woowah
join:2002-03-26
m5v5f6
| OS X server easy to use?
Any advice, experiences, and input from people running server would be appreciated.
I know enough about the terminal to explore it and do basic things. Would someone like me be able to manage OS X server in a small business? Here's what all we need server to do:
-Have a common calendar and address book
-Work with 1 PC (the other 6 computers are macs)
-Be a place to store files that we all need and can (hopefully) access from anywhere
-Wikis
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All about good news! |
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BeesTea
Network Janitor
Premium,VIP
join:2003-03-08
00000
| To be honest... OS X server is terrible. If you have no experience with command line UNIX, then maybe the UI etc is nice. As someone with year of UNIX experience though, the OS X server is a nightmare. Nothing is done very easily in it. OS X as a desktop is clearly its intended function. Life as a server seems to be an after thought.
Personally, I'd recommend you use Linux of FreeBSD. Way easier to do real server tasks.
For fun, look up what it takes to add a new user, and member of a few groups, from the CLI on each.
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Overpower, overcome. |
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joeybee
Joey
Premium
join:2003-08-12
Hamilton, ON
clubs: | reply to woowah
Here's an article about Leopard for small business. |
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Thinkdiff
Premium,MVM
join:2001-08-07
Bronx, NY
| reply to woowah
It sounds like OS X Server might be something you want to look into. The Wiki server and such are all new in Leopard, so I'm not sure how well they work.
OS X Server works best on it's own. When you start to incorporate it into a larger network, it gets kind of ugly. If you have the ability to do so, I would definitely give it a shot for a month or so and see how you like it. |
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woowah
join:2002-03-26
m5v5f6 | reply to joeybee
Thanks for the article! It really outlined what it can be used for (or not). Apparently iCal doesn't play well with Tiger installs and PC calendars.
I think I should look into freeBSD or another linux distro. |
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rugby
I think I know it all.
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| reply to woowah
I work with Leopard server on a daily basis and some things it does really well.
I never recommend setting up your own server. Why? Because there's a big difference between "Almost set up correctly" and "Setup correctly".
Apple made Leopard server EASY to set up. The problem is that if you want to integrate more features into it and it's not set up correctly to begin with you will run into problems later on. Big problems.
I'm looking at your needs, and unfortunately Leopard server alone won't meet them. The collaborative features of Leopard server are too disconnected to be worthwhile. For what you're looking for I would recommend a Linux box (Fedora Core 8 will work) along with Kerio MailServer for your collaborative email/calendar/contacts. |
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woowah
join:2002-03-26
m5v5f6
| The wiki stuff is just an added bonus, so we can forego that.
I like the idea of using Kerio as it is designed for Mac/PC sharing.A linux box with that and tons of storage space should work. Is there anything I should be aware of sharing a hard drive from linux to windows? I assume it's all SMB fun. |
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rugby
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| I have installed and I currently host Kerio on a Fedora Core 6 and an 8 box and it's great. Caldav/iSync for Mac users and KOFF/KOC for Outlook users.
SMB is SMB so filesharing should be a piece of cake between all platforms. I would recommend installing Webmin to give you a web interface to the Linux box.
If you're interested in Kerio PM me and we can talk more. I'm a certified reseller and hosted provider. Or you can email me through my page. |
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bbarrera
Premium,MVM
join:2000-10-23
Sacramento, CA
clubs:
edit:
May 7th, @03:55PM
| rugby have you looked at Zimbra?
and what about Kerio and Linux clients? |
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HEDP
join:2008-04-27
Miami, FL
| reply to woowah
I seriously don't think you will need a server to do what you are asking since it's a very basic setup that your current Leopard installation can do just fine.
The difference is mostly what kind of software and management tools are provided to you, but you can use your desktop system just the same way as an OS X server.
Simply setup one of the Macs as a server and provide a calender, that updates itself every startup of iCal or every 1 minute. You can do this from your iCal application easily.
To share Address Book's you will want a LDAP server running, and Address Book including Outlook and other PC applications can access this without any issues because it's a standard protocol across the board. This would provide you with a centralized address book that can be searched within the network.
As for sharing files you will simply want to download Pure-FTPD Manager which is highly customizable and secure to give you FTP access with full control of directories and quota's from one application.
Things you will need:
1. iCal calender and program that can read iCal calenders on the PC (they exist).
2. local LDAP server.
3. Pure-FTPD Manager
I hardest one will probably be step 2, but with some googling and some technical assistance from the guys here you can get it up and running. If you have an old PPC running 500mhz or higher that will be more than enough for your needs.
OS X Server can assist you, but it's more advanced and requires a learning curve that will only confuse most users at first. Since you say that you do basic things on the terminal, I think that it will be the best route for you to take, and study up on OS X Server and learn how to properly use it's management tools and features. If you plan on expanding in the future picking up a O-Reilly book on OS X Server or it's unix core would greatly help you out.
Cheers. |
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rugby
I think I know it all.
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| reply to bbarrera
said by bbarrera  :rugby have you looked at Zimbra? and what about Kerio and Linux clients? I've looked at Zimbra, but have used the product in the past. I've got a bad feeling about the product since Yahoo bought it and is playing "Hard to Get" with their company.
