postgis - convert data from osm to osm tiles/marble

I need to convert the raw thata OSM XML to tiles styled like standard OSM tiles (and other styles if possible)

From the research I've done I've found I need to have osm2pgsql and put it on the same server with my data (postGIS or sth), then I can render it with Mapnik using OSM style.

1) Do I have to have a server to convert files? 2) Is there a faster way to do this? (I've found sth about Imposm)

Answer

no you dont need a server.

you can install postgis on your computer and use osm2pgsql.

i recommend using tilemill to create the tiles from your postgis db and use osm-bright to style them.

you can then export them from tilemill in number of formats (i use mbtiles - you can open it to see the actual images if you need via mbutils)

i dont know about a faster way other then downloading the tiles themselves from somewhere..