A single Mac OS X Server configuration is usually pretty straightforward. But there are a lot of factors that go into planning such a deployment, even on a Mac mini running Lion Server. Storage, system resources, backup, power, backup, service allocation, backup, and Apple hardware are all important things to consider (did I mention backup?). They all comprise the ecosystem that the server lives in.

In this chapter, we looked at a number of things that everyone should consider. But planning networks and servers is a bit of a complicated task, and so there’s no way we can ever dive into all of it. This chapter looks at most of the common things to do before you buy your server or before you start installing that mini server you just brought home. Once you’re pretty satisfied with your server planning, it’s time to move on to Chapter 2 and get to the installation process!