About Opentopia
Opentopia Directory Encyclopedia Tools

Mac OS X Server

Encyclopedia : M : MA : MAC : Mac OS X Server

Mac OS X Server is the server-oriented version of Apple Computer's desktop operating system, Mac OS X. It is based on the BSD-Unix-based operating system that Apple acquired from NeXT Computer and which formed the basis of the current Mac OS X.

The server version of Mac OS X provides additional features over the standard version, such as internet-based services like email or site hosting, or local network services such as the ability to manage networks of Macs and/or 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

The first version of Mac OS X Server, Mac OS X Server 1.0, was based on Rhapsody 5.1, a hybrid of OPENSTEP from NeXT Computer and Mac OS 8.5.1. The GUI looked more like OPENSTEP, with an emulation layer for running legacy Mac OS-based applications. WebObjects 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 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, and weblogs (Blojsom).

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.

Mac OS X Server 10.5 Leopard

This article or section contains information about scheduled or expected .
The content may change dramatically as the software release approaches and more information becomes available.

Mac OS X v10.5 "Leopard" was announced at the Worldwide Developers Conference on June 6 2005, and will be shown to the public for the first time at the World Wide Developer's Conference which begins August 7 2006. The client and server editions of OS X have always been released at the same time, so 10.5 Server is expected to be released concurrent with client, in late 2006 or early 2007.

Speculation on the features of 10.5 has been rampant, but there has been very little solid evidence of what the final new features may be.

Server tools

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

Several tools are only usable on the local server itself:

Version history

External links

Wikibooks has a manual, textbook or guide to this subject:
History of the Apple Macintosh Operating Systems
Mac OS>Classic Mac OS (History): System 6 · System 7 · Mac OS 8 · Mac OS 9
Mac OS X (History of Mac OS X>History): Public Beta · v10.0 · v10.1 · v10.2 · v10.3 · v10.4 · v10.5
Mac OS X Server: Rhapsody (OS)>Rhapsody · Mac OS X Server 1.0 · Mac OS X Server
Other OS projects: A/UX · Taligent · Copland · Darwin (operating system)>Darwin
Mac OS X
Applications
Activity Monitor · Address Book · AirPort Admin Utility · Audio MIDI Setup · Automator · Bluetooth File Exchange · BOMArchiveHelper · Calculator · Chess · Classic · ColorSync Utility · Console · Crash Reporter · Dashboard · Dictionary · DigitalColor Meter · Directory Access · DiskImageMounter · Disk Utility · DVD Player · Exposé · Finder · Font Book · Grab · Grapher · Help Viewer · iCal · iChat · Image Capture · Installer · Internet Connect · iSync · Keychain Access · Mail · Migration Assistant · NetInfo Manager · Network Utility · ODBC Administrator · Photo Booth · Preview · Printer Setup Utility · QuickTime Player · Safari · Script Editor · Sherlock · Software Update · Stickies · System Preferences · System Profiler · Terminal · TextEdit · VoiceOver · X11
Developer
AU Lab · CHUD Tools · Core Image Fun House · FileMerge · Help Indexer · Icon Composer · Interface Builder · PackageMaker · Pixie · Property List Editor · Quartz Composer · Repeat After Me · USB Prober · Xcode
Mac OS X Server
AppleShare IP Migration · Fibre Channel Utility · Gateway Setup Assistant · Open Directory · MySQL Manager · QuickTime Broadcaster · QuickTime Streaming Server · RAID Admin · Server Admin · Workgroup Manager · Xgrid
Technology
AppleScript · Aqua · Audio Units · Bonjour · Boot Camp · Carbon · Cocoa · Core Audio · Core Data · Core Image · Core Video · Darwin · Exposé · Keychain · OpenGL · plist · Quartz · QuickTime · Rosetta · Smart folder · Spotlight · WebKit · XNU

 

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.

Search Titles
0123456789
ABCDEFGHIJ
KLMNOPQRST
UVWXYZ?

E-mail this article to:

Personal Message: