mbs

I'm buying a new home in the near future. I would like to have one central computer/server (likely an 8-core Mac Pro) and then have a few "terminals" throughout the house (kitchen, bedroom, study, family room) that can all log into the central computer.

Can I do this with Mac OS X Server? What do I use for the clients? Are there any sort of thin clients for a Mac? Would it be easier to do this with a PC-based setup?

mbs

So no one runs a server/thin-client setup at home? I thought this would be practical (and make sense) in this day and age, but perhaps not.

zuffy

I don't know Mac but the licensing is kind of pricey for Microsoft TS for home use. From Microsoft's site, it's listed for $749 for 5 Windows 2008 TS licenses. Throw in the $999 listed price for Windows 2008 server, that's $1748 already just for the core OS. Now, throw in cost of the thin client setup, it's probably $500-$800 each.

I would rather buy a few cheap Dell computers for like $400 each and buy a NAS for central storage. And you know what, that cheap Dell computer setup will outperform the TS, except maybe CPU power if you get a highend processor.

mbs

Yeah, that is too pricey for sure. Good to know.

I will probably go the route you suggested (central NAS and use local computers), but hoped that I could make do with one desktop and one set of applications that I could access anywhere (any terminal or laptop).

joeee

i too am thinking about a central pc for media storage. i think it depends on what you want to use it for and how many people are accessing it at once. the more people using it, the more likely you'll need a server. if it's just a few people, i think any old pc will do. personally i just want to stream to music and stream tv shows (maybe) wirelessly, so a cheapo mac or pc should do the trick. or hold out for a macbook with a 250 gb hd.

zuffy

I forgot to mention in Windows Server 2003 or 2008, you can have 2 terminal sessions + console session in Administration mode. So, if you never have the need for more than 3 concurrent connections, this setup might still be OK.

Or you can just do the NAS solution, install the apps you want in 1 PC and keep it running at all time. When you need certain apps, you can always Remote Desktop to that PC within your network.

Gilgamesh1082

www.ncomputing.com

Get a decent machine for a grand, and run a few L200s off of it. Problem solved.