Frequently Asked Questions

What is colomac.com / ColoMac?
We are a colocation service specifically for the Mac mini, Mac mini Server and Time Capsule.
What is colocation?
It is a service where we place your Mac mini and/or Time Capsule in our secure Data Centre in London Docklands, and provide you with various services including redundant high speed connectivity to the Internet.
Why should I choose colomac.com?
We are passionate about Macintosh computers and other technologies from Apple Inc. colomac.com is a sub-brand and micro-site of Cyberstrider. Cyberstrider have been providing Internet based services since 1993 and the day to day running of the company is run on various technologies from Apple Inc. Cybestrider initially offered Mac colocation in 2002 as a bespoke service and started offering bespoke Mac mini colocation services in 2005. Colocate your Mac mini with us at colomac.com and access it securely worldwide.
Does the Mac mini really work well as a server?
Yes, definitely. It is an extremely powerful computer in a deceptively small package. A Mac mini (running either Snow Leopard or Snow Leopard Server) is simple to manage and secure. Run the server as a VPN server, a web server, mail server, database server, file sharing server - the possibilities are endless.
How reliable are the Mac mini computers?
They are extremely reliable. We have hosted Mac mini computers for a number of years, running 24/7/365. The oldest Mac mini we have running is one of the first ones available from 2005 and it has been running 24 hours a day, every single day since then.

For extra reliability, we would recommend going for the Snow Leopard Server version of the Mac mini. This comes with two internal disks that can be set up in a mirrored configuration.
How do I get started? How do I get my Mac mini and/or Time Capsule to you?
Hop over to the signup page and choose the options you require. Once you have decided, follow through to completing your order. Once your order is complete and you have received an order confirmation from us, you may immediately ship your Mac mini and/or Time Capsule to us. The necessary details will be in your Order Confirmation email.

You may either prepare the Mac mini yourself before shipping it to us or request us to do this using the 'Prepare for Installation' option in the Order Form. If you are sending a Mac mini running Snow Leopard Server to us, we would recommend choosing the 'Prepare for Installation' option in the Order form as Snow Leopard Server needs to be set up with the necessary hosting options out of the box.
What if I wish to colocate an Xserve?
If you wish to have much more power than a Mac mini can provide then we are able to offer colocation of the Xserve range of servers. This falls under Cyberstrider's standard colocation packages as these require much more rack space and consume much more power. Please refer to the Colocation packages at Cyberstrider and contact us.
Why colocate a Time Capsule?
If you are colocating a Mac mini with us, then there really is no better option than a Time Capsule for seamless and hassle free backups. Add the Time Capsule colocation service to your shopping cart in our Ordering system during the Mac mini ordering process. Using the Time Capsule for backing up just your Mac mini colocated with us gives you another benefit - unmetered bandwidth on the Time Capsule!

If you have Macintosh computers that you want to backup remotely or have an offsite backup for your office computers, with the backups available wherever you are, the Time Capsule colocation is ideal.

Alternatively you may want to use the Time Capsule as a low cost and efficient File Server available wherever you have an Internet connection.

Can I buy a Mac mini and/or a Time Capsule from you?
At this moment in time we do not offer this service for single machines, although if there is huge demand for it we will look into it. We prefer you to have a direct relationship with Apple for any computers you purchase. For those of you who wish to order multiple machines, please contact us.

To purchase a Mac mini or Time Capsule, please visit UK Apple Store Online
How often may I visit my Mac mini or Time Capsule at the Data Centre?
As your Mac mini and/or Time Capsule will be situated in a rack cabinet shared with other customers, we need to keep in mind the safety and continued running of other servers. As such, any visits to the server will need to be on a chargeable accompanied (with one of our engineers) access basis. Alternatively, we can remove the machine for you and ship it to you.
What about managing my Mac mini?
With a colocated server, most customers manage it themselves. However, if you wish us to manage this for you we offer various different options on the order form. The various options are explained in the help page linked from the online order form.

Self management can be done using software such as VNC or the Mac OS X built in Screen Sharing application.
Do you offer a referral program?
Yes, we certainly do via our Affiliate scheme. The information is here.

 

Mac mini information:
www.apple.com/uk/macmini
Time Capsule information:
www.apple.com/uk/timecapsule
Terms & Conditions:
www.cyberstrider.net