MAC OS X SERVER

'Mac OS X Server' is the server-oriented version of Apple's desktop operating system, Mac OS X. Mac OS X, in both desktop and server versions, is a Unix-like operating system based on technology that Apple acquired from NeXT Computer.
The server version of Mac OS X includes applications that are intended to allow administrators to more easily manage features, such as internet-based services like email or site hosting, or manage networks of Macs and Windows PCs and provide services such as file and print sharing. Prior to Mac OS X, Apple's AppleShare software provided server applications such as file and printer sharing and user management.
Mac OS X Server leverages both open source technologies for provision of powerful standards-based services, and proprietary Apple applications for administration and for some additional services. Many services have aspects of both origins, such as Open Directory, which provides access to several powerful open source (and external proprietary) technologies from one simple, graphical interface.

Contents

Versions

Mac OS X Server 10.3 Panther

Mac OS X Server 10.4 Tiger

Mac OS X Server 10.5 Leopard

Server tools

References

External links

Versions

The first version of Mac OS X Server, Mac OS X Server 1.0, was based on Rhapsody 5.3, a hybrid of OPENSTEP from NeXT Computer and Mac OS 8.5.1. The GUI looked more like OPENSTEP, with a runtime layer for running legacy Mac OS-based applications called Blue Box. WebObjects and NetBoot was included with the server package.
On May 21 2001, Apple released a version of their server operating system based on Mac OS X v10.0. This was followed by server releases based on the following

★ Mac OS X v10.1 (September 25 2001)

★ Mac OS X v10.2 (August 24 2002)

★ Mac OS X v10.3 (October 24 2003)

★ Mac OS X v10.4 (April 29 2005)

Mac OS X Server 10.3 Panther

The 10.3 Mac OS X Server release includes updated Open Directory user and file management, which with this release is based on LDAP, beginning the deprecation of the NeXT-originated NetInfo architecture. The new Workgroup Manager interface improved configuration significantly. Many common network services are provided such as NTP, SNMP, web server (Apache), mail server (Postfix and Cyrus), LDAP (OpenLDAP), AFP, and print server. The inclusion of Samba version 3 allows tight integration with Windows clients and servers. MySQL v4.0.16 and PHP v4.3.7 are also included.

Mac OS X Server 10.4 Tiger

The 10.4 release adds even more tools, applications, and services, some of which are derived from open source. Most notable additions are 64-bit application support, Access Control Lists, Xgrid, link aggregation, e-mail spam filtering (SpamAssassin), virus detection (ClamAV), Gateway Setup Assistant, and servers for Software Update, iChat Server using Jabber ^[1], and weblogs.
Version 10.4 also has new client capabilities, as user identities can be fully independent of the client machine. The server can provide various levels of user management scenarios, including having client machines boot directly from an operating system stored on the server (NetBoot), booting independently but storing all user information on the server (network home directory), and/or storing the users' files locally on the users' portable computers while periodically synchronizing all user information to a mirror identity on the server (portable home directory). The end result of these technologies is that users can access some or all of their complete computer identity from any location and/or from any computer on the internet. In typical Apple style, these services are all configured with a small number of graphical-interface configurators.
Apple announced immediate availability of the Mac Pro at the Worldwide Developers Conference on August 10 2006 consequently announcing the first release of a Universal binary version of Mac OS X Server, supporting both PowerPC and Intel processors.
In versions 10.4 Tiger and later, Apple included the ''serialnumberd'' daemon to Mac OS X Server to validate license information over UDP port 626. This has caused some controversy among server administrators as ''serialnumberd'' overrides an explicit administrator firewall security setting to keep its copy protection functional.

Mac OS X Server 10.5 Leopard

Mac OS X Server v10.5 "Leopard" was announced at the 2005 Worldwide Developers Conference, and was first shown to the public at the World Wide Developer's Conference which began on August 7 2006. Leopard Server is scheduled to ship in October, 2007.
Leopard Server is scheduled to include: iCal Server,^[2] Wiki Server (a Wiki server),^[3] a Spotlight Server,^[4] and Podcast Producer^[5] for turn-key podcasting.
Leopard Server will also introduce updates to many other services^[6], such as Apache 2.2, MySQL 5, JBoss 4, Apache Tomcat 5, QuickTime Streaming Server 6, iChat Server 2, Xgrid 2, and Open Directory 4.

Server tools

Mac OS X Server comes with a variety of configuration tools that can be installed on non-server Macs as well:

★ Gateway Setup Assistant

★ Macintosh Manager

★ Network Image Utility

★ QTSS Publisher

★ Server Admin

★ Server Assistant

★ Server Monitor

★ System Image Utility

★ Workgroup Manager

★ Xgrid Admin
Several tools are only usable on the local server itself:

★ AppleShare IP Migration

★ Fibre Channel Utility

★ MySQL Manager

References

1. http://www.apple.com/server/macosx/collaborationservices.html
2. http://www.apple.com/server/macosx/leopard/icalserver.html
3. http://www.apple.com/server/macosx/leopard/wikiserver.html
4. http://www.apple.com/server/macosx/leopard/spotlightserver.html
5. http://www.apple.com/server/macosx/leopard/podcastproducer.html
6. http://www.apple.com/server/macosx/leopard/more.html

External links

★ Apple - Mac OS X Server

★ Apple Developer - Mac OS X Server

★ Apple Introduces Mac OS X Server - Apple press release

★ Major Mac OS X Server v10.1 Update Now Available - Apple press release

★ Apple Announces Mac OS X “Jaguar” Server, World’s Easiest-to-Manage UNIX-Based Server Software - Apple press release

★ Apple Announces Mac OS X Server “Panther” - Apple press release

★ Apple Announces Mac OS X Server “Tiger” - Apple press release

★ Apple Announces New Mac OS X Server Leopard Features - Apple press release