Still alive and kicking but:
"If we were going to worry about the state of the Mac server in 2014, our primary concern would actually be hardware. First they came for the Xserve, and I did not speak out, because Apple was clearly not going anywhere in Windows- and Linux-dominated enterprise-level server rooms. Then they came for the Mac Pro Server, and I did not speak out, for the cheese-grater Mac Pros were far too expensive to be practical for the new home-and-small-business focus of latter-day OS X Server. Then they came for the Mac Mini Server, and there was no one left to speak for it.That is to say, any Mac can be a server, but no Mac is configured to be an especially good one anymore.The 2014 Mini is still probably the best choice, and its lowered power usage is appealing, even if its lack of quad-core processors and mirrored storage options reduce its appeal compared to the purpose-built Mini Server. You'll just need to live with the reduced processing power and be more careful about backing up to external drives (which, granted, are better supported by the new Mini's twin Thunderbolt 2 ports).When the Xserve died, the OS X Server software followed the hardwareit got cheaper and less powerful, but more focused and user-friendly. Yosemite Server is another good release in that vein, and there's no reason for happy Mavericks Server users to stay away. It's still a cheap and relatively easy way to offer basic network services to groups of Macs in homes and small businesses. If necessary, it can still be used alongside Windows and Active Directory to help manage groups of Macs in larger, mostly Windows-oriented IT shops. We just hope that the software doesn't decide to follow Apple's server hardware again and disappear."
That is to say, any Mac can be a server, but no Mac is configured to be an especially good one anymore.
The 2014 Mini is still probably the best choice, and its lowered power usage is appealing, even if its lack of quad-core processors and mirrored storage options reduce its appeal compared to the purpose-built Mini Server. You'll just need to live with the reduced processing power and be more careful about backing up to external drives (which, granted, are better supported by the new Mini's twin Thunderbolt 2 ports).
When the Xserve died, the OS X Server software followed the hardwareit got cheaper and less powerful, but more focused and user-friendly. Yosemite Server is another good release in that vein, and there's no reason for happy Mavericks Server users to stay away. It's still a cheap and relatively easy way to offer basic network services to groups of Macs in homes and small businesses. If necessary, it can still be used alongside Windows and Active Directory to help manage groups of Macs in larger, mostly Windows-oriented IT shops. We just hope that the software doesn't decide to follow Apple's server hardware again and disappear.
(Bewerkt door devman om 10:31, 18-11-2014)
Ik gebruik OSX Server voornamelijk voor de Calendar server, CardDav server, VPN en de TimeMachine Server opties. En nog wat web-page serving. Allemaal dingen die ook best in het standaard OS gebouwd zouden kunnen worden, zonder dat dat in de weg hoeft te zitten.
Zo moest ik de gisteren op een Mavericks server toegang voor een bepaalde gebruiker beperken tot 3 mappen ergens diep in de structuur. Dat is met ServerApp volkomen onmogelijk, waardoor je genoodzaakt bent Terminal te gebruiken.Natuurlijk kun je dat benoemen als 'power user route', ik vind het echter doodzonde dat ServerApp een slap aftreksel is van wat er onder de motorkap allemaal aanwezig is.
Als systeembeheerder heb je het liefst een programma waarin je het meeste op een transparante wijze kunt regelen en monitoren. In uiterste gevallen wil je best naar de command line gaan, maar toch liefst zo weinig mogelijk.
Serieus systeembeheer op het Apple platform moet niet voorbehouden zijn aan mensen met een wetenschappelijke graad.
OS X Server's rate of improvement has slowed in recent years, though Apple is hardly ignoring it. It did get a full Yosemite-style visual overhaul, after all, which suggests that Apple cares about it enough to keep developing it in lockstep with the consumer version of OS X. The continuous addition of features and fixes over the course of the Mountain Lion and Mavericks releases of Server suggests that Yosemite Server will continue on in slow and gradual but still active development.