OS X Server on HP Proliant

[reebzor]

I'm very new to the osx86 project, but very familiar with OS X.

 

For years I've dreamed of having an Xserve, but cannot afford one. I am getting sick of my Windows domain and would like to attempt to install OS X 10.5 server on my HP Proliant DL360 G3. Is this possible (I'm guessing yes)? Is it feasible (I'm guessing probably not)? Where should I start?

 

Thanks guys.

[splonk]

I'm very new to the osx86 project, but very familiar with OS X.

 

For years I've dreamed of having an Xserve, but cannot afford one. I am getting sick of my Windows domain and would like to attempt to install OS X 10.5 server on my HP Proliant DL360 G3. Is this possible (I'm guessing yes)? Is it feasible (I'm guessing probably not)? Where should I start?

 

Thanks guys.

 

 

I have OS X Server 10.5.7 Retail running on a HP Proliant ML110 G5 (Xeon 3065). I am in the process of writing a tutorial. I should try finishing it off.

 

Basically, get a compatible graphics card and network card installed first. Then you need to install the client software first. This means you need both Leopard and Leopard Server install disks. Get your internet connection sorted out and then install the server packages (from the latest 10.5.4 disk) and let Software Update sort out the rest. I am not sure what the hardware differences between mine and your server is, but I would assume it is doable.

[reebzor]

I have OS X Server 10.5.7 Retail running on a HP Proliant ML110 G5 (Xeon 3065). I am in the process of writing a tutorial. I should try finishing it off.

 

Basically, get a compatible graphics card and network card installed first. Then you need to install the client software first. This means you need both Leopard and Leopard Server install disks. Get your internet connection sorted out and then install the server packages (from the latest 10.5.4 disk) and let Software Update sort out the rest. I am not sure what the hardware differences between mine and your server is, but I would assume it is doable.

 

Do I need like hacked disks or can I use the retail disks that I already have? Please let me know when you have the tutorial up. I'm a complete newbie to this and would really like to learn something. Also, could I just follow a basic OSx86 installation guide or is this much different?

[splonk]

Mine is a retail installation. I had tried with various distros before, including JAS OSX Server 10.5.4 but none of these worked except for iPC 10.5.6. Retail installation was the easiest of the lot. You can do this with a generic boot-132 boot CD and the latest Leopard install DVD. Bear in mind that the generic boot-132.iso defaults to UDMA for SATA so installation is very slow. I made my own boot disk following the guides in here adding an updated kext for the SATA ports, which speeded up installation no end.

 

As your machine is a G3, you would need to research the motherboard to see if you need any custom kexts just to get your hard drives recognised.

 

You could follow a basic Retail installation guide. The only way my tutorial is going to differ substantially is the hardware selection (network card and the problems of getting a graphics card with only PCIe x8 and PCI ports free) and the installation of the server elements separately.

[khazna lefkos]

Hi splonk, I too have a HP ProLiant ML110 G5 (3065) machine and would like to install Leopard or even Snow leopard on this box. Could you please let me know if your tutorial is now ready to share.

 

By the way, when I acquired this machine I upgraded the RAM to 4GB and installed the following graphics and sound cards:

 

- NVIDIA GeForce 8400 GS (256MB graphics memory)

- Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio

 

Please let me know if this is acceptable hardware to run Leopard.

 

Thanks, Khaz

[splonk]

Hi splonk, I too have a HP ProLiant ML110 G5 (3065) machine and would like to install Leopard or even Snow leopard on this box. Could you please let me know if your tutorial is now ready to share.

 

By the way, when I acquired this machine I upgraded the RAM to 4GB and installed the following graphics and sound cards:

 

- NVIDIA GeForce 8400 GS (256MB graphics memory)

- Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio

 

Please let me know if this is acceptable hardware to run Leopard.

 

Thanks, Khaz

 

The graphics card is fine, but as far as I know, Creative is a nonstarter on any Mac platform. They have no interest in Apple so there are no drivers available for their cards. I am not an expert on sound cards, but I believe the Creative card chips are sufficiently different from the standard AC97 cards to cause problems. The USB X-fi card will work out of the box as will any usb sound card. I use Toshiba V20s on mine for when I need sound feedback.

 

I have just put my guide together after getting Snow Leopard Server up and running. It is a dreadful tutorial, but then I have no skills in teaching. I shall try to post it tonight in the Guides and Tutes forum.

