![os x server vpn os x server vpn](https://wiki.mcs.anl.gov/IT/images/a/ae/Mac-VPN0.png)
- #Os x server vpn mac os x#
- #Os x server vpn mac os#
- #Os x server vpn install#
- #Os x server vpn pro#
- #Os x server vpn license#
This allows companies to get the most value from their small investment because they can take advantage of more features as their needs change or business grows. If more-varied features like client management and small-scale workstation deployments are needed, the more robust management tools for Snow Leopard Server are available. It's also important to note that a Mac Mini server isn't restricted to using the built-in Server Preferences. (Additional client licenses can be purchased singly for $77, in packs of five for $385 or 20 for $1540.)
![os x server vpn os x server vpn](https://docs.moodle.org/2x/ca/images_ca/e/e6/Server-admin-106.png)
#Os x server vpn license#
It starts at $1,089 for just the server license - without the hardware - and five client access licenses. This contrasts sharply with Microsoft's Windows Small Business Server 2008, for instance. And the hardware, while not cutting-edge, is solid: There's a dual-core 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo processor, the Nvidia GeForce 9400M integrated graphics chip set, five USB 2.0 ports, one Gigabit Ethernet connection and a FireWire 800 port. For $999, businesses get a server with unlimited client access licensing to all the features that can be run on Snow Leopard Server. Its size - 6.5 inches square and 2 inches high - means it can be placed in a small locked closet or ventilated storage cabinet for easy security. Those features make it ideal for small-business environments. The Mac Mini server offers a very small footprint and low power requirements, and it runs cooler than virtually any desktop computer. That's also why I was immediately taken with Apple's decision to launch the Mac Mini server configuration ( as was Macworld's Jason Snell.) Although not big on size or raw computing power, the Mac Mini has always had at least enough power to meet the needs of these less-than-demanding environments.
#Os x server vpn install#
Regardless of my own involvement, I often recommended that these small firms (typically anywhere from one to a few dozen employees with basic needs) buy Apple's server software and install it on a Mac Mini.
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Once Leopard Server arrived in 2007, my direct involvement dropped, since companies finally had a familiar and easy-to-use means of handling these tasks. In the days before Leopard Server - the predecessor to Snow Leopard Server - and Server Preferences, I usually wound up installing a server and being on call for even the most routine tasks, like adding or deleting new users, adjusting access rights to services or file shares, and verifying backups. Over the past several years, I've worked with many of these types of small businesses.
#Os x server vpn pro#
They're the kind of shops where an Xserve or a Mac Pro functioning as server hardware would be complete overkill, both in terms of unused potential and cost. The types of companies where Server Preferences and its simplified approach to administration shine - small offices or workgroups with a limited number of workstations and users - are exactly the market Apple has targeted with the Mac Mini server. It's designed to be intuitive enough for any Mac user to manage.
#Os x server vpn mac os#
Server Preferences, which is patterned after Mac OS X's System Preferences, combines the core functions of a typical small business or workgroup server in one place, whether it's file or printer sharing, email and Web site hosting, server and client backup management, client autoconfiguration, VPN access, or hosting Apple's suite of collaborative tools (including shared calendaring, shared contacts, and Apple's wiki and blog services).
#Os x server vpn mac os x#
I've talked previously about the two most recent iterations of Mac OS X Server ( Leopard Server and Snow Leopard Server), which offer simplified management through an administration tool - Server Preferences - as well as Mac OS X Server's more robust GUI management utilities and various command-line tools. Best of all, it makes these features easily available to both experienced administrators, novices who have never set up a server before and everyone in between.įor small businesses with limited - or, in some cases, no - IT staff, having a flexible and robust server platform is important. Mac OS X Server is based around open standards and includes a range of enterprise-grade technologies that offer a host of powerful and flexible features: Open Directory (a scalable directory service based around OpenLDAP and Kerberos) established Internet hosting platforms like Apache, BIND for DNS hosting and Dovecot-based mail service collaboration tools based on open standards like CalDAV and CardDAV a range of deployment and client management tools and powerful multiplatform file and print services. I'm a big fan of Apple's server platform. When Apple announced the server edition of its popular Mac Mini late in October, I was excited that the company was finally offering a low-cost small-business server at a terrific price point ($999) for both the hardware and an unlimited license of Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server.