Mac – Server options for late 2006 macbook

home-sharingitunesserver.apptime-machine

I have an old late 2006 black MacBook. It has 2GB memory, and a 2GHz core 2 duo processor. I'm interested in using it on our home wifi network as a location for time machine backups (onto hard drives attached via USB) and a shared iTunes library (which an apple TV can access). The OS is currently Snow Leopard.

Should I install a server version of OS X (I think I need this if it's to be recognised as a time machine destination)? For a Mac running Mountain Lion, this only costs £13.99 from the App Store (in the UK). The MacBook cannot be upgraded beyond Lion. What are my options?

Best Answer

Your MacBook 2006 cannot be upgraded to OS X Mountain Lion (see OS X Mountain Lion: Supported Macs.

Instead of getting Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server (which may or may not be easily and cheaply available), you could just share the Time Machine folder on the external drive over the network through System Preferences > Sharing > File Sharing. Then configure your other Macs to backup to this location. Keep in mind that this may not be very reliable and worse, it would be quite slow if you use the Wireless G WiFi on your MacBook.

Note: You may need to run the following command in Terminal.app if you're unable to see the shared folder (the destination for the backup):

defaults write com.apple.systempreferences TMShowUnsupportedNetworkVolumes 1

Also read: "How do I set up Time Machine to a shared drive on another Mac?," which provides detailed instructions on how to set this up.

For iTunes, you can just turn on Home Sharing and have all your other devices (Macs or iOS devices) stream from it. You would have to use the same Apple ID across all the devices for Home Sharing. The Wireless G speed is good enough to stream music.

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