Apple Releases Server Admin Tools 10.6.4

[MacRumors]

Apple yesterday released Server Admin Tools 10.6.4, updating its suite of applications for remote administration of Snow Leopard Server systems.

The Server Admin Tools update is recommended for remote administration of Snow Leopard Server. This update includes the latest releases of:

- iCal Server Utility
- Podcast Composer
- Server Admin
- Server Monitor
- Server Preferences
- System Image Utility
- Workgroup Manager
- Xgrid Admin

Based on Apple's support document associated with the release, this update primarily appears to deliver filters for Apple's latest MacBook and MacBook Pro models. The update weighs in at 241.34 MB and requires Mac OS X 10.6.4.

Article Link: Apple Releases Server Admin Tools 10.6.4

 

[mingoglia]

I guess most on this forum just play with their silly iPhones all day. This thread is actually some REAL news and these usually forgotten tools are the building blocks for getting OSX more and more in the corporate world.

 

[314631]

OS X will never get much of a footing in the corporate world. Apple is not enterprise focused in any shape or form. For me that's the big, healthy difference between what Microsoft and Apple do. Apple focuses on delivering great consumer experiences, and Microsoft pays most attention to delivering what its corporate customers want.

 

[lazyrighteye]

OS X will never get much of a footing in the corporate world. Apple is not enterprise focused in any shape or form. For me that's the big, healthy difference between what Microsoft and Apple do. Apple focuses on delivering great consumer experiences, and Microsoft pays most attention to delivering what its corporate customers want.

Agreed. And the more it stays that way, the better for the Mac user.

That said, we are watching the influx of Apple computers in our company rise. Creatives have always been Mac. But now, Execs are starting to request Macs. The CEO requested (at the time) the highest end Mac Pro. The only software added? MS Office. True story.

This corporate transition can be 100% attributed to when the execs all dropped their Crackberry's in favor of iPhones.

So while Apple is definitely consumer focused, this will (is!) eventually trickle into Corp America as Execs begin demanding the same experience they get from their iPhones and home Macs. The halo effect is very alive, very well and very real.

Prediction: IT department head counts shrink as there will be less work needed in more stable all-Mac environments.

 

[Manderby]

Prediction: IT department head counts shrink as there will be less work needed in more stable all-Mac environments.

Blasphemie! How can you claim that Mac environments are more stable

Seriously. Macs are around in business. If this is from the iPhone halo or from something else, who knows. Mac environments seem to be less work to maintain which makes the higher price worth it. The only problem is that also the boss will argue so and send more and more people from IT to hell. This is sad. Be aware of that and be prepared.

 

[alent1234]

Agreed. And the more it stays that way, the better for the Mac user.

That said, we are watching the influx of Apple computers in our company rise. Creatives have always been Mac. But now, Execs are starting to request Macs. The CEO requested (at the time) the highest end Mac Pro. The only software added? MS Office. True story.

This corporate transition can be 100% attributed to when the execs all dropped their Crackberry's in favor of iPhones.

So while Apple is definitely consumer focused, this will (is!) eventually trickle into Corp America as Execs begin demanding the same experience they get from their iPhones and home Macs. The halo effect is very alive, very well and very real.

Prediction: IT department head counts shrink as there will be less work needed in more stable all-Mac environments.

execs can request anything they want since they control the check book. when the CSR's get iMac's then i'll believe that Apple has a chance in the corporate world.

i just got a new laptop from my employer and a 13" MBP was considered too expensive. my new Lenovo was just over $700. runs itunes a lot better than my old one. apple has a long way to go to even match HP's server offerings

 

[rwilliams]

We're seeing more Macs pop up around the college where I do network administration. I switched from a Lenovo desktop running Windows XP to a spare iMac that we had just collecting dust earlier this year because I was so tired of the ancient XP and had started using my personal MacBook as my work machine. But I highly doubt that we'll ever see Macs become the dominant machine on campus. We give all of our students laptops when they begin their freshman year, and again before the start of their junior year, and we've evaluated MacBooks every year, and in the end, we end up going with Thinkpads or Dell machines because of the cost.

We also have one Snow Leopard Server in production, so these updated Server Admin tools are greatly appreciated. However, we are heavily invested in Linux and Windows server software, and will likely never become an OS X Server company.

 

[guzhogi]

Blasphemie! How can you claim that Mac environments are more stable

Seriously. Macs are around in business. If this is from the iPhone halo or from something else, who knows. Mac environments seem to be less work to maintain which makes the higher price worth it. The only problem is that also the boss will argue so and send more and more people from IT to hell. This is sad. Be aware of that and be prepared.

I work in the IT department of an all Mac school district (minus a few PCs for Windows-only apps). I can tell you, Macs are far from perfectly stable & usable. We use mobile homes for teacher & student accounts. You won't believe how many students a day I get because of lost files. While some of it is human error (kids not logging out correctly, poor setup of the computers, etc.), there are a lot of bugs in the Mac OS.

