswell]

Thanks for the reminder on OSX Server... good video. Thinking I will set this up on my 2012 i7 Mac Mini.

[@duaneshort186]

Thank you! Have a 2012 MacBook with a dead screen. I think I can make use of it as a server... if I can remember how I hacked my way to getting the external monitor working until it's set up anyway.

[@amananand1997]

Can I connect the HDD Enclosure with the Mac to increase the storage through the firewire 800 or usb 3.0 ?

[@marcuskihn]

I’ve got an old 2009 Mac Pro which basically is my iTunes library along with a radiostation etc. With a server set up, can I still run apps like iTunes on it?

[@BalitskyMedia]

I have an old Mac Pro with 4 hds. Already with content on it. I’m guessing it doesn’t have to be a fresh instal? Can I access those files remotely right through a laptop?

[@sbarneaionut]

Hi. Currently wanting to turn my 2009 mac pro in a home server/nas/icloud alternative? Was thinking this might help but being in UK i am unable to purchase due to region. Any work around? Thanks

[@hugodsa89]

Thank you for these videos Snazzy.

[@jasonayers7458]

Just set this up and it's great! However I really need to know how someone can log in to the server OUTSIDE of my home network. How do you set that up?

[@glfriendliness9793]

I wish I could start doing this, problem is that it's a late 2009 Mini /Leopard OS and the internet pages don't load up for the most part because the browser is outdated,. I don't know how to resolve that issue, or even determine what the problem is.

[@taha12012]

I thank you so much for inspiring me to build my first hackintish which runs great! I wanted mac os for school but couldnt afford a mac and after watching your vid I didnt have to dish out 1200 bucks thanks!

[@dootbitch]

I am thinking of using my old mac mini late 2012 for NAS and TimeMachine backup, but my concern is "What would happen if my computer fails and my data is encrypted on the external drives? Is it recoverable if I setup another mac to be my server?"

[@SEGAMAN10]

Hey Snazzy Labs, I’m basically just going to use something like this entirely as a file server, just for hosting and backing up music, movies, and pictures. I have my first laptop ever, a PowerBook G4 1.5 GHz with 2 GB of RAM and currently a SSD hard drive installed. If I run OSX Server 10.5, could I replicate at the least the file hosting capabilities of this setup?

[@albioncia]

rather than buying mac os server, wouldnt it better to use linux distro for server like cent os or ubuntu server on it because its free?

[@the_eternal_weirdo8390]

Would this work well for non Apple devices on my network? Would love to put my early 2008 Macbook to use!

[@novide3418]

Holy 🐮 this is legit the best freaking use for an old Mac! Thanks!!!

[@SHOzFST]

Thanks for the info. Just upgraded to Mac Mini M1s and had an older iMac. This is perfect!

[@mattpipes5106]

Oooo... I’m going to try this as a print server to make my old large format printer a wireless network printer, thanks for the video!

[@konsolkongendk]

This is really neat and pretty much exactly what I was looking for. So I just found a really cheap 2014 Mac Mini that I ordered for this. But my question is, would I even need macOS Server when the computer is capable of running Mojave or newer? I just want to use the Mini for file sharing and content caching for macOS, iOS and local iCloud storage. It would appear that these features are already included in System Preferences > Sharing. Or do I gain anything noteworthy by using the Server-app?

[@jeromelmd]

A few things after trying it out on a 2018 Macbook with El Capitan: - Content caching does not work even if you can toggle it on the Server app - Time Machine will only work if SMB is disabled

[@donjuanescobar]

Looking forward to giving this a shot on my MacBook Pro 2011!!! Great video, great info

[@brianschulz6462]

Have a 2012 iMac i7. Can I run this as a server and then still use the machine as a secondary display for a new iMac?

[@MobiusSeckOne]

Docker work really well on MacOSX. It's definitely less user friendly, but you can have a beast of a machine with this setup.

[@richardschembri3538]

Hi great video i am going to try this with a 2014 Mac mini the 1.4ghz version with the 512gb hdd, will let you know how I get on

[@ryanzmuda3167]

Can this be used for photos like putting a photos dB for local or remote year sharing When did apple stop doing time capsule. Any syncing to other server possible.

[@AndyAlderslade]

Can you use this to put a non wifi-printer onto a network, I have an old Mac I could use for a server that can be hard wired to a printer?

[@_Asuri]

I have a (new) 2014 Mac Mini and want to do this... Except I've installed a 3rd party NVMe adapter into it so I can have a faster SSD. Is there any way to get the same feature set that your version of Server has on High Sierra since the drivers don't exist on older macOS versions and Server has been nuked in the latest versions?

[@christianfuchs9971]

For give my ignorance but I do have a 2009 MacBook Pro, if I use MacOS Server wouldn't I need some kind of storage capacity associated? Can this be set up with NAS? How do I do that?

