06/03, 3:35pm
Download would likely cost extra
The Server version of Mac OS X Lion may be a paid add-on for the core OS, a tip to French site HardMac suggests. The person claims to have discovered a Help note in the Lion preview, "Make this Mac a server," which asks Lion owners to "buy the server app from the Mac App Store;" the code is installed to the Applications folder. "The Server app downloads the Server Essentials software package, installs it, and configures this Mac as a server," the note concludes.
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04/14, 5:15pm
Xcode update needed for iOS 4.3.2
Two more software updates have been released by Apple, most importantly Xcode 4.0.2. The update is essential for iOS developers, as it adds compatibility with the new iOS 4.3.2 firmware. It also incorporates an assortment of bugfixes, for example addressing mapping models in Core Data, OpenGL ES apps in iOS Simulator, and LLVM compiler 2.0.
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03/21, 6:55pm
10.6.7 fixes Back to My Mac, Mac App Store
[Updated: added information about special version for 2011 MacBook Pros with Thunderbolt] Apple has flooded its support website with a host of software updates, most prominently Mac OS X 10.6.7. The patch is available in client and server versions; the former is described as making "general operating system fixes" targeting stability, security and compatibility. In particular though it should improve the reliability of Back to My Mac, and quash several bugs in the Mac App Store, as well as an issue affecting file transfers to SMB servers.
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02/24, 10:40am
Includes Profile Manager, local and remote admins
In a switch from a previous approach with Mac OS X, the Server edition of the Lion developer preview is integrated into the client software, Apple has revealed. When carried over to the final version of Lion, the switch should make Server setup easier and potentially cheaper. Selecting Server mode guides users through a configuration process for local and/or remote administration options such as groups, e-mail, calendars and Time Machine.
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01/25, 2:50pm
Contains one known issue
Apple is already seeding a new beta of Mac OS X 10.6.7 Server, notes AppleInsider. The delta is 468.3MB, and unlike today's matching client beta comes with one known issue. In some cases clients may fail to NetBoot from a NetRestore image created with the v10.6.6 version of Server, Apple informs.
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01/06, 10:35am
Solves problem with external displays
Apple has released Mac OS X 10.6.6, an upgrade available through Snow Leopard's Software Update feature. The focus of the patch is almost entirely on adding the Mac App Store client, which lets users quickly buy, install and update Mac software while giving Apple a cut of the revenue. There are in fact few other recorded changes in v10.6.6, limited to one security and two bug fixes.
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11/15, 7:40pm
Earlier version had e-mail delivery bug
The 10.6.5 update for Mac OS X Server, removed earlier today, has been restored with a fix for an e-mail delivery bug found in the original version. The new build, 10H575, fixes a memory aliasing issue introduced in the earlier version in Dovecot's handling of user names, resulting is mail potentially being delivered to the wrong user on machines using Dovecot as a mail server. The issue only affects machines running the earlier-posted version of 10.6.5 Server, and also does not affect the original Dovecot open-source project.
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11/09, 6:00pm
Educator offers "solution" to XServe loss
An Apple Distinguished Educator and University Executive Forum member, Dave Schroeder of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has penned an open letter to Apple CEO Steve Jobs in reaction to the recent announcement of the ending of XServe sales. In it, Schroeder asks Jobs to extend the 2007 loosening of virtualization rules on OS X Server and allow it to be virtualized on non-Apple hardware. Without such a move, says Schroeder, the loss of the XServe will force a transition away from Apple server technologies, which will have "a significant negative impact on many major campus initiatives which impact your products and services, including iOS mobile development, campus-wide lecture capture with Podcast Producer, our iTunes U presence, our campus IP TV network, and … critical services to Apple clients that allow those clients to exist alongside other platforms."
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11/08, 11:55am
Likely not authorized to speak
Eric Zelenka -- Apple's senior worldwide marketing manager for server, storage and management products -- has posted and then deleted a forum message giving a clue to the company's future enterprise plans, reports note. "Apple remains committed to the development of server products, technologies and services," Zelenka wrote at the XSanity forums on Friday. "Today’s [Xserve] announcement does not impact the future of Xsan or server software on Mac OS X."
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06/15, 6:05pm
Unique 10.6.4 patches target new Mac minis
Apple has released Mac OS X 10.6.4, an update long in development for Snow Leopard. The patch fixes several important problems; these include keyboards and trackpads becoming unresponsive, Creative Suite 3 programs failing to launch, and difficulty in copying, renaming or deleting files on SMB servers. Minor bugfixes target fullscreen editing in Aperture and iPhoto, and using Good Quality deinterlacing in DVD Player.
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03/10, 4:05pm
Also boosts Mac OS X Server performance
Parallels has released a new version of Parallels Desktop 5 for the Mac, build 9344. The program is able to run several operating systems virtualized within Mac OS X. The latest build is the first support Google's Chrome OS, which is primarily based on web technologies.
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12/18, 8:55am
Performance, reliability problems addressed
Continuing a series of pre-Christmas updates, Apple has posted Mail Services Update 1.0, a release for Snow Leopard Server. The patch reduces memory consumption, and now allows Mail to recover from a disruption in Directory Services. The file is a 20.6MB download and requires Snow Leopard Server 10.6.2.
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02/02, 1:10pm
San Fran's BART gets Wi-Fi
San Francisco's Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) service should soon see the addition of permanent mobile Wi-Fi access, according to the technology's provider. WiFi Rail says it has a signed a 20-year deal to provide hotspots throughout BART's terminal network, and particularly on all commuter trains, where the only alternative has so far been cellular access. Routers and switches are being provided by Cisco, while servers are slated to run Mac OS X.
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01/13, 4:05pm
AFP server problems
Problems with Mac OS X Server are causing some corporate networks to come to a crawl, complaints from network administrators indicate. The problem is believed to stem specifically from Apple File Protocol, as used by Mac OS X Leopard Server; whereas Leopard typically consumes only a portion of the CPU power on an Xserve, some administrators have noticed quad- and eight-core Xserves becoming non-functional due to AFP activity. CPU burden can become as bad as 800 percent, according to one complaint.
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01/07, 11:25am
Intego releases updates
Intego has released new versions of VirusBarrier Server 2 and VirusBarrier Mail Gateway 2, along with ContentBarrier X5. Virus Barrier 2 and Virus Barrier Mail Gateway add improved scanning and bug fixes. Server 2 scans every file that is copied to the Mac OS X server it protects, and scans all files that are launched on the server. If it finds a virus, it quarantines the file or files, and sends logs to administrators alerting them of the activity. VirusBarrier Server 2 can also be set to run scheduled scans of local and network volumes. It requires Mac OS X (Server) 10.4 or higher and is now available starting at $300.
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12/15, 2:05pm
Mac OS X 10.5.6 security
Fresh after announcing the general changes in Mac OS X 10.5.6, Apple has posted a list of the security updates present in the new code. The company has for instance addressed several possible Trojan attacks, launched through images, PDF documents, CPIO archives, ISO files and web cookies. Similarly, Apple has expanded the list of potentially unsafe file types which will trigger Mac OS' Download Validation feature.
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07/29, 12:20pm
Apple slow on DNS bug
Apple has taken an unreasonable amount of time in fixing a DNS bug within Mac OS X, according to security consultant Rich Mogull. The bug in BIND (Berkeley Internet Name Domain) -- which has public code available for a security exploit -- was discovered in February by researcher Dan Kaminsky, and a month later, groups such as Cisco and Microsoft met to determine how to fix it. While BIND was only patched on July 8th, Apple has still had weeks to incorporate this into Mac OS, says Mogull.
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