Knowledge base

OS X Server: Changing the service data storage location

Posted in Apple Mac OS

Summary

In OS X Server (Mountain Lion) and Lion Server v10.7.2 or later, you can store service data in a location other than your startup volume.

Products Affected

Lion Server, OS X Server (Mountain Lion)

To change the service data storage volume:

  1. Open Server app, and connect to the desired server.
  2. Select the name of the server under the Hardware heading on the left.
  3. Click the Settings tab.
  4. Click the Edit… button on the "Service Data" line.
  5. Select a volume.

Services will be stopped while the service data is copied to the new location. This process may take some time. The service data will be stored inside a directory named Library on the selected volume. The old service data will not be deleted.

Important: Do not change the name of the service data storage volume after you designate it in Server app.

In OS X Server (Mountain Lion) the following services will store their data on the new volume:

  • Calendar
  • Contacts
  • Mail
  • Messages
  • Postgres (database and backups)
  • Profile Manager
  • Software Update
  • Websites
  • Wiki

Note: While user data for these services is stored on the new volume, configuration and temporary files (like the Mail spool file) will remain on the startup (boot) volume.

The File Service, FTP, Netboot and Time Machines services each have separate interfaces for choosing where to store data. If you choose to share the Websites root via FTP, it will share the /Library/Server/Web/Data/Sites/ directory on the boot volume, even if you choose a different data volume.

 

Additional Information

In Lion Server (v10.7.2 and later) the following services will store their data on the new volume:

  • Address Book
  • iCal
  • Mail
  • Podcast (but not Podcast Producer)
  • Postgres (database and backups)
  • Wiki

Read more http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4974