Apple to Deprecate Raft of Essential Services in macOS Server This Spring

[MacRumors]

Apple is deprecating a significant portion of essential network services included in macOS Server this year, as outlined in a published support statement titled "Prepare for changes to macOS Server". Apple's note reads:

macOS Server is changing to focus more on management of computers, devices, and storage on your network. As a result, some changes are coming in how Server works. A number of services will be deprecated, and will be hidden on new installations of an update to macOS Server coming in spring 2018.

The note goes on to list a series of deprecated services that will be removed in a future release of macOS Server, including calendar and contact support, Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), Domain Name Services (DNS), mail, instant messages, virtual private networking (VPN), NetInstall, Web server, and the Wiki.

Apple assures users who have already configured any of the listed services that they will be able to use them in the spring 2018 macOS Server update, but the statement signs off by linking to a number of alternative services, including hosted services, that macOS Server users should consider as viable replacements to the features it is killing off.

Apple halted its presence in the server hardware space back in 2010, when Steve Jobs announced the company was ending its line of Xserve rackmount servers, which were first introduced in May, 2002. At the time, the two alternative server solutions to Xserve that Apple offered included the Mac Pro with Snow Leopard Server and the Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server.

Today, macOS Server version 5.5 retails for $19.99 on the App Store, as an addition to the standard desktop version of macOS High Sierra.

(Thanks, Ankush!)

Article Link: Apple to Deprecate Raft of Essential Services in macOS Server This Spring

 

[StrangeNoises]

In short, install Linux, where most of these alternatives are included as part of the distribution. Running them on macOS isn't going to be any friendlier, which was always the only point in Server, and in fact probably less so. In any case, "install linux" is usually the best answer to what to do with Macs that Apple deem "obsolete" and which can't run the latest MacOS. cf: my 2005 G4 Mac Mini still running the latest Ubuntu... (Although sadly it's slower than a Raspbery Pi...)

 

[JosephAW]

If it's being discontinued about about releasing OS X / MacOS Server as a free download from 10.4 through Current release.

 

[Glmnet1]

A server without all these services seem pretty useless to me. One could still install alternative software on the Terminal but then why not simply use a Linux distribution.

Are the features for the "management of computers, devices, and storage on your network" really useful on macOS Server?

 

[obitow]

Linux has been the best option for these for quite some time anyway.

 

[darkarn]

Today I learnt that there is a server version of OS X #justlinuxserverthings

 

[cogitodexter]

Oh this is ridiculous!

Bang goes my mac mini based web server and now I have to invest a fortune in other hardware so I can run Windows Server which I don't want to do. Does Apple *WANT* to alienate its professional users?

 

[LotusLord]

I'm not terribly surprised. I don't know anyone using these components especially as hardware likely used for these functions ages. We have 2 Mac Minis in our company right now used to cache iOS software. I really wish they'd move or allow that function on a Windows box. I'd dedicate a VM in every one of our offices for it.
[doublepost=1517316305][/doublepost]

Oh this is ridiculous!

Bang goes my mac mini based web server and now I have to invest a fortune in other hardware so I can run Windows Server which I don't want to do. Does Apple *WANT* to alienate its professional users?

Not exactly. If you're running it now it'll remain. They are just alerting you that at some point soon it won't work on new systems. You could get an Intel Nuc and put a linux distro on it for a web server. It'd be cheaper and more powerful than a Mini.

 

[fastasleep]

I'm not terribly surprised. I don't know anyone using these components especially as hardware likely used for these functions ages. We have 2 Mac Minis in our company right now used to cache iOS software. I really wish they'd move or allow that function on a Windows box. I'd dedicate a VM in every one of our offices for it.

They moved the Caching Server function to the regular System Preferences — you can run it on any Mac in your network.

 

[JosephAW]

Having various files servers and web servers since Mac 8.1 and now running Linux command line servers, yes Linux LAMP servers and bacula backups work okay but there always something nice about being able to create a full backup of a live mounted volume using disk utility, time machine or super duper/ccc without having to boot from another Linux EXT4 volume to create a complete recoverable backup image.
HFS+ makes it so much faster to restore a working system or move to another box without having all kinds of wonky permission problems from overwriting Linux passwd files in a restore.

 

[maflynn]

Oh this is ridiculous!

Why?

Apple is a consumer focused company. They've long dropped their enterprise hardware offerings, and it makes sense to start deprecating server components and streamline macOS for the consumer.

