Mac Mini Server setup with airport express

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Mac Mini Server setup with airport express

I have had issues trying to setting up mac mini server on my network. I wonder if my current hardware is the problem? At present I have a Thomson Router plugged into an airport express which broadcasts wifi for my house. I have been connecting to my wifi with my mac mini server. Despite running server assistant and setting up a DNS server in Mac Mini server no clients are able to connect to the DNS server (i.e. dig command works on server but not on clients). I found reference somewhere on the internet to the fact that the mac mini server must be plugged into the router via ethernet for it to be setup properly.

Could this be the cause of my problems? Is it true?

Mac Mini Server

Posted on Apr 4, 2011 2:43 PM

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Answer 1

Apr 4, 2011 3:06 PM in response to dazza222

I usually configure the Airport Extreme and Time Capsule boxes manually.

They're easy enough to configure, and the automatic set-up sometimes does something weird.

On the LAN side, pick an IP subnet (usually a /24 subnet somewhere in the 10.0.0.0/8 or 172.16.0.0/12 blocks), set a static IP address for the WiFi device (usually a low number, you're going to be typing this and a few other addresses fairly often, like the server address) and set a subnet mask (usually 255.255.255.0 for the usual /24 block), set the DHCP address pool (usually a range in the far the upper end of the /24, as you're not going to be typing those often), set the default domain and the DNS, and you should have most of what you initially need running.

On the WAN side, you have to tailor to your ISP requirements. That might be DHCP, or some static set-up, or something else.

What's probably happening with your Airport is the setting of the DHCP server on the Airport. It needs to reference your DNS server, but various folks will (erroneously) either reference the ISP DNS server here, or reference a mix of ISP and local DNS.

Do you have access into this +Thomson Router+ box, and can it act as a firewall gateway NAT port-forwarding device? (If it can, then you might want to look at running the Airport as an Access Point, and handling your network services from your server and/or from the router box.

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Answer 2

dazza222 Author

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Apr 4, 2011 5:11 PM in response to MrHoffman

Just to clarify this is an airport express and not airport extreme therefore I am reliant on a wireless connection between my mac mini server and the airport express.

Currently my Thomson router serves out an address of 192.168.1.67 to airport express router.

The airport express is configured to share out a single IP address
The airport express gives out addresses in range of 10.0.1.2-10.0.1.202 with 10.0.1.1 being the address for the airport express and 10.0,1.201 being assigned via DHCP to the mac mini server (using its MAC address to reserve the address)

The DNS server is set on the airport express to 10.0.1.201 (i.e. my server).

The server is configured using network settings to 10.0.1.201 with 127.0.0.1 as the reference for the DNS server that it is running (i.e. self-referencing)

As you know from my previous threads, a dig command returns a functioning DNS server on the server but when a try the same from a macbook on the same subnet I am unable to connect to the DNS server

I guess I wondered if something funky was going on with server assistant during the setup. A post I read somewhere (I've lost the link) was someone in an identical situation who had issues and said that apple had stated that he need to be directly connected to the router by ethernet cable to get things working. I wondered if this is the issue. An airport express does not have a spare ethernet port to plug into so I wonder if I need to buy a wireless router with built-in ports i.e. airport extreme (expense +) or something similar.

I can access by Thomson router but I able unable to change the DNS servers that it provides (set by my ISP) from the GUI. I'm sure you could probably do it from the commandline but I think this is beyond me. I did wonder if that is what is causing problems

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Answer 3

Apr 4, 2011 6:09 PM in response to dazza222

Just to clarify this is an airport express and not airport extreme therefore I am reliant on a wireless connection between my mac mini server and the airport express.

The model of the Airport device here is largely irrelevant.

Currently my Thomson router serves out an address of 192.168.1.67 to airport express router.

Do you have any control over the gateway router?

The airport express is configured to share out a single IP address

Double NAT (which is what you have here) will cause you problems. Get rid of one layer of NAT.

The airport express gives out addresses in range of 10.0.1.2-10.0.1.202 with 10.0.1.1 being the address for the airport express and 10.0,1.201 being assigned via DHCP to the mac mini server (using its MAC address to reserve the address)

Within the private blocks, the IP addressing organization is your decision.

The DNS server is set on the airport express to 10.0.1.201 (i.e. my server).

OK. (I usually pick smaller numbers for more important boxes, because I tend to type addresses for those boxes more than the addresses of the boxes over in DHCP-land. But again, this is your call.)

I guess I wondered if something funky was going on with server assistant during the setup. A post I read somewhere (I've lost the link) was someone in an identical situation who had issues and said that apple had stated that he need to be directly connected to the router by ethernet cable to get things working. I wondered if this is the issue. An airport express does not have a spare ethernet port to plug into so I wonder if I need to buy a wireless router with built-in ports i.e. airport extreme (expense +) or something similar.

I'd probably switch the box to access point, but that presumes you can get (more) control over the gateway router.

I can access by Thomson router but I able unable to change the DNS servers that it provides (set by my ISP) from the GUI. I'm sure you could probably do it from the commandline but I think this is beyond me. I did wonder if that is what is causing problems

Talk with the ISP. You'd prefer to have the device switched to a bridge, if that's feasible. If not, then you're going to have to work within the confines of the particular model.

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Answer 4

dazza222 Author

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Apr 4, 2011 7:23 PM in response to MrHoffman

Thanks for your input. I think what you have said makes a lot of sense. I think the crux of the problem is the lack of control my router - can't set DNS and can't set as bridge only. Therefore I think I will simplify my entire setup by getting a wireless router/modem in one - more control, no double NAT and can connect via ethernet (if I need to). I would like to try and get one that will be compatible with my airport express unit (x2) so that I can still use airplay etc. Any recommendations welcome

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Answer 5

Apr 4, 2011 7:37 PM in response to dazza222

I usually run with the Airport and TC devices configured as Access Point (AP) devices (what Apple refers to as bridged), and with a gateway firewall box with server-oriented features. [Here is a write-up on features and considerations for the gateway|http://labs.hoffmanlabs.com/node/1724].

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Answer 6

dazza222 Author

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Apr 9, 2011 2:31 AM in response to MrHoffman

Problem fixed with a new modem router.

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