[splonk]

The guide I posted in Tutorials is taking a while to appear, so here is the first part of the guide I knocked together for getting Leopard/Leopard Server up and running on the HP Proliant m110 G5. If you have a different model, this is not guaranteed to work.

If you want Snow Leopard/Snow Leopard Server, then head over to the 10.6 forum where I have uploaded the second part of the guide.

 

This guide assumes some basic knowledge of both OSX and OSX86, so won't go into details about installing Chameleon or creating Boot-132 disks. There are ample guides on this forum for that.

 

Tech specs:

HP M110 G5 with Dual-Core Xeon 3065 (2.33GHz) ICH9 motherboard based on Intel 3200 reference (I think)

Onboard Matrox G200e VGA out

2GB EEC DDR Ram

Broadcom NetXtreme Gigabit Network port (BCM5722)

3 free PCIe x8 slots and 1 PCI 3.3v slot

 

Additional Hardware added:

Gainward GeForce 8400GS low profile PCIe passively cooled.

PCIe x16 to x8 adapter riser card

2GB EEC DDR2 Ram

Marvel Yukon 8053 Gigabit Ethernet PCIe

 

 

PART ONE: Leopard Client/Server

 

Required:

Boot -132 disk. Generic will do. Add updated AppleIntelPIIXATA.kext to Extensions for faster install.

Leopard Server Retail Disk (10.5.4 used)

Leopard Client Retail Disk (10.5.6 used)

Internet connection through ethernet needed to complete server setup.

 

The HP M110 G5 is an oddity in that it has 3 PCIe x8 slots and one 3.3V PCI slot, so you have to make some compromises in selecting hardware if you also want to use this as a workstation. The onboard graphics is a Matrox G200e which is useless (even under Windows) so a graphics card is a must. The onboard ethernet is not supported in OS X and nobody has succeeded in making it work so far. It appears to use different RAM addresses from BCM5721, which does work, so none of the quick fixes is enough to get this work. Source code for the Linux driver is available and I have compiled it to work under Ubuntu back in the day. If you fancy your chances as an OSX driver developer, be my guest.

 

The problem with the x8 slots is that they are not open ended so your choice of graphics card is further limited. I had an old PCI FX5200. This works but is an ageing card and needs a hack to work (the full NVkush package). It does not prevent graphical glitches, such as dark areas in System Preferences, but might do if you only want to use this as a server. Note that Apple has removed support for FX5xxx cards in Snow Leopard, so you will have to upgrade it sooner or later

 

I invested about £10 in a PCIe x16 to x8 adapter riser card

This lifts the card a tad, so you need to look for a suitable low-profile card. I found the Gainward GeForce 8400GS,

which had the added bonus of being passively cooled, thus keeping noise levels down. Eventually, I tired of the instability of the wobbly card and drilled a notch in the card

so it would slot into the motherboard directly. Note that the server bios will automatically clock all PCIe graphics cards detected to x1 speed regardless. It is a server. If you want to use it primarily for gpu intensive workstation tasks (e.g. games), you need to look at other hardware.

 

After failing to install via Kalyway etc, using boot 132 proved surprisingly easy. However, Leopard Server Install DVD causes a kernel panic, so the trick is to install the client and then the server packages on top. The newest server disk is two updates behind the client, but this caused no problems whatsoever. Just make sure before you start that you have a working internet connection via ethernet as installation will not complete without it.

 

Installation:

 

Boot from the Boot-132 disk and install Leopard client. I used a GUID partition on mine. So far, so good. Note that my boot disk linked here contains the EFI string for the 8400GS 512MB. If you have a different card, you might get some problems with your screen resolution.

 

Now to install the server packages. Mount your Server Install DVD and then Cmd+Shift+G in Finder. Type /Volumes/Mac OS X Server Install Disc/System/Installation/Packages to navigate to the individual packages. install in this order:

 

a) ServerEssentials.pkg

ServerAdminTools.pkg

c) ServerSetup.pkg

d) QuicktimeStreamingServer.pkg (if you need it)

 

Don't be tempted to try MacOSXServerInstall.mpkg. It will not work.

 

Make sure your internet connection is up and running then reboot from the boot CD selecting your newly installed server. On starting go through the server setup including entering your serial number. You need the internet connection for this to be validated otherwise you will be stuck in a loop.

