Q: Snow Leopard on Mac Mini Server

No Problems For me to Install Snow Leopard 10.6.3 From standard Mac Mini 2010 on my Mac mini 2010 server...
Happy evrything works, ethernet, dvd playback, Card Reader...

I want SL Client as well as Server because I want to dual boot them. I'm currently pursuing the OS X certification track and don't want to mess up my MBP. I need SL because if I use SLS to learn SL Client there could be differences that would affect me on the test. SLS already doesn't support Bootcamp which I know typically is 2-3 questions on the test. But then I also need SLS so when I get to the SLS tests I need to use SLS.

Either way, it shouldn't matter "why?", its my box, its supposed to be capable of running SL on it and I shouldn't have to jump through hoops to get SL installed on it. In the best possible world I should be able to buy a current version of SL from my local store and be able to install it and a "driver update pack" thats downloadable from the Apple website.

I even tried to load another copy on a separate partition of SLS on it so that I can have a "test box" that I can screw up while running the main and it wont allow it, it simply reboots back into the original partition.

Its this kinda BS that makes me think twice about buying apple products. Apple doesn't like Flash on iOS, fine I get that, but don't prohibit my loading of it from a download from the Adobe site. If I remember correctly they're still blocking googles iphone app.

Then maybe you should abandon the OSX platform right now. Because nearly every time apple introduces a new computer, it doesn't work with existing generic/retail OSX installer disc. With every system they need new ROMs, new KEXTs, new drivers. That's the cost of progress.

Eventually, the next iteration of the generic OSX installer does support the hardware in question. But Apple can't go releasing a new retail system disc package every time they ship a new computer. That would just be silly and unnecessary.

which is why they should have a device driver update that can be used with the current retail version of OS X. Every other OS has something similar and there quite simply is no reason why Apple shouldn't.

Again, Apple does what it likes, how it likes. Whether or not it makes sense to you. They do not support "alternative" configurations. Their feeling is that if someone wants a system to do something that it wasn't configured for out of the box, then they are on their own. Apple has always been this way and likely always will be. To expect them to behave like you are used to Windows vendors behaving is unrealistic.

Exactly.

This is how the Mac platform works. If one can live within the parameters then great. If not, then one may be better suited somewhere else, on some other platform.

BTW, one only owns Apple devices; iPods, Macs, laptops. Apple owns the software, all of it, and they license one to use it on one or more devices, based on the number of licenses one has purchased. No one has a "right" to use the software beyond the legal parameters of the license.

Fortunately, Apple is not as KGB-like as other developers with their software and its use.

Try breaking the raid first.

Format one drive (not the raid... but just one drive) first

then the other

then join them as a raid

I installed OS X client on a USB stick plugged in the mini, worked fine. Then I tried again to erase/break the RAID on my 2x500GB disks. But no, same message as before. +"Volume Erase failed. Volume Erase failed with the error: Could not unmount disk"+ and +"Disk Erase failed. Disk Erase failed with the error: POSIX reports: The operation couldn't be completed. Resource busy"+

If I try to break the RAID, I click on the RAID set +(All the disks has a "lock icon" on them and it says "Online" on the Striped RAID set)+ and DELETE, I get +"Deleting RAID set failed. Deleting RAID set failed with the error: Invalid request"+

Now I am out of options... I am not a mac wiz. I had hoped someone could point me in the right directon Is there something I'm doing wrong here?

LuckyStrikeO wrote:
I installed OS X client on a USB stick plugged in the mini, worked fine. Then I tried again to erase/break the RAID on my 2x500GB disks. But no, same message as before...

Please try booting from the server system disc that came with the server. see if you can then break the raid and/or format the drives.

If you are successfully, then quit disk utility, quit the installer, restart, hold down the option key until you see startup manager, eject the server disc, insert the client disc or usb drive, boot from it.

I tried to boot from the server disc, but nothing worked. But I solved the problem by start the mini in Firewire mode and connect it to my Windows 7 PC with a firewire cable and installed a program called MacDrive. I used the program to format one of the hard drives. Then I booted up OS X on my USB stick and formated both the hard drives and installed OS X client on the drives. So no it's working again!

Congrats. Good solution.

Many thanks to all of the Mac community for making a solution available. Without you I would have had no hope. The Apple shops over here have no idea what's inside the mac mini and have never heard of Plex.

One question I do have is if I am using my imac with dvd drive to install the client files would you recommend installing it with the mac mini in firewire target mode or will I be able to have full use of the imac screen and dvd drive if I enable imac dvd sharing and link the mac mini via a Belkin minidisplayport to minidisplayport cable.

Looking forward to client mode with RAID 0 7200 drives

Thanks for the kind words. Apple stores and service centers don't want to support non-standard configurations, because they aren't covered by warranty and they also get into possible murky legal issues.

mobelby wrote:
... One question I do have is if I am using my imac with dvd drive to install the client files would you recommend installing it with the mac mini in firewire target mode...

Always boot from the system that you want to do the install on (in this case the mini)

The procedure you want to follow...

Burn the system disc if you haven't already

If your imac's hard drive is currently named Macintosh HD, rename it so that it's more easily differentiated from the Mini (such as call it "imac HD")

Insert the system disc into imac, restart imac with T key held down, shut down macmini, connect firewire cable between the two computers, startup macmini with OPTION key held down, when you see disc icons let go of OPTION, click on system disc icon, click on arrow below it, install system on macmini hard drive.

If you need to reformat/raid the mini drives before running the installer, go to the Utiltiies menu at the top of the screen and choose Disk Utility. when done quit disk utility and you will be returned to system installer window.

When done with installation, the mini will reboot and walk you through setup. Don't yet disconnect the imac. complete the mini setup. once that is done and you see the desktop, drag the imac hard drive and system disc to the trash can. now you can press power button on imac and disconnect firewire cable.

Thanks again.

Think I need to be more specific. I have one of the 27 inch imacs that have a minidisplayport that is both incoming and outgoing. I was under the impression that if I used the cable connecting the minidisplayports of both the mac mini and imac it would put the imac straight into target mode and I'd be able to use both the imac screen and the imac dvd drive.

Do you think that's right ?

I don't know if that displayport input works when the imac is in target mode. Perhaps someone else here will know.

You don't have another monitor accessible? Where is the monitor that you normally use with the Mini?