Some macOS Server services being stripped out in spring, including Calendar, Websites, Mai...
A support document published by Apple sheds light on what services macOS Server is leaving behind soon, and provides possible options for those needing replacements.
The support document, dated Jan. 24, 2018, was released one day after the latest macOS Server beta. In the notification, Apple says:
BlockquotemacOS 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. If you've already configured one of these services, you'll still be able to use it in the spring 2018 macOS Server update.
Features listed as being purged from basic installs of macOS Server soon are Calendar, Contacts, DHCP, DNS, Mail, Messages, NetInstall, VPN, Websites, and Wiki. On the document, Apple lists three possible replacements for each, such as the open source Apache HTTP server that its own Websites functionality was based on.
AppleInsider discussed the matter with our own sources not authorized to speak on behalf of the company, with them saying that in many cases, the Apple-mandated service wasn't as up-to-date as the open source version. As a result, users were replacing sometimes deprecated versions with newer ones. Further questions involving additional reasoning behind the move were not answered.
The move will make macOS Server less of a "plug and play" solution than it is at present. Instead of users setting up a service and figuring out how to deal with it through use, the installation process will basically demand at least a bare-bones level of knowledge from the administrator to get it to work right in the first place.
The support document, dated Jan. 24, 2018, was released one day after the latest macOS Server beta. In the notification, Apple says:
BlockquotemacOS 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. If you've already configured one of these services, you'll still be able to use it in the spring 2018 macOS Server update.
Features listed as being purged from basic installs of macOS Server soon are Calendar, Contacts, DHCP, DNS, Mail, Messages, NetInstall, VPN, Websites, and Wiki. On the document, Apple lists three possible replacements for each, such as the open source Apache HTTP server that its own Websites functionality was based on.
AppleInsider discussed the matter with our own sources not authorized to speak on behalf of the company, with them saying that in many cases, the Apple-mandated service wasn't as up-to-date as the open source version. As a result, users were replacing sometimes deprecated versions with newer ones. Further questions involving additional reasoning behind the move were not answered.
The move will make macOS Server less of a "plug and play" solution than it is at present. Instead of users setting up a service and figuring out how to deal with it through use, the installation process will basically demand at least a bare-bones level of knowledge from the administrator to get it to work right in the first place.
Comments
being stripped out in spring, including Calendar, Websites, Mai..."
I'm trying to work out what's actually left! Oh I know, FTP!On the brighter side, putting (more?) resources into creating a better low-cost MDM service might be the hidden gem in this announcement. Server software is $20 without any client license fees making it a huge bargain compared to MDM systems like jamf and Blackberry's offering. Grab a Mac mini and it might be enough to manage a large number of Apple devices. Of course, having MDM on your main server that does everything else would be preferable but in this case it might be more cost effective to run it on a small, dedicated server.
Anyone want to compare Apple Server's MDM to jamf and others?
And, make basic MDM hosted by Apple free?
If Mac customer need something on-premises they can purchase jamf (an Apple Partner).
Whatever route Apple takes it’s not going to be revenue generating...
Profile Manager is strictly for Apple devices and Apple users. It is missing so many Enterprise features, including Active Directory and Exchange Integration, Device tracking and location services (for corporate devices), Dashboards and reporting, and Advanced group support (Smart Groups).
Even Apple System Engineers will tell you that Profile Manager is strictly a "Proof of Concept" MDM that Apple uses to introduce new MDM features. This of PM like a reference design.
https://www.apple.com/iservices/certification/roadmap.html
Cloud and privacy do not go together. Furthermore, cloud-based services are not as responsive as locally maintained services. Business-critical, proprietary information has no business being in the cloud (sitting on someone else's systems), and neither does sensitive personal information. It has been a big advantage using Server on a secure platform produced by a U.S.-based company that is concerned about privacy and security.
Apple can no longer say it cares that much about privacy or security when it takes away Server. Apple does stand to make more money by offering cloud services replacements, though--it cares about its shareholders more than privacy/security, and Apple management doesn't have the vision to make Server better.
*IMAP, SMTP, HTTP/S, CalDAV, CardDAV, WebDAV, DNS, DHCP
https://www.calendarserver.org Apple page detailing calendar and contacts server source
Of course they require some programming skills, mainly the ability to configure and compile. I downloaded the Calendar-9.1 source (May 2017) from https://github.com/apple/ccs-calendarserver/releases and it looks complete, at least for development purposes. You'll need to read more to figure out how to incorporate it into your existing operations.
Server isn't mainstream (and is obsolete), due to lack of vision and neglect.