Once past this point, select Software Update and you should see all the updates you need to proceed to version 10.5.7. Update away as none of the updates broke my installation. Shutdown and reboot work fine. Sleep doesn't at the moment, but servers probably are not designed for nodding off.

 

Install Chameleon (I did it to an EFI partition) and use your boot CD's Extra folder for a permanent boot solution without swapping disks.

 

Note that ServerAdminTools.pkg is also a free download from Apple directly if you want to administer your server remotely from any Apple client.

 

for Leopard: Server Admin Tools 10.5.7

[pretke]

Working!!! + update 10.5.8 + sec update.... all

 

Thanx

[blouis79]

The HP M110 G5 is an oddity in that it has 3 PCIe x8 slots and one 3.3V PCI slot, so you have to make some compromises in selecting hardware if you also want to use this as a workstation.

 

I guess HP chose the low end expansion to stop a cheap server being upgraded to a workstation for a lot less money than a retail workstation. I got the bottom rung E2160 Pentium and swapped the CPU for a E8400 Core2Duo

 

EVGA makes an 8400GS PCI card which works fine for h.264 HD content on Win7 and Linux. As far as I can find, it is the only one on the market that will decode h.264 on a PCI card.

 

ML110 G5 specs are here - note 2 of the x8 slots are only x1 speed.

http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quicksp...a/12867_na.HTML

• Expansion Slots:
  • Slot 1: PCI 32-bit/33MHz at 3.3V
    
  • Slot 2: PCI-Express x8 connector with x1 link
    
  • Slot 3: PCI-Express x8 connector with x1 link
    
  • Slot 4: PCI-Express x8 connector with x8 link
    

Thanks for the tutorial - need to buy more cards now...

[splonk]

Just bear in mind that even the x8 slot, where I currently house my graphics card, will be clocked down to x1 if the bios detects a gpu. HP does not want workstations on the cheap, it seems.

[sikstik]

The guide I posted in Tutorials is taking a while to appear, so here is the first part of the guide I knocked together for getting Leopard/Leopard Server up and running on the HP Proliant m110 G5. If you have a different model, this is not guaranteed to work.

If you want Snow Leopard/Snow Leopard Server, then head over to the 10.6 forum where I have uploaded the second part of the guide.

 

This guide assumes some basic knowledge of both OSX and OSX86, so won't go into details about installing Chameleon or creating Boot-132 disks. There are ample guides on this forum for that.

 

Tech specs:

HP M110 G5 with Dual-Core Xeon 3065 (2.33GHz) ICH9 motherboard based on Intel 3200 reference (I think)

Onboard Matrox G200e VGA out

2GB EEC DDR Ram

Broadcom NetXtreme Gigabit Network port (BCM5722)

3 free PCIe x8 slots and 1 PCI 3.3v slot

 

Additional Hardware added:

Gainward GeForce 8400GS low profile PCIe passively cooled.

PCIe x16 to x8 adapter riser card

2GB EEC DDR2 Ram

Marvel Yukon 8053 Gigabit Ethernet PCIe

 

 

PART ONE: Leopard Client/Server

 

Required:

Boot -132 disk. Generic will do. Add updated AppleIntelPIIXATA.kext to Extensions for faster install.

Leopard Server Retail Disk (10.5.4 used)

Leopard Client Retail Disk (10.5.6 used)

Internet connection through ethernet needed to complete server setup.

 

The HP M110 G5 is an oddity in that it has 3 PCIe x8 slots and one 3.3V PCI slot, so you have to make some compromises in selecting hardware if you also want to use this as a workstation. The onboard graphics is a Matrox G200e which is useless (even under Windows) so a graphics card is a must. The onboard ethernet is not supported in OS X and nobody has succeeded in making it work so far. It appears to use different RAM addresses from BCM5721, which does work, so none of the quick fixes is enough to get this work. Source code for the Linux driver is available and I have compiled it to work under Ubuntu back in the day. If you fancy your chances as an OSX driver developer, be my guest.

