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I am going to buy a mac mini (mid 2010 no server edition) and use it as linux server (i think i will use ubuntu server as distribution on it).

I never had any mac so sorry if i ask some newbie/dummy questions but just to make sure before buy it:

  • can it boot from usb key (for the installation) ?

  • can it boot without keyboard/mouse/monitor ?

  • the bios is a standard bios like a pc ?

Thanks for the help

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2 Answers 2

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  • Yes it can boot from a usb
  • Yes it can boot without a keyboard/mouse/monitor
  • No there is no normal pc type bios on a mac.
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  • About the bios, how can i setup it to "boot from cd" or "boot from usb" ? on pc i setup this on bios, it has a custom bios from apple or similar?
    – res1
    Mar 29, 2013 at 16:18
  • Booting from USB storage is tricky. Booting from a CD is pretty easy. Just put in a disk and hold down C during startup.
    – Zoredache
    Mar 29, 2013 at 16:25
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can it boot from usb key (for the installation) ?

Yes, hold Alt key on boot until the chime and choose boot medium.

can it boot without keyboard/mouse/monitor ?

Yes, but it conflicts with usb boot ;) - But theres no "Press F1 for continue" dialogue on Mac

the bios is a standard bios like a pc ?

No, its a special EFI. You'll also need a special bootloader.

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  • 1
    EFI is a replacement for BIOS, not a kind of BIOS :)
    – Frands Hansen
    Mar 29, 2013 at 16:20
  • @FrandsHansen True Point :) - I'll edit this.
    – Henrik
    Mar 29, 2013 at 16:22

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