[bovie]

Hi, I just bought a copy of Mac OS X server 10.3 to put on my 400Mhz Sawtooth that has been upgraded to 1.25Ghz. By day I am a windows 2000 server admin. But about a year ago I bought a used 400mhz sawtooth and a couple of month's ago I bought a 1.25Ghz upgrade chip for it. After becoming a SWITCHER I when out and bought a 12in 1Ghz Powerbook and would now like to switch my Windows 2000 network and Microsoft exchange server to OSX server running on my sawtooth. I have taken a lot of crap at work for buying a Powerbook G4 but I know if OS X server is as good as OS X is I will be a happy person.
Well do any of you use OS X Server? Do you have any suggestions? Do you use the Mail server and webmail? is it any good?

Thanks

[Nyuni]

I'm a Win2k/UNIX sysadmin currently in the process of phasing out our Windows 2000 based servers in favor of MacOS X Server based solutions for domain control, file serving, and email for a corporate office network of about 100 clients.

We made the decision to switch based on several considerations, including cost, security, and overall maintenence required for the solution compared to Win2k based solutions for our needs (The OS X-based solutions came out on top given these considerations.) We also needed systems and servers that we could make interoperate with each other. Open solutions (such as those bundled into OS X Server) foster that, while Win2k Server and the proprietary server software the admin prior to me had bought into do not.

Most, if not all, of the functions included as easily configurable modules in OS X Server can be replicated using OS X Client or any flavor of UNIX you can shake a stick at. The key with OS X is its highly graphical configuration of these services, allowing even a non-UNIX savvy user to get themselves up and running quickly. (Caveat: Sometimes the graphical utilities are -too- limiting, but this shouldn't be the case for a setup without any sort of complex needs.)

Webmail is provided by the bundled SquirrelMail project, which you can check out at http://www.squirrelmail.org/ for more info on that.

Bottom line? I think from a background in Win2k systems administration, you will find OS X server to be quite a breath of fresh air. I highly reccomend reading through all the documentation available for OS X Server on the Apple OS X Server website, it will provide you with a wealth of information.

Have fun and Good luck!

[bovie]

Thank you for the response!

The big reason I am changing at home is the fact that I deal with microsoft crap all day at work and like using a computer at home that works really good. OS X has done that for me sofar on the workstation side. On the server side I am using a Windows 2000 server and a redhat 9 server. Redhat is nice but it is still a little to hard to configure for me. So I think that OS X server is the correct Server OS for me.

[si_lance]

Welcome to the light side. As you become more friendly with OS X, I suggest reading up on the underlying open technologies like postfix, smtp, imap, ldap, and the like. I think you'll find it more pleasant being a unix admin without things crashing or needing rebooting all around you. I was a NT admin, but a Redhat box, a CS degree, and a hatred of M$ (after the work experience) has made me quite unix savvy now. I'm not a unix admin, but I am a unix software engineer using Java on Solaris, Linux, and OS X. I'll never look back.

[bovie]

Thanks again for the response. I have one more Q.

Here is my system specs that will run the Server.
Sawtooth 400Mhz G4 replaced with a Giga 1.3Ghz G4 Upgrade Chip
512MB PC-100 RAM
2 120GB 7200RPM 8MB WD's for the Harddrive
Yamaha 16*10*40 CD-RW
Radeon 8500 64MB Video Card

This is replacing a 2.4GHZ P4 with 512MB Ram and a 60GB HD I built my self running Windows 2000 Server.

The 2.4 was 100% rock solid stable running WIN2k but, I got all the updates and 2 a week checked the error log. It ran Exchange server 2000. Except for the power outages, (THANK GOD SANTA gave me a UPS for x-mas) Things ran smoothly.

I expect no less from the G4, I expect near 100% uptime and about the same speed serving up files. I bought the 2 new harddrives so I could set up a RAID 1 (MIRROR). I think os x can do a software raid 1? Just to protect against drive failure. So there you have it I have OS X server 10 user and 2 120GB HD's on the way.

Here come the question's.
1) Will OS X Server do a raid 1 (mirror) of two identacal HD's in the computer one as master one as slave.
2) Even though It is the 10 user version I can have like 100 e-mail accouts and have people get them get the e-mail from the web or IMAP, or Web mail?
3) Can I leave a ton of e-mail on the server like Exchange server and just use IMAP to get to it. That way my e-mail is save because it is on a RAID?
4) is the 10 users like Windows were you it is just active file transfers or browsers.

[bovie]

Sorry hit enter too fast

5) I think I should beable to set up DNS and DHCP just like on a windows 200 box.

6) Is it hard to set up a domain and have windows computer logon to the domain just like a Windows 2000 domain?

7) Last Q? is there any good Panther Server admin books. I have to Microsoft ones for Windows 2000 and find them very good things to have when I have to fix a problem.

Thanks again and I hope Santa treated you all well.

[si_lance]

I'm not a OS X Server admin, but I can answer a few of your questions...
1) It should be able to do a simple RAID 1 (mirroring) although I don't have any directions on how to do so.
2) You should be able to make virtual users using software like vpopmail (which supports imap via plug-in). I use Linux and qmail for mail so I don't know exactly what the corresponding OS X software is. Someone please jump in.
3) If Linux can OS X should be able to also using /var as the mail directory
4) Cannot answer as I don't have OS X Server see end of remark 2.
5) DNS and DHCP from OS X Server is used on a friend of mine's network. Which reminds me I can ask him about 1, 2, and 4.
6) Samba is very good at centralizing windows administration.
7) O'Reilly has Essential System Administration which also covers OS X, and there is Mac OS X for Unix Geeks, but I'm sure there are more sysadmin books on OS X Server specifically.

