User`s guide

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2 Before You Begin
Before installing and setting up Mac OS X Server, take the time
to do a little planning.
The major goals of the planning phase are to make sure that:
 Server user and administrator needs are addressed by the servers you deploy
 Server and service prerequisites that affect installation and initial setup are identified
Installation planning is especially important if you’re integrating Mac OS X Server into
an existing network, migrating from earlier versions of Mac OS X Server, or preparing to
set up multiple servers. But even single-server environments can benefit from a brief
assessment of the needs you want a server to address.
Use this chapter to stimulate your thinking. It doesn’t present a rigorous planning
algorithm. Nor does it provide the details you’ll need to determine whether to
implement a particular service and assess its resource requirements. Instead, view this
chapter as an opportunity to pause and think about how to maximize the benefits of
Mac OS X Server in your environment.
Planning, like design, isn’t necessarily a linear process. The sections in this chapter, for
example, had to be in some particular order, but the order doesn’t imply a mandatory
sequence. Different sections in this chapter present suggestions that could be
implemented simultaneously or iteratively.