 

[friednoodles]

They moved the Caching Server function to the regular System Preferences — you can run it on any Mac in your network.

Yep, several of the Apple-specific functions that were previously exclusive to Server are now included in standard macOS as of High Sierra.

The rest, which are just repackages of the original open source projects, Apple is removing itself as a middle manager of. This means that instead of Server bundling a bunch of generic network services that can be installed from more up-to-date sources anyway, Apple is focusing its work on Server specifically for business device management features, storage, etc.

Makes sense really.

 

[JosephAW]

I'm surprised that AFP file sharing wasn't in that list.
All this dumbing down of the features in MacOS is preparing us for the elimination of the x86 chipset to the A12x MacOS. They don't want to have to continue development of these services on their new Macs.

 

[2013.1]

I use print server, calendar, contact support, mail, virtual private networking (VPN). The only services I considered dropping were the file server and webdav.

I wanted to upgrade and update all of that with the next mac mini ...

I really don't want to store my (families) customer contacts and (medical) appointments in iCloud.

So we will have to somehow unhide this features.

 

[Xenc]

Oh this is ridiculous!

Bang goes my mac mini based web server and now I have to invest a fortune in other hardware so I can run Windows Server which I don't want to do. Does Apple *WANT* to alienate its professional users?

I’m not saying Apple removing these services is necessarily a good thing, but surely that’s an overreaction? You could replace most of the items on that list within a half hour.

 

[CarlJ]

At WWDC: "And now onto macOS Server: this year, we've made it thinner than ever before! You're welcome!"

 

[chrfr]

I'm surprised that AFP file sharing wasn't in that list.

Apple has already warned that AFP is deprecated, and it is incompatible with APFS volumes.
https://developer.apple.com/library...Management/Conceptual/APFS_Guide/FAQ/FAQ.html

File sharing settings are, except for setting permissions, removed from the Server app.

 

[drewsof07]

A server without all these services seem pretty useless to me. One could still install alternative software on the Terminal but then why not simply use a Linux distribution.

Are the features for the "management of computers, devices, and storage on your network" really useful on macOS Server?

When you're selling all the devices that need to be managed, yes. And your goal is to sell more of them.

 

[David Andel]

Linux has been the best option for these for quite some time anyway.

Well, no.

Apparently nobody of you ever uses them as none come with APN (Apple Push Notifications) for iOS devices. Of course every kind of "out of the box" CalDAV, CardDAV, Postfix/Dovecot etc. does the trick for everything else – but iOS. So Linux is no option if you do not want to leave the platform or are not interested in instantly announced e-mails etc.

AFAIK Kerio Connect would do the trick on the mail/calendar/address book side but is really really expensive. An alternative could also be Synology MailPlus for those of us using compatible Synology DiskStations but again, this comes without push notifications if you do NOT use their proper mail client. And if you do use their iOS etc. mail client, you’re losing the S/MIME functionality for encrypting your contents, cannot even change the mail sound etc.

Again: many thanks, Apple!

 

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

Oh this is ridiculous!

Bang goes my mac mini based web server and now I have to invest a fortune in other hardware so I can run Windows Server which I don't want to do. Does Apple *WANT* to alienate its professional users?

You're incapable of installing free, open source web server software? If you can't do that, maybe you should't be running your own site. It's very simple.

Apple knows how few use macOS Server. They see that it's not worth the investment to keep it going. Those that need the features it offers can install all of the things listed themselves. Every one of them are free.

 

[GaryMumford]

I've used OS X Server as my Web Server for many years. A very sad day!
I don't intend replacing the hardware, so I'll MAMP it up instead.

 

[2013.1]

I use this since before iphone and wanted to prepare for the next decade of apple server ... now I look pretty stupid ...

 

[David Andel]

Those that need the features it offers can install all of the things listed themselves. Every one of them are free.

No.

 

[chrfr]

What isn't clear from Apple's document, and none of the reporting has done any investigation on this other than to rehash Apple's skimpy document, is whether or not the underlying services will remain in the base macOS.

 

[vmistery]

Oh this is ridiculous!

Bang goes my mac mini based web server and now I have to invest a fortune in other hardware so I can run Windows Server which I don't want to do. Does Apple *WANT* to alienate its professional users?

You can run Windows server on pretty trim resources in core these days so you don’t need anything expensive. You don’t really even need to run windows server either, it might even be easier to move to something non windows.