Using A Classic Mac as A File Server

 

 

 

ORIGINAL MESSAGE (edited)

>Does anyone have any experience beefing-up old Classics or SE/30's for use

>as >servers? etc etc

 Great article on running an ENTIRE ISP on a PowerBook 170 and SE/30.

SHORT VERSION

SE/30, Classic II OK for:

• Meeting Make
• FileMaker Pro (light load on std version)
• terminal
• interface (Cisco router)
• AIMS server
• AppleShare (light load)
• QuickMai
• ARA; Now Contact
• Now Up-to-Date
• Retrospect
• Internet Router
• fax software
• UUCP (First Class)
• telnet terminals
• software bridges
• MS Mail
• MacHttp
• print servers
• key servers

Do:

• install max RAM
• fit new (fast access) hard disk
• strip 7.5 to bare minimum
• hold spares (power supply, logic boards) if critical server
• take out AppleCare coverage
• kill colour & run B&W (where applicable)
• use 3rd party accelerators with caution

Don't:

• place under heavy load (e.g. serving graphics)
• set high performance expectations with users
• bother with SE or Classic (see below)
• expect miracles

LONG VERSION

Generally feedback was very positive with many managers still deploying these old units to great effect. Some said (and I agree) it was a sad day when Apple dropped this form factor - what a great server a PPC 604 chipped SE would be!

Some people had good things to say about accelerators (particularly Daystar 040 variety) but others cautioned re. future O/S incompatibility/support. I particularly liked the AppleCare recommendation. I had no idea you could still get coverage on these old units at such a reasonable rate - I haven't checked this out but it seems a real no brainer. Interesting to note the wide variance in processor, bus and RAM of the all-in-one boxes. As might be expected, most managers favoured the SE/30:

• Mac Plus 68000@removme.8Mhz 1-4MB RAM
• SE 68000@removme.8Mhz 1-4MB RAM
• SE/30 68030@removme.16Mhz 1-128MB RAM (+ 32 bit data path)
• Classic 68000@removme.8Mhz 1-4MB RAM
• Classic II 68030@removme.16Mhz 4-10MB RAM
• Colour Classic 68030@removme.16Mhz 4-10MB RAM (256 colour exp to 32k)

Many replies pointed out that slot limitations would preclude both Ethernet connectivity and accelerator boards. Interesting to note that nobody suggested Farallon's EtherWave as an alternative. Disk i/o versus processing power was another interesting thread that ran through several replies - performance bottlenecks sometime occur in other than the more obvious places. Several respondents suggested dedicating a cpu to each task (i.e. separate
cpu's for ARA, QM, A'share etc etc) and several cautioned QM's tendency to want to dominate the modem. This latter I can confirm - QM hates sharing with another app that wants to use the modem.

So to sum up.

There cannot be many other platforms where this discussion would even have taken place. Where else can you seriously contemplate loading a current O/S on an 8 year old computer? The general consensus was undoubtedly that these older models still had a lot to offer and that provided they were deployed with some thought (and a lot of RAM!) there was life in the old boxes yet.

Or as Thomas Lindstrom from Sweden so eloquently put it "No-one knows how
old a Mac can get"