iMac Mini DisplayPort question?

[keogh]

Howdy all,

Ok I should know this, but I don't as I never used it, nor needed to, until now... If it does what I want of course.

I have a mid 2010 27" i7 iMac that has the mini DisplayPort (before thunderbolt as you know) and need to know if that is for input or output?

I want To get a new mac mini to run as my local web server for dev, which will generally 99% of the time not be hooked up to a screen as I will VNC to it, but I will want to hook it up sometimes. I know thunderbolt connections work with DisplayPort, so can I use my iMac display as a screen for my mini? Or does the iMac DisplayPort output the mac only?

Thanks guys!

 

[MikeHiow]

I may be wrong but I believe you can use it as an input as well.

So you plug mac mini in to iMac and it'll automaticallly switch over to displaying your mini. It's been discussed on here a few times before, so definitely worth a search.

I believe the functionality you want is called target display mode.

 

[QwaF]

It's for both input and output.

 

[startrek2]

it only work with the iMac on in osx ,, so example i use a spare on i got as a add on a i7 shuttle but it has to be running osx then turn the shuttle on it allows the screen to be used for windows.

not just there plugged in and turn pc on it fires up the iMac green it don't.. think I've made it sound right.. only the 2010 iMac does it hence my search for one of those lol

 

[RickST]

Yep, can be used as both input and output so you should be fine.

any reason why you choose a mac mini as a local dev server?

 

[keogh]

Yep, can be used as both input and output so you should be fine.

any reason why you choose a mac mini as a local dev server?

Just love os x, and think it works beautifully as a web server, but most importantly, I want the small form factor of it, no room for a big machine, so don't want to go the Ubuntu route.

And any excuse to buy a mac of any type