I forgot I had an old mid 2011 Mac mini sitting in storage, and thought I might still be able to put it to some use on my network at home as a headless server. I wanted to share some tips about how I set this machine up so far, and I also plan to update this guide as I make changes to it going forward.
Step 1: Start fresh
To do this, reboot your Mac to Internet Recovery. Note this is only possible when there is a keyboard and monitor connected, a mouse also makes things a bit easier. This is the best method to start fresh on the latest release of macOS. Once there navigate to Disk Utility. You may have to select the drop–down in the top left corner to select Show all devices, then select the internal drive of your Mac. Then, erase it!
Once that has completed, close Disk Utility and proceed to “Re-install macOS”. Follow that through until it reboots to your fresh install.
Step 2: Onboarding
During onboarding, you can choose whether or not this Mac is added to your iCloud account, or simply setup with a local account only. I opted for the former, since then I can recover the login via my Apple ID in case I ever forget/lose the credentials in the future.
Step 3: Enable Screen Sharing
Inside System Preferences, under Sharing, enable Screen Sharing. Once this step is completed, you should be able to proceed without the monitor and keyboard, although you might as well complete the setup before unplugging those.
Step 4: Setup Automatic login
Inside System Preferences, under Users & Groups, select Login Options and then select the user you created under Automatic Login. This is a necessary evil if you are planning to use the Mac headless (sans monitor). Anytime the Mac reboots, maybe due to an update or loss of power, it won’t get stuck at the lock screen after starting up (the Screen Sharing service only starts after a successful login).
Step 5 (Bonus): Configure Time Machine
If you’d like to use your newly setup server as a Time Machine backup location for your other Macs, it is simple enough to do. First, under the same Sharing menu as step three, enable File Sharing. Next, create a folder on the Mac using Finder in a location where you want the backups to exist. Then in the File Sharing preferences, add that folder to the list. Right click on the folder and select Advanced Options, then enable Share as a Time Machine backup destination. On another Mac on the same network, navigate to System Settings, General, Time Machine, and your newly shared folder will appear in the list.
Extra tips…
- Use an ethernet cable to wire in your Mac server to your network.
- Under the Sharing menu you can rename your Mac so it will be more recognizable on your network.
- Setting up a static IP in Network preferences can make it easier to find on your network, but is not mandatory.
- Make sure your Mac server is placed somewhere it still gets airflow.
