Apple Leopard Server: Simple Solution Anyone Can Use

Mac OS X Server 10.5 Leopard is the server-oriented version of Apple’s operating system, Mac OS X, which includes applications that are intended to allow administrators to manage productive features - such as internet-based services or networks of Macs and Microsoft Windows PCs - more easily.

Unlike previous versions of OS X Server, Leopard Server includes three install configurations: Standard, Workgroup, and Advanced.

The Standard server configuration is intended for small businesses or small workgroups. The Workgroup server configuration is similar to “Standard”, but allows the server to connect to existing directory services, such as Open Directory and Active Directory. The Advanced server configuration allows for more granular and advanced installations.

Leopard Server is built on a fully compliant UNIX foundation and it includes productive features such as iCal Server, Wiki Server, a Spotlight Server, Podcast Producer, and iChat Server. Many of the core services in Mac OS X Server v10.5 — such as Apache 2, MySQL 5, Postfix, Podcast Producer, QuickTime Streaming Server, and Java VM on Intel — are now 64-bit, allowing you to take advantage of increased processing power and to work with larger data sets. Leopard Server also introduced updates to many other services, such as Apache Tomcat 6, iChat Server 2, Xgrid 2, and Open Directory 4.

iCal server lets users share calendars, schedule meetings, and coordinate events within a workgroup, a small business, or a large corporation. Apple has made complete source code to iCal Server available through the macosforge.org web site as a show of committment to open standards-based calendaring and scheduling protocols.

Wiki Server makes it easy for groups to collaborate and communicate with group calendar, blog, and mailing list. Users can create and edit wiki pages, tag and cross-reference material, upload files and images, add comments, and search content. Wikis are great for creating company documentation or developing online IT manuals.

Spotlight Server is similar to the Directory application, which provides access to shared information about people, groups, locations, and resources in your organization; however, Spotlight Server lets you search for documents, files, and other content stored on your server.

Podcast Producer is solution for encoding and publishing video podcasts for playback in iTunes and on iPod, iPhone, and Apple TV. You can use it for whatever audio or video podcasts your organization requires. All content is encoded into standard formats such as H.264 and MPEG-4, but if you wish, Podcast Producer can accept and re-encode media from other popular formats including Windows Media, Flash 8, VC-1, and more.

iChat Server brings the collaborative power of instant messaging, secure file transfer, audio conferencing, and your presentation broadcasting. You can practically use it to broadcast a company presentation,  photo slideshow, or even a movie to other iChat users.

The Directory application provides access to shared information about people, groups, locations, and resources in your organization. You can share contacts, set up group services, find shared equipment, and more.

Leopard Server is up to twice as fast as Tiger Server and is also capable of sharing files between Macs and PCs. To facilitate collaboration, each group gets its own shared folder on the server - great for students, universities, libraries, even your own home! Time Machine makes a copy of everything on the system, so if there is any problems, you can always go back without losing your content. The concept is similar to Microsoft’s “System Restore.”

However, many services don’t work as intended with non-Mac clients. For example, if you’re in a mixed environment iCal Server could be limiting, because Microsoft Outlook doesn’t directly support CalDAV group-scheduling standard. Also, if you intend to use iChat in a mixed environment, you have to use a Jabber-compatible client, because iChat server is based on the Jabber protocol.

Equally important to note is that Mac OS X Server comes with a built in firewall built in, making it possible to block unwanted communications to your server and/or VPN (Virtual Private Network).

Mac OS X Server v10.5 Leopard 10 client edition retails for $499, while unlimited-client edition costs $999. You can get it directly from Apple’s online store.

System Requirements:
Mac server or desktop computer with an Intel, PowerPC G5, or PowerPC G4 (867MHz or faster) processor.
1GB of RAM and 20GB of available disk space.