Mac OS X Leopard Server at WWDC

Apple today previewed Mac OS X Server 10.5 Leopard, the next major release of Apple's UNIX server operating system. Leopard Server, also scheduled to ship in spring 2007, features a new Server Assistant and Server Preference features that allow non-technical users to setup and manage a server "with just a few clicks of a mouse," according to the company. Apple said it Leopard Server will include, for the first time, native 64-bit server applications that take advantage of the increased processing power of 64-bit computing. Other new features include iCal Server to share calendars, schedule meetings and plan events; a wiki server to share and communicate; Spotlight Server to find content on servers; and Podcast Producer to automate Podcast production. It will also feature updated QuickTime Streaming Server, Mail clustering, adaptive firewall technology, and more.

In addition, Leopard Server features a new setup interface with built-in Network Health Check, a new Server Preferences administration interface and automatic client setup support that automatically configures Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard clients to use the server for all essential services, including file and printer sharing, Mail, iCal, iChat, Address Book and backup.

"Leopard Server brings a new level of 64-bit power together with Apple's legendary ease of use in one server operating system," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "Leopard Server is our best Mac OS X Server release yet and includes many new innovative features, such as iCal Server, a wiki server and Spotlight Server, making it ideal for education, small businesses and large enterprises alike, and a great alternative to Windows and Linux servers."

The core services in Leopard Server, including Apache 2, MySQL 5, Postfix, Cyrus, iChat Server and QuickTime Streaming Server, are now 64-bit compatible, allowing users to take full advantage of Apple's 64-bit hardware's performance and processing power. It also brings the ability to work with larger data sets. In addition, Leopard Server is fully 32-bit compatible, allowing it to run 32-bit and 64-bit applications natively side-by-side.

Calendering, Wiki support

The next-generation server will also include a calendar server for users and groups to coordinate events, schedule meetings, reserve resources and use time more effectively. iCal Server uses the open CalDAV standard for integration with leading calendar programs, including iCal 3 in Leopard, Mozilla's Sunbird, OSAF's Chandler and Microsoft Outlook.

Leopard Server also includes a wiki server to allow teams to create and share information through their own shared website; it also provides web-based access to shared resources such as team calendars, weblogs and Podcasts.

Search and Podcast

Apple also said that the new Spotlight Server is the fastest way to search and find content on servers within a network. Designed for workgroups with shared documents, projects and file archives, Spotlight Server works with Leopard clients to deliver fast searches of content stored on mounted volumes across the entire network.

Podcast Producer allows any user to record content, automatically upload it to the server and convert it into a Podcast. Using Xgrid, Podcast Producer can leverage any Mac on the network to encode the video. The Podcast can then be delivered over the Internet or even to multimedia-enabled cell phones over high speed wireless networks using QuickTime Streaming Server.

Leopard Server will also feature Mail Clustering for higher availability and reliability when used with Xsan, Apple's clustered file system for storage area networks. iChat Server 2 will also users to communicate with GoogleTalk and other XMPP instant messaging systems.

QTTSS, Xrid

QuickTime Streaming Server 6 will deliver support for 3GPP Release 6 bit rate adaptation for smooth streaming when delivering content to mobile phones regardless of network congestion and the new Adaptive Firewall technology can actively monitor for attacks and proactively block individual hosts from connecting to the server.

Apple will also include Xgrid 2 technology with GridAnywhere for distributed computing in environments without dedicated controllers and Scoreboard for prioritizing job distribution to the fastest available CPU.

Filed under: enterprise
Other story tags: servers