Sorry to be somewhat vague, but I use Linux as a server more than OS X, but I have this theory:
BSD can do virtually anything Linux can do and OS X is well ... BSD. Keep up the good knowledge pursuit. Season's Greetings.

[geekwagon]

Originally posted by bovie:
Thanks again for the response. I have one more Q.

Here is my system specs that will run the Server.
Sawtooth 400Mhz G4 replaced with a Giga 1.3Ghz G4 Upgrade Chip
512MB PC-100 RAM
2 120GB 7200RPM 8MB WD's for the Harddrive
Yamaha 16*10*40 CD-RW
Radeon 8500 64MB Video Card

This is replacing a 2.4GHZ P4 with 512MB Ram and a 60GB HD I built my self running Windows 2000 Server.

Should be just fine. Esp if you are running 10/100. Gigabit could take advantage of a faster disk controller than your Sawtooth comes with. Be sure to put both disks on different IDE busses or your mirror will perform really bad.

Here come the question's.
1) Will OS X Server do a raid 1 (mirror) of two identacal HD's in the computer one as master one as slave.

Yes, but you can't boot off of it. You will need a third hard drive to hold the OS, or I think you can mirror partitions rather than whole drives so you could install the OS on part of one of the drives and mirror the rest.

3) Can I leave a ton of e-mail on the server like Exchange server and just use IMAP to get to it. That way my e-mail is save because it is on a RAID?

I haven't done this with OS X server specifically, so I don't know how good Apple's admin tools are for this. But, I have done this a lot using the same tools apple is using (Postfix and I think they are using Cyrus IMAPD) and it works just fine.

4) is the 10 users like Windows were you it is just active file transfers or browsers.

It is only the AFP connections to the server, not even the SMB connections.

5) I think I should beable to set up DNS and DHCP just like on a windows 200 box.

Panther's DNS tool isn't quite as fancy as 2k's but it works just fine. You should have no trouble with either of these things, and if worse comes to worse they are the exact same tools that everyone else in the Unix world uses (bind and dhcpd)

6) Is it hard to set up a domain and have windows computer logon to the domain just like a Windows 2000 domain?

I've been meaning to try this, so I dunno. I know it does it, I just haven't set it up.

7) Last Q? is there any good Panther Server admin books. I have to Microsoft ones for Windows 2000 and find them very good things to have when I have to fix a problem.

Not that I have found. Go to the Documentation link from the OS X Server page on Apple's site and you can download all the manuals there. They aren't that great though.

[si_lance]

RAID tool for OSX:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=120240

this says it's an Xserve tool but it's Hardware requirements says: Mac OSX Compatible Computer.

what he recommended from above:
http://www.apple.com/server/resources/

by the way the mail pdf shows that you can allow like 100 imap connections and store mail on a RAID (they use a mounted XServe volume as an example: /Volume/XServeRAID/var/spool/mail). Just FYI.

[CatOne]

A couple comments:

1) You can do software RAID 1. And you can boot off it. The main limitation is you cannot do "online rebuilds." If a drive fails, you must boot up in disk utility and rebuild the mirror. That means the machine is offline for 3 or 4 hours.

For books on OS X Server, I would recommend taking Apple's "OS X Server Administration & Integration." It truly is the way to learn everything the best. Problem is, it takes a week and costs about $2K. But over "learn on your own" books you'll know LOTS more and find out all sorts of cool tricks, to boot.

[bovie]

Is there a PCI Card I should get that would be better than running software raid???

[bovie]

Thanks again for the reply's. About the RAID card question is there a card out there for UNDER $100 that I can boot off of. I guess I can use the current 30GB Harddrive that is in the computer boot off of that and buy a raid card or a PCI card that add's 2 extra IDE bus's and run the raid off that.

[bovie]

It is only the AFP connections to the server, not even the SMB connections.

If this is True that will make me really happy because I only have one other mac and two PC's.

For the raid card again I was thinking about the PROMISE FASTTRAK TX2000 for raid or for extra IDE I was thinking about the PROMISE ULTRA100 TX2. Any buddy use these with a mac?

[geekwagon]

Originally posted by CatOne:
A couple comments:

1) You can do software RAID 1. And you can boot off it. The main limitation is you cannot do "online rebuilds." If a drive fails, you must boot up in disk utility and rebuild the mirror. That means the machine is offline for 3 or 4 hours.

Hmm. I was basing this on the recollection that everybody who tried this when Panther came out reported that it would install onto the RAID set but they would get a kernel panic immediately upon first boot on anything but an XServe. Obviously, this could be fixed in 10.3.2.

A hardware raid card is going to be much better than software RAID but I don't have any experience with any of the RAID cards on OS X. I am forced to stick with a linux server for now as I don't want to spend $100 for RAID Toolkit from FWB to get ATA RAID 5 in software. I wouldn't mind spending $300 for one of the hardware RAID 5 cards, but none of them seem to have OS X drivers.

BTW, si_lance, that tool you linked too is for the XServe RAID which is a piece of software that controls it's onboard hardware RAID controller. It won't do anything unless you have an XServe RAID (which is a piece of hardware that holds ATA disks and attaches via fibre channel to a host.)

[bovie]

I wish I could afford a Xserv or a Xserv RAID.

[si_lance]

Originally posted by geekwagon:

BTW, si_lance, that tool you linked too is for the XServe RAID which is a piece of software that controls it's onboard hardware RAID controller. It won't do anything unless you have an XServe RAID (which is a piece of hardware that holds ATA disks and attaches via fibre channel to a host.)

my bad dude.

[geekwagon]

Originally posted by bovie:
I wish I could afford a Xserv or a Xserv RAID.

Me too