We're seeing more Macs pop up around the college where I do network administration. I switched from a Lenovo desktop running Windows XP to a spare iMac that we had just collecting dust earlier this year because I was so tired of the ancient XP and had started using my personal MacBook as my work machine. But I highly doubt that we'll ever see Macs become the dominant machine on campus. We give all of our students laptops when they begin their freshman year, and again before the start of their junior year, and we've evaluated MacBooks every year, and in the end, we end up going with Thinkpads or Dell machines because of the cost.

Besides, right now, Macs have a certain "security through obscurity." Not many people use them compared to Windows. This means people aren't really targeting Macs for malicious reasons so it's hard to say how stable a Mac is compared to Windows.

We also have one Snow Leopard Server in production, so these updated Server Admin tools are greatly appreciated. However, we are heavily invested in Linux and Windows server software, and will likely never become an OS X Server company.

Every year or so, the IT department in my school district sends out a survey asking teachers about the computer systems. There's always at least one person who says we should switch to Windows. Being a 99.9% Mac district (a few PCs for some buildings & grounds apps, one computerized testing app among various other things), the cost of switching would be very prohibitive. While we could install Windows on our current Macs, even the cost of buying all new software is still expensive. However, after that initial big purchase, new PCs are generally cheaper than Macs, yet may not get the same experience.

One reason why people want us to switch to Windows is because "that's what they're going to be using." My district teaches 5-14 year olds. Can you definitely tell me that in 4-13+ years from now, when these kids reach college/the workforce, Windows will still be the main OS? I can see wanting to prepare kids for real life, but I also feel we should have the kids learn how to be adaptable. Plus, this "we should only use Windows" stance kinda sends the message "it's not OK to be different." I have a problem with that. I don't have time to get into depth right now so I'll try to come back later.

 

[alent1234]

Mac's have a lot of strengths especially the ability to do things from the command line that teach kids what really happens when you press a button in the GUI.

but Windows is not going away unless Apple drops prices. iPads and iPhones still need a computer and most people don't want to spend anything close to what Apple charges. even if the price is comparable to the same specs of a Wintel machine, they don't care that iMac's have IPS screens. or that MacBook Pro's get 10 hours of battery.

for corporate use iPads and iPhones are OK. but Mac's are not due to Apple's 3 year support policy. Microsoft's policy is 7-10 years

 

[Mattie Num Nums]

Mac's have a lot of strengths especially the ability to do things from the command line that teach kids what really happens when you press a button in the GUI.

but Windows is not going away unless Apple drops prices. iPads and iPhones still need a computer and most people don't want to spend anything close to what Apple charges. even if the price is comparable to the same specs of a Wintel machine, they don't care that iMac's have IPS screens. or that MacBook Pro's get 10 hours of battery.

for corporate use iPads and iPhones are OK. but Mac's are not due to Apple's 3 year support policy. Microsoft's policy is 7-10 years

It also comes down to infrastructure. Apple throws you XSERVE and calls it a day. Thats not enough. Microsoft offers a solutions for just about everything.

 

[twoodcc]

it's nice to read about what others think and experience with macs in the corporate world. i do hope that macs become more popular, and that apple will put more focus on the server market. i know windows and linux will never go away from that market, but it would be nice if apple tried a little harder

 

[MorphingDragon]

Agreed. And the more it stays that way, the better for the Mac user.

That said, we are watching the influx of Apple computers in our company rise. Creatives have always been Mac. But now, Execs are starting to request Macs. The CEO requested (at the time) the highest end Mac Pro. The only software added? MS Office. True story.

This corporate transition can be 100% attributed to when the execs all dropped their Crackberry's in favor of iPhones.

So while Apple is definitely consumer focused, this will (is!) eventually trickle into Corp America as Execs begin demanding the same experience they get from their iPhones and home Macs. The halo effect is very alive, very well and very real.

Prediction: IT department head counts shrink as there will be less work needed in more stable all-Mac environments.

Gah, we have one partner that is stopping me from introducing macs proper into our workflow.

It also comes down to infrastructure. Apple throws you XSERVE and calls it a day. Thats not enough. Microsoft offers a solutions for just about everything.

Too bad most of those solutions suck and you end up using 3rd party software anyway.

 

[ciaran00]

I don't see this in software update on my mac mini server.

Am I missing something?

 

[Shiko]

I don't see this in software update on my mac mini server.

Am I missing something?

I haven't seen this come through our xserves either. Seems odd.

 

[mBox]

I haven't seen this come through our xserves either. Seems odd.

Hmmm I wonder if this is the cause of my lost connection with xserve.local via Server Admin?
This happened after I did an update on Xserve.

 

[mBox]

Hmmm I wonder if this is the cause of my lost connection with xserve.local via Server Admin?
This happened after I did an update on Xserve.

Strange after a few reboots the xserve.local starts working. Oh well...

 

[fivenotrump]

only for clients

This update isn't needed on machines running Mac OS X Server. The stuff is part of the 10.6.4 server update. It is needed for machines running [non-server] 10.6 that are used for managing machines running Mac OS X Server.