r/macsysadmin • u/ExchangeEfficient442 • 11d ago

Mac Mini Fleet

Hello,

I am a server provider who usually provides windows/linux servers to my customers. Lately there has been an uptick in requests for Mac Mini Servers, so I got a bunch. But I am having trouble managing them.

They are constantly going down, freezing, remote access and SSH going down, customers breaking them by changing settings, etc... and I am having to send remote hands in everytime to fix the devices

For people managing large Mac fleets/server farms:

What are you using for:

mass updates

remote command execution

preventing users from breaking remote access

recovery after macOS updates

Best practices for maintaining persistent remote access?

Main priorities are:

reliability

easy recovery

customer flexibility

Would appreciate hearing from anyone operating a fleet of Macs remotely.

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u/kaiserh808 11d ago

I've found Mac minis to be incredibly stable. What are people doing with them that they're constantly going down or freezing?

Either way, enrol the devices in Apple Business, which now has a free (albeit relatively basic) MDM service included.

Use something like munki to push out software updates, don't do this through the MDM service.

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u/darthboolean 11d ago

>>I've found Mac minis to be incredibly stable. What are people doing with them that they're constantly going down or freezing?

The clients are almost certainly trying to run an AI server off of it, but it can't actually support what they're trying to do with it, but all they know is "Everyone on youtube said run AI off Mac Minis".