Snow Leopard™ Server

Chapter 1. Introducing Mac OS X Server

In This Chapter

• Planning Mac OS X Server deployments

• Administration tools

• Basic versus advanced management roles

• Kernel, Unix, and open-source services

• Specialized server applications

• Managing network client resources

• What's new in Snow Leopard Server

Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard Server builds on a decade of development at Apple to create an operating system and server applications that pair the security, stability, scalability, and performance of a Unix core and open-source software with the company's hallmark ability to design approachable, attractive, and easy-to-use tools as its administrative interface.

This chapter presents an overview of the following:

• The advanced planning required to successfully deploy Snow Leopard Server

• The administration tools used to configure and manage the server

• The configuration options available to serve the needs of both basic and advanced users

• An introduction to the layers within Mac OS X, starting at the kernel, moving up through Unix and its open-source software components, and then into the specialized server applications from Apple

• Moving beyond the server itself into managing users and client computers on the network

• The features and improvements new to Snow Leopard Server

Planning Mac OS X Server Deployments

A critical aspect of deploying any server product is adequate planning performed well in advance of any procurement decisions. Although Mac OS X Server represents a refined, powerful software tool well-suited for ...