Stepping Into Mac OS X Leopard Server

ByMike Moffit

This past weekend, I got to try out some of the new features that come in Mac OS X Leopard Server. First, let’s back up a bit to Tiger Server.

OS X Tiger Server is the first piece of server software I’ve used from Apple. I come from the world of Linux where most of the configuration is done by hand, you have to edit your own application configuration files. There’s no pretty GUI (graphical user interface) or buttons to click on. Tiger Server saved a lot of time because all I had to do was type a few things in, click ‘Go’ and I could have a very resourceful server. In just a matter of minutes, I could be running a web server, file server, DNS server, VPN server and more! Apple really made Tiger Server easy to setup and manage. They provided some really great tools too.

With Leopard Server they’ve made it even EASIER to setup and manage. I think Apple has really extended the potential of Leopard server; they’re making it so Leopard Server has a place in the home as well as large companies. They continue to provide some really awesome tools to manage it, and it includes loads of new and cool features. When I set up Leopard Server, I did a fresh install (no upgrade) so I am not sure if some of the things I am talking about will apply to people who choose to upgrade from Leopard Server.

Upon boot up after you install Leopard server, you can choose what type of server you want. There are three options: Standard, Workgroup or Advanced. Each of the three types just had a bit different configuration in which services it uses and sets up for you. While I think this is great for people who like things done for them, I prefer to configure each service by hand (I guess that’s the Linux-side of me coming out). People who really just want the easiest way to manage their server should probably choose either the Standard or Workgroup configurations. This will also allow you to use some of the new and nifty tools that Apple has included with Leopard Server. Unfortunately when you use the Advanced server type you loose the ability to use some of those tools (you can still use Server Admin, Workgroup Manager and command line utilities though).

I am torn between letting Apple do all of the hard stuff so I can use the new tools (using the Workgroup server type) or just using the Advanced server type and handling everything myself. I’m still deciding but I have to say I think it’s great that Apple is making their server software usable by most anyone with some experience in computer and networking. So after choosing the type of server you want, Apple will go about and work its magic, setting up the services and configuring them for you.

For my tests I chose the Workgroup type, so I got the iCal service, web server, iChat service, Mail service, Time Machine backup service, the Open Directory service and a few others. I have a feeling most people will choose the Workgroup type, because it includes a lot of services while still being able to easily manage it.

One of the new management applications that comes with Leopard Server is called Server Preferences. It looks very similar to System Preferences, but it allows you to easily manage the services on your server. Over the last 2-3 years I’ve gotten very used to using Server Admin and Workgroup Manager to manage all my services and users, so if I choose to use the Workgroup server type on my live server, I’ll have to get used to doing everything through the Server Preferences application. It’s definitely a great tool for people who are new to OS X Server.

A few of the things that I am really looking forward to actually using is the wiki server, the iCal server and possibly the Time Machine service. I run a couple wikis (think of Wikipedia.org but on a much smaller scale) so I would love to move them into this service. I have a few shared calendars that need to actually be editable by more then just one person, so the iCal server will surely help with that problem.

Regarding the Time Machine backup service, it sounds really interesting, but at this point I don’t know enough about how it works to rely on that as my only backup service. It sounds really great that client machines can back up to the server rather than a local disk. It saves me from having to buy multiple external drives for each client; instead I can just point them to the server and use that as my backup location. I guess I’ll just have to do some testing!

In the few days I spent playing with Leopard server, I have to say that I am really impressed with how easy Apple has made it for someone to set up and manage a fully featured server. They include some great tools and some really new and much-welcomed features.

Here are a couple of PDF files that I found quite useful when setting up Leopard Server; check them out:

Getting Started with OS X Leopard Server
Installation Setup & Worksheet

Similar Posts

  • A New Week, A New iPad

    This is, of course, written on my iPad. No editing has been done on a separate computer. This is day five of owning…

  • Apple Excitement and Steam for Mac

    As an Apple fan, I don’t think I’ve ever been as excited as I am now. If I could roll the clock ahead to April right now then I would, and woe be it to anyone who tried to stop me. Why am I so excited? Well, two things really.

    First, obviously, is the iPad. Somehow in the last week I have gone from staunch iPad skeptic to literally “in a froth” to get my hands on one (thanks Penny Arcade for the excellent descriptor of my frenzied state). I’ll be the first to admit that as it was presented it is a fairly unassuming device. It doesn’t really do anything that you can’t do with an iPhone and a MacBook, and falls awkwardly somewhere between. But oh, the promise! The sheer potential of such a device is astounding. My intent is to purchase one as a statement, if nothing else. A statement to developers that I need them to develop great apps for it. But enough about the iPad.

    What really has me excited for April is the announcement that Valve, creators of Half Life, Portal, and Left for Dead, will be bringing its steam delivery service to the Mac platform, and its Source engine along with it. If you’re a Mac gamer, or wish you were, then this is amazing news. It’s no secret that our platform of choice is routinely ignored by game developers.

    Apple themselves have also ignored us by refusing to offer us more powerful graphics options (yes, I really do need 1GB of VRAM). Blizzard has really been the sole supporter of Macs in the game realm, steadily releasing their Mac versions simultaneously with their Windows counterparts… on the same discs even. For a company the size of Valve to start building Mac-native versions of their games and really support the platform should encourage other companies to follow suit.

    It’s already panning out like I expected. Razer has already announced they will fully support Mac OS X with their line of gamer centric peripherals (I’m a huge fan of their mice). My guess is that next we’ll see some of the larger publishers such as EA and Ubisoft (though please leave your draconian DRM behind) start to pick up Mac knowledgeable programmers and start to build native versions of their games rather than the bogged down ports we receive now.

    Even if other developers don’t jump on board immediately, I can’t express in words how excited I am to be able to download my already large library of Source games without launching bootcamp first. And when Portal 2 releases around the holidays, I’ll finally be able to consider myself a Mac gamer instead of a gamer who likes Macs.

  • New Stuff From Apple? All In Good Time

    Aside from Steve Job’s health and the release of the Verizon iPhone 4, Apple news and product updates have hit a relative stand-still…