 

The problem with the x8 slots is that they are not open ended so your choice of graphics card is further limited. I had an old PCI FX5200. This works but is an ageing card and needs a hack to work (the full NVkush package). It does not prevent graphical glitches, such as dark areas in System Preferences, but might do if you only want to use this as a server. Note that Apple has removed support for FX5xxx cards in Snow Leopard, so you will have to upgrade it sooner or later

 

I invested about £10 in a PCIe x16 to x8 adapter riser card

This lifts the card a tad, so you need to look for a suitable low-profile card. I found the Gainward GeForce 8400GS,

which had the added bonus of being passively cooled, thus keeping noise levels down. Eventually, I tired of the instability of the wobbly card and drilled a notch in the card

so it would slot into the motherboard directly. Note that the server bios will automatically clock all PCIe graphics cards detected to x1 speed regardless. It is a server. If you want to use it primarily for gpu intensive workstation tasks (e.g. games), you need to look at other hardware.

 

After failing to install via Kalyway etc, using boot 132 proved surprisingly easy. However, Leopard Server Install DVD causes a kernel panic, so the trick is to install the client and then the server packages on top. The newest server disk is two updates behind the client, but this caused no problems whatsoever. Just make sure before you start that you have a working internet connection via ethernet as installation will not complete without it.

 

Installation:

 

Boot from the Boot-132 disk and install Leopard client. I used a GUID partition on mine. So far, so good. Note that my boot disk linked here contains the EFI string for the 8400GS 512MB. If you have a different card, you might get some problems with your screen resolution.

 

Now to install the server packages. Mount your Server Install DVD and then Cmd+Shift+G in Finder. Type /Volumes/Mac OS X Server Install Disc/System/Installation/Packages to navigate to the individual packages. install in this order:

 

a) ServerEssentials.pkg

ServerAdminTools.pkg

c) ServerSetup.pkg

d) QuicktimeStreamingServer.pkg (if you need it)

 

Don't be tempted to try MacOSXServerInstall.mpkg. It will not work.

 

Make sure your internet connection is up and running then reboot from the boot CD selecting your newly installed server. On starting go through the server setup including entering your serial number. You need the internet connection for this to be validated otherwise you will be stuck in a loop.

Once past this point, select Software Update and you should see all the updates you need to proceed to version 10.5.7. Update away as none of the updates broke my installation. Shutdown and reboot work fine. Sleep doesn't at the moment, but servers probably are not designed for nodding off.

 

Install Chameleon (I did it to an EFI partition) and use your boot CD's Extra folder for a permanent boot solution without swapping disks.

 

Note that ServerAdminTools.pkg is also a free download from Apple directly if you want to administer your server remotely from any Apple client.

 

for Leopard: Server Admin Tools 10.5.7

 

Will I need the graphics card before I can even get server up and running or will it run just not very well with the onboard gfx? Cheers.

[splonk]

Will I need the graphics card before I can even get server up and running or will it run just not very well with the onboard gfx? Cheers.

 

Long time no visit, but anyway.

 

Short answer is as far as I can remember, you will get basic unaccelerated VGA with the onboard Matrox gpu, but for administering the box directly, I could not even bear it for a second.

 

Ultimately, if its only use will be as a server, you may find it simpler to either use Share Screen or Server Tools on a client box to do admin work and dispense with the gfx altogether.

[Eduardo(Brazil)]

The guide I posted in Tutorials is taking a while to appear, so here is the first part of the guide I knocked together for getting Leopard/Leopard Server up and running on the HP Proliant m110 G5. If you have a different model, this is not guaranteed to work.

If you want Snow Leopard/Snow Leopard Server, then head over to the 10.6 forum where I have uploaded the second part of the guide.

 

This guide assumes some basic knowledge of both OSX and OSX86, so won't go into details about installing Chameleon or creating Boot-132 disks. There are ample guides on this forum for that.

 

Tech specs:

HP M110 G5 with Dual-Core Xeon 3065 (2.33GHz) ICH9 motherboard based on Intel 3200 reference (I think)

Onboard Matrox G200e VGA out

2GB EEC DDR Ram

Broadcom NetXtreme Gigabit Network port (BCM5722)

3 free PCIe x8 slots and 1 PCI 3.3v slot

 

Additional Hardware added:

Gainward GeForce 8400GS low profile PCIe passively cooled.

PCIe x16 to x8 adapter riser card

2GB EEC DDR2 Ram

Marvel Yukon 8053 Gigabit Ethernet PCIe

 

 

PART ONE: Leopard Client/Server

 

Required:

Boot -132 disk. Generic will do. Add updated AppleIntelPIIXATA.kext to Extensions for faster install.

Leopard Server Retail Disk (10.5.4 used)

Leopard Client Retail Disk (10.5.6 used)

Internet connection through ethernet needed to complete server setup.

 

The HP M110 G5 is an oddity in that it has 3 PCIe x8 slots and one 3.3V PCI slot, so you have to make some compromises in selecting hardware if you also want to use this as a workstation. The onboard graphics is a Matrox G200e which is useless (even under Windows) so a graphics card is a must. The onboard ethernet is not supported in OS X and nobody has succeeded in making it work so far. It appears to use different RAM addresses from BCM5721, which does work, so none of the quick fixes is enough to get this work. Source code for the Linux driver is available and I have compiled it to work under Ubuntu back in the day. If you fancy your chances as an OSX driver developer, be my guest.

 

The problem with the x8 slots is that they are not open ended so your choice of graphics card is further limited. I had an old PCI FX5200. This works but is an ageing card and needs a hack to work (the full NVkush package). It does not prevent graphical glitches, such as dark areas in System Preferences, but might do if you only want to use this as a server. Note that Apple has removed support for FX5xxx cards in Snow Leopard, so you will have to upgrade it sooner or later

 

I invested about £10 in a PCIe x16 to x8 adapter riser card

This lifts the card a tad, so you need to look for a suitable low-profile card. I found the Gainward GeForce 8400GS,

which had the added bonus of being passively cooled, thus keeping noise levels down. Eventually, I tired of the instability of the wobbly card and drilled a notch in the card

so it would slot into the motherboard directly. Note that the server bios will automatically clock all PCIe graphics cards detected to x1 speed regardless. It is a server. If you want to use it primarily for gpu intensive workstation tasks (e.g. games), you need to look at other hardware.

 

After failing to install via Kalyway etc, using boot 132 proved surprisingly easy. However, Leopard Server Install DVD causes a kernel panic, so the trick is to install the client and then the server packages on top. The newest server disk is two updates behind the client, but this caused no problems whatsoever. Just make sure before you start that you have a working internet connection via ethernet as installation will not complete without it.

 

Installation:

 

Boot from the Boot-132 disk and install Leopard client. I used a GUID partition on mine. So far, so good. Note that my boot disk linked here contains the EFI string for the 8400GS 512MB. If you have a different card, you might get some problems with your screen resolution.

 

Now to install the server packages. Mount your Server Install DVD and then Cmd+Shift+G in Finder. Type /Volumes/Mac OS X Server Install Disc/System/Installation/Packages to navigate to the individual packages. install in this order:

 

a) ServerEssentials.pkg

ServerAdminTools.pkg

c) ServerSetup.pkg

d) QuicktimeStreamingServer.pkg (if you need it)

 

Don't be tempted to try MacOSXServerInstall.mpkg. It will not work.

 

Make sure your internet connection is up and running then reboot from the boot CD selecting your newly installed server. On starting go through the server setup including entering your serial number. You need the internet connection for this to be validated otherwise you will be stuck in a loop.

Once past this point, select Software Update and you should see all the updates you need to proceed to version 10.5.7. Update away as none of the updates broke my installation. Shutdown and reboot work fine. Sleep doesn't at the moment, but servers probably are not designed for nodding off.

 

Install Chameleon (I did it to an EFI partition) and use your boot CD's Extra folder for a permanent boot solution without swapping disks.

 

Note that ServerAdminTools.pkg is also a free download from Apple directly if you want to administer your server remotely from any Apple client.

 

for Leopard: Server Admin Tools 10.5.7

 

I have the exact same Machine.

Do you have another suggestion for Network Card?

I can't find the model specified (Marvel Yukon 8053 Gigabit Ethernet PCIe) here in Brazil.

Maybe some PCI network card compatible...

[splonk]

I have the exact same Machine.

Do you have another suggestion for Network Card?

I can't find the model specified (Marvel Yukon 8053 Gigabit Ethernet PCIe) here in Brazil.

Maybe some PCI network card compatible...

 

Can you try this kext for the onboard NIC? It is working for me, but I would be interested to see if it fails under heavy loads. I use an Apple Dual Gigabit Network card in mine.

BCM5722D.kext.zip