I think it depends on your requirements and your existing experience whether or not you’ll find OS X Server to your liking, but I’m not going to deny that having a cool head and some familiarity with Unix and networking definitely helps. In this respect it’s actually not optimally placed for its target audience. :)
It’s a great solution if you need a simple transparent workgroup server running some simple services like file sharing and caching and an internal wiki. But, a lot of advanced functionality is down at the command line or in text files, so you need to be prepared to pop the boot and get your hands dirty if you want to scrub things clean. Things will get especially messy if you use the default split DNS setup that it recommends, and especially brittle if you get Open Directory involved. For mail, at least the first is likely to be true. You might like to think ahead, and make sure your DNS setup is prearranged before you get Server set up. If Exchange and Windows Server is your benchmark, this isn’t nearly as forgiving. If you want to know what I use, the Mac Mini that used to run OS X Server is now running Linux, and my slower Mini is now exclusively the cache. However, it does appear that Apple are gradually making OS X Server more robust, and the outlook is generally positive. I have often wondered why Apple does not build a server appliance. Just like AirPort, they could build a complete, functional, vertical server platform, with an App Store. Then they’d never have to worry about out-of-the-box tinkerers messing up their nice user interfaces ever again. :) -- The following information is important for all members of the Mac Visionaries list. If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor and your owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com The archives for this list can be searched at: http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
