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Chapter 1: Lion Server: An Overview
Lion Server can “push” configuration changes out to the devices using Apple Push
Notification services, which you can also use to push calendar invitations and
events. And the Server also optimizes wikis and blogs for viewing on iOS devices.
The Servers in Lion Server
Lion Server isn’t one server, but more than two dozen servers and tools for
managing the Mac clients. Figure 1-1 lists the services available to you, as you
see them in the Server Admin and the Server utilities. You turn many of them
on and off with a few mouse clicks. Here’s a quick look at what services you
get, and what you can do with them.
Figure 1-1:
Lion Server
is actually
a set of
servers.
File server
The bread and butter of a server, the file server may be all that some people
need from Lion Server. File servers provide folders that everyone on the net-
work can see. You can also limit access so that some people can’t get into
certain folders. Mac OS X Server provides file sharing via the Mac-native Apple
Filing Protocol (AFP), which is Mac only, and Microsoft’s Server Message Block
(SMB), which Windows and Linux clients use. Lion Server also provides the
WebDAV protocol for iPads. It’s also used by Time Machine to back up Macs.
(Flip to Chapter 9 for more on this topic.)
Directory services
Mac OS X Server uses the standards-based Open Directory to store and
manage the user account info and other user data that’s used for all the ser-
vices. You can connect the server to other directory services on the network,
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