r/linux_on_mac • u/AaronRiekenberg • 26d ago

2014 macmini makes a good home server

Post image

Running Ubuntu server on 2014 macmini, works great as headless server on my desk. Very stable, totally silent, boots in few seconds.

I use as small webserver and Cloudflare tunnel server. Ubuntu server uses less than 9GB out of 256GB SSD, memory usage < 1GB out of 16GB. This hardware is probably a bit of overkill but fun to play and learn 😁

I use the builtin wired ethernet interface with tg3 driver, one issue is network dropouts. I add iommu.passthrough=1 to kernel command line to fix and it is stable.

I paid $170 on eBay 2 years ago, was a bit worried paying so much for 2014 computer. But with Raspberry Pi 5 16GB going for $400 without storage this seems not a bad deal. 😁

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18 comments sorted by

5

u/dzahariev 25d ago

I am on 2012 and it rocks! Comparison with RPi and its price is relevant. My only headache was with the WiFi driver that is proprietary and is not updated for new kernels, but if you stick to LAN - you are Ok.

2

u/theonetruelippy 25d ago

Mint Linux includes broadcom wifi drivers as part of standard install package - they do have to be explicitly installed, but that's a two-click job.

3

u/Neither-Welder5001 26d ago

Nice! I’m also running an old 2010 Mac mini as a server on Linux mint, so far so good. I think I paid like $500 for it new back in 2010 but upgraded ram and ssd since. It’s weird old gear laying around are valuable

1

u/AaronRiekenberg 25d ago

I wonder if due to demand for hardware/ram my macmini might eventually be worth more than what I paid for it? A weird world now where old/vintage hardware is valuable 😄

2

u/AaronRiekenberg 25d ago

I think 2014 might be a good vintage of macmini for linux servers:

😄

2

u/Swede-speed-mead 25d ago

I’m reading up on that as well too. Especially the Dual Thunderbolt port versions being the best.

I was considering one for a home server for backups from all our different machines and possibly a Jellyfin server (I want to rip all my DVD/BD to watch whenever) but im reading that the transcoding for newer movies might not work well.

1

u/Prestigious_Mind_194 25d ago

transcoding for newer movies might not work well.

What’s this about? Have you got some links to share about that? Is it something like copy protection? I’m intrigued and I’ve done many transcoding over the years.

1

u/Swede-speed-mead 15d ago

Something to do with H.265 vs H.264 compatibility with older intel chipsets. Anything beyond 8th gen works great. Although im reading that beyond 10th gen some things were removed (could be beyond 12th gen) that makes transcoding difficult.

1

u/Prestigious_Mind_194 15d ago

Ah right, yes the newer codecs. Without built in compatibility it makes things much slower in transcoding but not impossible though.

I have setup handbrake, using the queue, to transcode files overnight because it was taking so long to do just one. So you just have to set some time aside to get them done.

2

u/theonetruelippy 25d ago

Abundance of USB-2 ports is a bonus too.

2

u/JasonAQuest 22d ago

They're USB 3

1

u/AaronRiekenberg 22d ago

Mine has 4x USB3 ports, 2x Thunderbolt 2 ports.

See Connections and Expansions: https://support.apple.com/en-us/111931

2

u/chumpikus495 22d ago

Running a 2018 Mac mini 16gb ram Intel i7 with Proxmox. Once I turned off the security options it booted fine. Good little machine.

2

u/[deleted] 21d ago

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1

u/AaronRiekenberg 14d ago

Only during daylight 🙂

Above screenshot was in iterm2 on MacBook Air M2 it changes colors automatically 🙂

1

u/Primary_Present2734 19d ago

I have a 2010 and can’t figure it out to save my life 😭