Apple Caching Server question

Fri Jan 13 17:25:14 UTC 2017

lane.powers at swat.coop wrote on 1/13/2017 7:43 AM:
> I saw the apple caching server mentioned on an earlier thread. Is this appropriate/functional/scaleable enough to implement as an ISP? It is an intriguing idea. From the docs I could find, I couldn't tell if it was only geared towards home / small business or if it could scale up to handle ISP level traffic.
>
> thanks,
> Lane

I have no experience with the Apple caching service specifically, but I 
have used Apple products (including some of their server software) for 
decades. Apple used to make mac mini models exclusively for server use. 
Their low power draw and relatively high density makes them an 
interesting choice for those that don't mind using "desktop grade" 
hardware for a project. There are some folks that even make rack-mount 
solutions for the Mac mini and Mac pro (search for RackMac). That said, 
my experience with several mac minis is that you will have at least one 
fault that will put them out of production (dead PSU, faulty HDD, dead 
mainboard) in a 2-3 year period when ran 24/7.

With Unix OS, a gigabit ethernet port, SSD, and i5 or i7, I would expect 
a mac mini to be as fast or faster than most other network appliances 
one might purchase. If one wanted something beefier, a mac pro would 
probably offer some expandability (on board dual 1gbps NICs + six 20Gbps 
thunderbolt 2 ports).

I would see why one might be curious, especially if this could cache the 
IOS updates used for all those tablets and other iDevices folks purchase 
from Apple.