Why are Apple Server systems not visible to IT managers? (1)

Mac OS X 10.7 Lion Server adds some innovative features and a new low-price promotion strategy, however, service reduction and deletion of advanced graphical user interface management tools may force some enterprise users to carefully consider the roles of Mac servers in their networks.

New features will be welcomed by managers in The business and education sectors: The new network front-end tool The Profile Manager can provide automatic configuration and group protocol management for Mac Lion and iOS clients, compared with the Managed Preferences feature of Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server, it is much improved. In addition, the system has built-in support for Microsoft's Distributed File System and Apple's Xsan file system. The latter can access the storage Region network through fiber channel.

However, once the initial excitement is calm, enterprise users begin to look at the Lion Server more deeply and calmly, and they will inevitably come to the following conclusion: lion Server is not an enterprise IT department choice.

Falling from $500 to $50 is the first signal Lion Server has attempted to become a Server favored by consumers. Apple's slogan is "server makes everything simple ". To achieve this goal, a new management tool named Server is more reasonable and easy to use than the previous-generation Server Preferences. Server features are richer than Server Preferences.

However, for IT administrators, IT is ironic that Lion Server requires a higher level of professional technical knowledge than its predecessors. A lot of daily work that can be done with just a few clicks can only be done through the Unix shell command line now, and worse, some daily work has become an impossible task.

Lion Server: applications that occupy more space for Installation

For enterprise users, The first criticism is the flaws in the installation of Lion Server. The Lion Server Installation File is like a very large iPhone application. The installer can only be downloaded from the Mac App Store and used after being downloaded. All you need to configure is the administrator email address. At last, it will delete the installer, although you can prevent installation before the installer is deleted for backup. The design logic of this software is to filter from the software.

But Lion Server is not an angry bird. The installation process includes downloading the 4 GB Lion Operating System Client installer, plus hundreds of megabytes of server component programs. Depending on the installation type, such as upgrade or new installation, you must go to the Mac application software store again to obtain server components. For the Administrator, the problem is that you cannot start the DVD installer. The Administrator cannot create a startup program, but it also brings other troubles to the Administrator.

Worse, there is no clean installation option inside the installer. To perform any installation, you must start Mac with Mac OS x 10.6.8 Snow Leopard or Mac OS X 10.7 Lion from the hard disk, partition, or USB flash, then run the installer from the boot driver. You must have two labels: one for START and the other for installation.

Apple improved the server configuration process in earlier versions, streamlined the process of asking questions on the screen, and made the process more automated. The installer is also much smaller. If you ask the installation assistant to create an Open Directory main program, if the installation assistant cannot find the installation program on the network or the Internet, it can also complete this process and find the Domain Name Server used for the server IP address.

This is very satisfying, especially if you do not know what the Domain Name Server is. Unfortunately, if you know what the Domain Name Server is, the Server application-the only administrative tool currently installed on the Lion Server does not tell you what the configuration of the Domain Name Server is. The Administrator cannot edit the Domain Name Server, DHCP, Open Directory, and other network services.

Server Admin and Workgroup Manager, a management tool that can access these services in the past, are no longer part of the Lion Server. They can only be downloaded and used separately, but not from the Mac App Store that provides the Lion Server application. You must go to Apple's support website to search for it. I did not find anything on the installation screen, nor did I find any help files. I did not even mention any of Apple's major Server websites. According to Douglas Adams, these tools are "displayed in the corner of the locked file cabinet in the archive room, and the door says, 'Be careful with the leopard! '".

Many deleted services in Lion Server

Once you locate and download the Server Admin tool, the experienced Mac OS X Server administrator will notice that this tool is much simpler than the previous generation. Almost half of services have disappeared from the previous generation of tools. Most common services, such as file sharing, calendar, and network services, are transferred to simple Server applications. Other services such as QuickTime Streaming Server have been completely deleted.

One of the more notable features is reduced support for Windows clients. Over the years, Mac OS X Server 'uses LDAP-based Open Directory as the original domain controller to support the functions of Windows clients. PDC can provide a single logon identity authentication for Windows clients. for users who work on both platforms at the same time, users can access the same account and server home folders from their Windows PC and Mac computers. In Lion Server, the Windows client can still access file sharing, but currently it is only a second-level client.

On the other hand, Lion Server retains the Open Directory used in combination with Active Directory. The Mac client still binds the "Golden Triangle" configuration with Active Directory. This "Golden Triangle" configuration means that Mac OS X Server and Open Directory are bundled with Active Directory.

Another service deleted by Apple is the built-in printing Server of the previous generation Mac OS X Server. Lion Server only contains the ability to find the shared printer that exists in the copy of each Mac OS X client in the past five years: open-source Common Unix Printing SystemCUPS ), this program can give Mac hosting the ability to share print sequences and simplify the printer pool, but lacks the enterprise-level features of the previous printing server. For example, the CUPS of The Lion Server is not a priority printer in the printer pool or cannot be set for individual users or printers. The user cannot print Open Directory files.