Mac OS X Server is based on an
open source foundation called
Darwin and uses open industry standards and protocols. Mac OS X Server was provided as the operating system for
Xserve computers, and
rack-mounted server computers designed by Apple. It was optionally
pre-installed on the
Mac Mini and
Mac Pro and was sold separately for use on any
Macintosh computer meeting its minimum requirements.
Mac OS X Server 1.0 (Rhapsody) Mac OS X Server 1.0 was released in March 1999, predating the release of the consumer version of Mac OS X by two years. Mac OS X Server 1.0 was based on
Rhapsody, a hybrid of
OPENSTEP from NeXT Computer and
Mac OS 8.5.1. The
GUI looked like a mixture of Mac OS 8's Platinum appearance with OPENSTEP's
NeXT-based interface. It included a runtime layer called Blue Box for running legacy Mac OS-based applications within a separate window. There was discussion of implementing a 'transparent blue box' which would intermix Mac OS applications with those written for Rhapsody's Yellow Box environment, but this would not happen until
Mac OS X's Classic environment. Apple File Services, Macintosh Manager, QuickTime Streaming Server,
WebObjects, and
NetBoot were included with Mac OS X Server 1.0. It could not use
FireWire devices. The last release is Mac OS X Server 1.2v3.
Mac OS X Server 10.0 (Cheetah) Mac OS X Server 10.0 (released May 21, 2001) included the new
Aqua user interface,
Apache,
PHP,
MySQL,
Tomcat,
WebDAV support, Macintosh Manager, and
NetBoot.
Mac OS X Server 10.1 (Puma) Mac OS X Server 10.1 (released September 25, 2001) featured improved performance, increased system stability, and decreased file transfer times compared to Mac OS X Server 10.0. Support was added for RAID 0 and RAID 1 storage configurations, and Mac OS 9.2.1 in NetBoot.
Mac OS X Server 10.2 (Jaguar) Mac OS X Server 10.2 (released August 23, 2002) includes updated
Open Directory user and file management, which with this release is based on
LDAP, beginning the deprecation of the NeXT-originated
NetInfo architecture. The new Workgroup Manager interface improved configuration significantly. The release also saw major updates to
NetBoot and
NetInstall. Many common network services are provided such as
NTP,
SNMP, web server (
Apache), mail server (
Postfix and
Cyrus), LDAP (
OpenLDAP),
AFP, and print server. The inclusion of
Samba version 3 allows tight integration with
Windows clients and servers.
MySQL v4.0.16 and
PHP v4.3.7 are also included.
Mac OS X Server 10.3 (Panther) Mac OS X Server 10.3 (released October 24, 2003) release includes updated
Open Directory user and file management, which with this release is based on
LDAP, beginning the deprecation of the NeXT-originated
NetInfo architecture. The new Workgroup Manager interface improved configuration significantly. Many common network services are provided such as NTP, SNMP, web server (
Apache), mail server (
Postfix and
Cyrus), LDAP (
OpenLDAP),
AFP, and print server. The inclusion of
Samba version 3 allows tight integration with
Windows clients and servers.
MySQL v4.0.16 and
PHP v4.3.7 are also included.
Mac OS X Server 10.4 (Tiger) The 10.4 release (April 29, 2005) adds
64-bit application support,
Access Control Lists,
Xgrid,
link aggregation,
e-mail spam filtering (
SpamAssassin), virus detection (
ClamAV), Gateway Setup Assistant, and servers for
Software Update,
iChat Server using
XMPP, Boot Camp Assistant, Dashboard, and Weblog Server based on the open-source
Blojsom project (
Java). On August 10, 2006, Apple announced the first
Universal Binary release of Mac OS X Server, version 10.4.7, supporting both PowerPC and Intel processors. At the same time Apple announced the release of the Intel-based
Mac Pro and
Xserve systems.
Mac OS X Server 10.5 (Leopard) Leopard Server (released October 26, 2007) sold for $999 for an unlimited-client license. Mac OS X Server version 10.5.x ‘Leopard’ was the last major version of Mac OS X Server to support
PowerPC-based servers and workstations, such as the Apple
Xserve G5 and
Power Mac G5.
Features: •
RADIUS Server. Leopard Server includes
FreeRADIUS for network authentication. It ships with support for wireless access stations however can be modified into a fully functioning FreeRADIUS server. •
Ruby on Rails. Mac OS X Server version 10.5 ‘Leopard’ was the first version to ship with
Ruby on Rails, the
server-side Web application framework used by sites such as
GitHub.
Mac OS X Server 10.6 (Snow Leopard) Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server (released August 28, 2009) sold for $499 and included unlimited client licenses. •
iCal Server 2 with improved
CalDAV support, a new web calendaring application, push notifications and the ability to send email invitations to non-iCal users. •
Address Book Server provides a central location for users to store and access personal contacts across multiple Macs and synchronized iPhones. Based on the
CardDAV protocol standard. •
Wiki Server 2, with server side
Quick Look and the ability to view wiki content on iPhone. • A new
Mail server engine that supports push email so users receive immediate access to new messages. However, Apple's implementation of push email is not supported for Apple's iPhone. • Podcast Producer 2 with dual-source video support. Also includes a new Podcast Composer application to automate the production process, making it simple to create podcasts with a customized, consistent look and feel. Podcast Composer creates a workflow to add titles, transitions and effects, save to a desired format and share to wikis, blogs,
iTunes,
iTunes U,
Final Cut Server or Podcast Library. • Mobile Access Server enables iPhone and Mac users to access secured network services, including corporate websites, online business applications, email, calendars and contacts. Without requiring additional software, Mobile Access Server acts as a reverse proxy server and provides SSL encryption and authentication between the user's iPhone or Mac and a private network.
Server app (From Mac OS X Lion to Mac OS X Sierra) In releasing the developer preview of
Mac OS X Lion in February 2011, Apple indicated that beginning with Lion, Mac OS X Server would be bundled with the operating system and would not be marketed as a separate product. However, a few months later, the company said it would instead sell the server components as a
US$49.99 add-on to Lion, distributed through the
Mac App Store (as well as Lion itself). The combined cost of an upgrade to Lion and the purchase of the OS X Server add-on, which costs approximately US$50, More significantly, Lion Server can be used for iOS mobile device management. Starting with Lion,
PostgreSQL replaced
MySQL as the database provided, coinciding with
Oracle Corporation’s acquisition of
Sun Microsystems and Oracle’s subsequent attempts to tighten MySQL’s licensing restrictions and to exert influence on MySQL’s previously open and independent development model. Like Lion, Mountain Lion had no separate server edition. An OS X Server package was available for Mountain Lion from the Mac App Store for US$19.99, which included a server management application called Server, as well as other additional administrative tools to manage client profiles and
Xsan. Mountain Lion Server, like Lion Server, was provided with unlimited client licenses, and once purchased could be run on an unlimited number of systems. Server 5.7 (released September 28, 2018) stopped bundling open source services such as Calendar Server, Contacts Server, the Mail Server, DNS, DHCP, VPN Server, and Websites. Included services are now limited to Profile Manager, Open Directory and Xsan. Server 5.8 (released March 25, 2019) added new restrictions, payloads, and commands to Profile Manager. The Server app does not support versions of macOS newer than Monterey, marking the end of Mac OS X Server product line. ==Bundled applications==