[@denisg1208]

Content Caching is also available on newer macOS versions. Just check out the Sharing Tab in System Preferences. I used macOS Server but its Services keep declining sadly.

[@briankendall1978]

When you were talking about the iCloud file share functionality on the Mac server, can you disconnet your server from the Apple iCloud servers and use the native iCloud apps on iOS devices exclusively on the local server? The reason I ask is, I would like to have iCloud functionality but I would rather not pay for extra space on the Apple iCloud servers.

[@Praderanoire]

Is this use of an old router compatible with network attached storage? I would love to use my old A1278 Macbook pro rather than create a separate computer within my NAS I plan to build.

[@frankspeedway4877]

Hi, I would like to create a home hub, but without a HomePoD, Apple TV or IPAd. Is it possible to do the same with the server app and avoid buying more apple gadgets?

[@florianwi8074]

is there a trick? installed Catalina on my Mac and bought macOS Server on my Big Sur machine and can't download it on my Catalina Mac... only says needs Big Sur or later and that's it...?! HELP

[@djcmike]

I've been using a 2011 21.5" iMac as a home server for a while. Works like a charm. Handles file sharing, timemachine backup, update caching, iTunes media server.

[@djcmike]

@@BrandenMoffat Yes you can do it without the server package. As a matter of fact, since 10.13, the server app has kind of been useless. Most things are build in to MacOS these days.

[@mtbllp]

If I wanted to use a 2008 Mac mini with macOS server, is there a reason to upgrade the MacMini's CPU and RAM?

[@andrewpetley7008]

I'm thinking of running this on a mac pro running El Capitan or highsierra, willl it just be a massive hard drive or can I run programmes on it from my anticipated mac mini?

[@Da532]

Been running my Mac Mini 2011 as my server for about a year now. Works great for home use can confirm!

[@KristopherDreger]

So which of these things can't be done with normal OSX? I don't have MacOS Server and yet I think I've got most of the main things setup (Time machine, Cashing, File Sharing, VPN (with apps)). Is the main sell here that it is easier to manage? Or is it more stable?

[@yourtubefturpin]

Thank you!!! I have looked for something like this for so long. I have a mac mini Early 2009 that would be great for it. I´ve love to see more info on what does de MacOS Server can do.

[@TheFireThief84]

Would anyone happen to know how I can get the Lion (10.7.5) version of this? I've been googling for over an hour now with no result... (and I just bought it on my Mojave machine).

[@marioferrari4626]

When enabling caching after a few seconds I get Unable to start caching error. Can someone help? it would be highly appreciated.

[@kdvetredn2745]

Question: *if* I can do this (a small problem involving running wire from my modem to the mac...) Would this allow me to use the mac as a print server? The current OS won't print to my printer, but I can print from my old mac to the printer...so is there a way to send a doc over the network to the mac being used as a server and print from that mac? (Now I email docs to the old mac then print from there.)

[@shout64]

Actually just last week I started taking an old Mac Pro to repurpose for backups and probably a plex server as well. Any advice on trying to use it for network backups on windows 10 machines?

[@mehmetbalkan5331]

I started setting this up on a mid 2011 mac mini running 10.13.6 (High Sierra) and apparently most of the functionality of macOS server has been gutted even when running v5.6.3... Kind of a bummer after spending $20 on it. Not sure it's worth downgrading to El Cap in order to try the older version. Are services even still intact in the older version?

[@MiamiWebDesign]

I installed mac ox server to an old white macbook and i forgot the login that I used to set it up and cannot for the life of me figure it out!! I don't see anything for me to reset or recover or anything else, I just get the login screen and nothing else. What can I do?

[@Kay_Emm_]

Hey Quinn! What are the specs of that Macbook? I'm looking to do something similar with a project I'm starting to work on 🤔

[@davidc2349]

I’m using my Mac pro running El Capitan asan ftp server. I didn’t have to do anything. Once I created a user they were able to ft n to their home folder with no probs. So I started sending video from IP cameras to t and now hav a “cloud” so to speak. I’m wide open to advice on this.

[@zaphyrzero]

Does this still work? I'm about to purchase an upgraded (16GB RAM, 2x 512GB SSD) Mac mini Server (mid 2011) with El Capitan and set it up as a small office server for basic file sharing and backup purposes.

[@jochenfloyd]

Hi Quinn, What is the camera setup on your left? I see a Carl Zeiss lens (C/Y lens?) mounted to a body via a mount-apdpter. What are the lens and the body?

[@EnmanuelDiaz]

I’m a web designer, would it be okay to host a clients website here while it’s being created, before transferring to their hosting? I normally would only need to hold the site there for 20-30 days, WordPress website in this case