Zimbra is harder to install and setup vs. Kerio, but it works pretty well once it's done. I've never had a difficult install or upgrade of Kerio MailServer and I've done it on every platform (Windows, Mac, and Supported Linux). Granted, there are "connectors" for Outlook and iSync that need to be upgraded as well, however the Outlook connector upgrade is automatically installed the next time Outlook connects to the server, as is the iSync connector.
As far as Linux clients go, I've tried to use Revolution without much luck. Sunbird "should" work since it's caldav compliant however it's a moving target since it's not final yet. |
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rugby
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| reply to HEDP
michierusan is correct, you could just use an OS X Client to be a fileserver for your group of machines. You can only have 10 connections via AFP or SMB however so that should be observed before making your decision.
He's also right you can get this running with some freeware and research on your part.
It really comes down to your threshold of pain and tolerance in regards to what you want. Another option would be to have a local fileserver (Mac mini + FW drive running OS X Client would work). For your collaborative environment, you COULD go with a hosted solution. Most Kerio MailServer hosted providers like myself start around $5/user/month and can assist you with setup. This way you could have your email/calendar/contacts on a server sitting in a datacenter and not your office or home. You wouldn't have to worry about smtp forwarding or blocking as well as proper DNS propagation to ensure your email gets delivered.
Just some more stuff to think about. |
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bbarrera
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Sacramento, CA
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| reply to rugby
Thanks for the Zimbra comments. I'm looking around at calendar/contact apps that could replace Webex Office. Our customers are stored in mysql with roundup issue tracker (sourceforge) frontend and I imagine a Linux based solution could be easily hacked together whereby new customer records would auto-fill the contact app. We have a mix of Win/Mac/Linux desktops so standards compliant cal/contact servers supporting CalDAV/iCal and OpenLDAP would be ideal. |
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rugby
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| I don't think Kerio is your solution as it is definitely not a CRM solution nor can it handle document storage at this point.
You could cobble together a webdav/openldap/email solution however that would be really ugly best case scenario.
Every solution I know of has limitations, some don't do documents, others don't do Mac compatibility. Some are run by completely crazy companies that change licensing policies on customers at their whim.
There is no silver bullet, and you might end up having 2 separate systems for what you want. |
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woowah
join:2002-03-26
m5v5f6
| reply to HEDP
I like all these ideas being proposed.
If I have to create an LDAP server than I may as well use that same machine as the fileserver too. Or would that be inadvisable?
The catch with the iCal is that people want to add events to other people's calendars. |
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rugby
I think I know it all.
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Camby, IN | You *could* use something like busysync for your Macs, but then you would have issues with your windows clients.
What do you want to use LDAP for? local computer/user authentication? |
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HEDP
join:2008-04-27
Miami, FL
| reply to woowah
LDAP is lightweight and won't hog down the system so yes it's possible running a fileserver on the same machine because your usage is considered lightweight.
You don't necessarily need to use iCal and instead use a web based calender running off php and MySQL which in return can be modified from any web browser and you can limit access to the local network.
This will be best because you won't experience any issues with data being properly read on either end and can also provide you access while you are on the road. Your standard version of OS X can do all of this, simply with a few modifications to the httpd.conf file in /etc/httpd/httpd.conf
You can also download MySQL and MySQL administrator which gives you a UI that is easy to navigate and understand. There are many ways to deploy your setup, each one has it's benefits and it's downfalls, but that's really for someone like you to decide on what type of platform you expect to deploy to work effectively.
Just google for calenders, and by the way google has their own type of web based calender to. |
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bbarrera
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Sacramento, CA
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| reply to rugby
said by rugby :I don't think Kerio is your solution as it is definitely not a CRM solution nor can it handle document storage at this point. You could cobble together a webdav/openldap/email solution however that would be really ugly best case scenario. By default email and contacts will remain in Webex Weboffice, the hassle is the data is on their web server although I can sync Calendar and Contacts via Palm/Outlook Sync (and then deal with Outlook/MacOSX sync). It sure would be nice to see Webex, a Cisco Company, enhance their sync offering beyond the narrow Outlook only solution, or partner with a 3rd party and get something else into the market. |
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rugby
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| reply to HEDP
said by HEDP :Just google for calenders, and by the way google has their own type of web based calender to. Their whole Google Apps suite looks good, if you don't mind sharing your information with them. |
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sporkme
drop the crantini and move it, sister
Premium,MVM
join:2000-07-01
Netcong, NJ
| reply to woowah
said by woowah :-Have a common calendar and address book -Work with 1 PC (the other 6 computers are macs) -Be a place to store files that we all need and can (hopefully) access from anywhere -Wikis I've never touched it, but I thought all that was the point of the server product...
»www.apple.com/server/macosx/feat···cal.html
»www.apple.com/server/macosx/feat···ory.html
»www.apple.com/server/macosx/feat···ing.html
»www.apple.com/server/macosx/feat···kis.html
Are they just totally stretching the truth in the marketing? The pages suggest it can do all the stuff mentioned, but with a pretty GUI for setting it all up... |
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