MacPro as Windows Server?

[Ken Sp.]

I have a client that is mostly a Mac guy, but his construction business HAS to use Windows since they MUST interact with insurance company programs.

We have 2 new iMacs running windows full time already, and it seems that his Windows server box is now getting a little long in the tooth and his PC tech says it is time to replace it.

I know Windows works fine, is there any problem running Windows Server on his MacPro? It would boot only to Windows---no Parallels or VM.

He would re-task his current personal MacPro for this allowing him to upgrade.
He knows he can get an intel server box for less, but he would like to use the MacPro.

[C(-)ris]

I don't think that would be a good fit. There are probably going to be driver issues and a complete lack of support from either MS or Apple. If he really needs a Windows server, he should get one that comes with it. I would imagine that things like RAID and partitioning would be a PITA.

[ztirffritz]

I wouldn't do it for a business. Apple will provide drivers and updates for OS X, but you can't ensure that they'll provide drivers for Windows indefinitely. For what you'd pay for a basic Mac Pro you could get a really nice Dell PowerEdge server with redundant power supplies, 6-disk RAID storage, quad core and probably 8GB or more of RAM. Dell PCs are commodity products and you get what you pay for but their servers are pretty nice in my experience. I have 6 Dell servers that have been powered on almost non-stop for between 6-10 years. I've had a few drive failures, but the drives are hot swappable so I was able to rebuild the array while it was still in use and the servers never went down.

[gabester]

Why not virtualize something in the cloud?
For the cost of a Mac Pro that buys a lot of months of cloud hosted system, depending on your needs.
Find out what the specs he really needs are and work from there. What do the insurance programs need, what does the server require as a result. I assume you're talking about interop stuff with SQL or Crystal Reports or proprietary things... there may be some leeway there for virtualization you don't realize.
If his current windows server is getting "long in the tooth" then start with that - what do you need on new iron to virtualize it and still run other instances of other things? A present day Mac mini could probably do the job of a server that's more than 3 years old.

I would NOT use Parallels for virtualizing a server - it's designed to be a desktop integration virtualizer... meaning that while you can run windows server for testing and stuff it isn't good for production due to latency and issues presented by the tight integration of OS X and the guest OS. Great for double-clicking a doc that can only open in some obscure windows exe from your Mac desktop but not so good in my experience for overall reliability or performance. VMWare or VirtualBox.
g=

[Ken Sp.]

Thanks for the info---He was looking for an excuse to get a new MacPro at home---and I think that is better to wait.

[DRR]

C(-)ris wrote:
I don't think that would be a good fit. There are probably going to be driver issues and a complete lack of support from either MS or Apple. If he really needs a Windows server, he should get one that comes with it. I would imagine that things like RAID and partitioning would be a PITA.

Could you expand on this for my education?

From my perspective, a windows-only mac pro as a server should be fine. You're talking about two main things for a server like this, disk i/o and networking. Neither of which I see having driver issues. Further, if you were going to do RAID in a case like this you'd more likely be buying a RAID card, so "Apple's drivers" become a non-issue.

So what drivers are you talking about, that Apple may not support in the future?

[Mr645]

The Mac Pro works great as a WIndows server, but as others have stated, there are more cost effective solutions and more customizable solutions that fit a specific application better. How much storage do they need? The Mac Pro is a 4 drive box, but for less money you can build a PC to hold 12 drives. Do they really need high end xeon cpu's or will an i5 do well? Back up power suppplies? hot swap drives?

[C(-)ris]

DRR wrote:
[quote=C(-)ris]
I don't think that would be a good fit. There are probably going to be driver issues and a complete lack of support from either MS or Apple. If he really needs a Windows server, he should get one that comes with it. I would imagine that things like RAID and partitioning would be a PITA.

Could you expand on this for my education?

From my perspective, a windows-only mac pro as a server should be fine. You're talking about two main things for a server like this, disk i/o and networking. Neither of which I see having driver issues. Further, if you were going to do RAID in a case like this you'd more likely be buying a RAID card, so "Apple's drivers" become a non-issue.

So what drivers are you talking about, that Apple may not support in the future?
Using a Mac Pro as a windows server is akin to custom building one from parts from newegg. You get no support and have to deal with gathering drivers for RAID cards, fiber cards, scsi cards, etc. The Apple RAID card does not work in Windows. Neither will a software RAID setup in OSX.

For a business you need to be able to get support and a fully supported system. As, stated by others, you can configure a Dell server for half the cost that would do a better job and have better support.

[decay]

we have an architectural client that buys Mac Pros and runs Windows on them for their CAD software.

why? they found their old PCs were less reliable than the Macs have been.

go figure.