macOS Server, formerly Mac OS X Server and OS X Server, is the server edition of Mac OS X developed by Apple Inc. It is based on the BSD-Unix derived operating system Apple Computer that acquired from NeXT to form the basis of AppleShare services provided server applications such as file and printer sharing and user management.
Product history[]
The first version of Mac OS X Server, released on March 16, 1999 and dubbed "1.0" was a hybrid of OPENSTEP from NeXT Computer and Mac OS 8.6. The GUI looked more like OPENSTEP did, with an emulation layer for running legacy Mac OS 8.6 based applications. WebObjects was included with the server package.
Beginning with version 10.0 of Mac OS X Server released May 21, 2001, the server version and the standard version are nearly identical. Mac OS X Server mainly adds server management software—web, mail, and user services. Most of OS X Server's services are based on standard BSD tools, e.g., the Apache web server; Mac OS X Server adds a GUI interface to these services. An exception, however, are User services, which are based on (NeXT's) NetInfo.
Version 10.3 (released August 2003) of OS X Server presented a mature, fully featured server environment. User and file management are provided via Open Directory, an LDAP compatible server architecture. The new Workgroup Manager interface improves configuration significantly. Many common network services are provided such as NTP, SNMP, Web Server, Mail Server, LDAP, AppleTalk, Print Server. The inclusion of SAMBA version 3 allows tight integration with Windows clients and servers. MySQL v4.0.16 and PHP v4.3.7 are also included.
Starting with version 10.7, OS X Server became available as a downloadable update to Mac OS X, adding extra server features lacking in the Client version of the OS. This is mostly the configuration interface, as the back-end services mostly included in OS X proper.
It is important to note that each point release of Server is its own product. Unlike the client OS, a network needs to standardize on a single 1.x/10.x version of Server, as the different versions are not completely interoperable via the networked management interface. This is especially the case after 10.7, where the computer requires the appropriate base 10.x installation before the Server package can be purchased and added to it.
Release history[]
Mac OS X Server 1.x (Hera / Rhapsody)[]
- Mac OS X Server 1.0 (March 16, 1999)
- Mac OS X Server 1.0-1 (April 15, 1999)
- Mac OS X Server 1.0-2 (July 29, 1999)
- Mac OS X Server 1.1 - 1.1 is a mis-labelling but contains the same content as 1.0-2. The next release was advanced to 1.2 to avoid confusion
- Mac OS X Server 1.2 (January 14, 2000)
- Mac OS X Server 1.2v3 (October 27, 2000) - Same as 1.2, but adds support for both the Gigabit Ethernet edition of the G4 and the first eMacs.
Mac OS X Server 10.0 (Cheetah)[]
- Mac OS X Server 10.0.0 (May 21, 2001)
- Mac OS X Server 10.0.1
- Mac OS X Server 10.0.2
- Mac OS X Server 10.0.3
- Mac OS X Server 10.0.4 (July 3, 2001) - Still reports as 10.0.3 after the 10.0.4 update is applied.
Mac OS X Server 10.1 (Puma)[]
- Mac OS X Server 10.1.0 (September 25, 2001)
- Mac OS X Server 10.1.1 (November 20, 2001)
- Mac OS X Server 10.1.2 (January 17, 2002)
- Mac OS X Server 10.1.3 (February 19, 2002)
- Mac OS X Server 10.1.4 (April 17, 2002)
- Mac OS X Server 10.1.5 (July 15, 2002)
Mac OS X Server 10.2 (Jaguar)[]
- Mac OS X Server 10.2.0 (August 23, 2002)
- Mac OS X Server 10.2.1 (September 18, 2002)
- Mac OS X Server 10.2.2 (November 11, 2002)
- Mac OS X Server 10.2.3 (December 19, 2002)
- Mac OS X Server 10.2.4 (February 24, 2003)
- Mac OS X Server 10.2.5 (April 2, 2003)
- Mac OS X Server 10.2.6 (May 8, 2003)
- Mac OS X Server 10.2.8 (October 10, 2003)
Mac OS X Server 10.3 (Panther)[]
- Mac OS X Server 10.3.0 (October 24, 2003)
- Mac OS X Server 10.3.1 (November 10, 2003)
- Mac OS X Server 10.3.2 (December 19, 2003)
- Mac OS X Server 10.3.3 (March 15, 2004)
- Mac OS X Server 10.3.4 (May 26, 2004)
- Mac OS X Server 10.3.5 (August 9, 2004)
- Mac OS X Server 10.3.6 (November 5, 2004)
- Mac OS X Server 10.3.7 (December 15, 2004)
- Mac OS X Server 10.3.8 (January 7, 2005)
- Mac OS X Server 10.3.9 (April 15, 2005)
Mac OS X Server 10.4 (Tiger)[]
- Mac OS X Server 10.4.0 PPC (April 29, 2005)
- Mac OS X Server 10.4.1 PPC (May 19, 2005)
- Mac OS X Server 10.4.2 PPC (July 12, 2005)
- Mac OS X Server 10.4.3 PPC (October 31, 2005)
- Mac OS X Server 10.4.4 PPC (January 10, 2006)
- Mac OS X Server 10.4.5 PPC / Intel (February 14, 2006)
- Mac OS X Server 10.4.6 PPC / Intel (April 3, 2006)
- Mac OS X Server 10.4.7 PPC / Intel (June 27, 2006)
- Mac OS X Server 10.4.8 PPC / Intel (September 29, 2006)
- Mac OS X Server 10.4.9 PPC / Intel (March 13, 2007)
- Mac OS X Server 10.4.10 PPC / Intel (June 20, 2007)
- Mac OS X Server 10.4.11 PPC / Intel (November 14, 2007)
Mac OS X Server 10.5 (Leopard)[]
- Mac OS X Server 10.5.0 PPC G4+ / Intel (October 26, 2007)
- Mac OS X Server 10.5.1 PPC G4+ / Intel (November 15, 2007)
- Mac OS X Server 10.5.2 PPC G4+ / Intel (February 11, 2008)
- Mac OS X Server 10.5.3 PPC G4+ / Intel (May 28, 2008)
- Mac OS X Server 10.5.4 PPC G4+ / Intel (June 30, 2008)
- Mac OS X Server 10.5.5 PPC G4+ / Intel (September 15, 2008)
- Mac OS X Server 10.5.6 PPC G4+ / Intel (December 15, 2008)
- Mac OS X Server 10.5.7 PPC G4+ / Intel (May 12, 2009)
- Mac OS X Server 10.5.8 PPC G4+ / Intel (August 31, 2009)
- Mac OS X Server 10.5.8 2010-007 Intel (July 2010)
Mac OS X Server 10.6 (Snow Leopard)[]
- Mac OS X Server 10.6.0 Intel with Rosetta (August 28, 2009)
- Mac OS X Server 10.6.1 Intel with Rosetta (September 10, 2009)
- Mac OS X Server 10.6.2 Intel with Rosetta (November 9, 2009)
- Mac OS X Server 10.6.3 Intel with Rosetta (March 29, 2010)
- Mac OS X Server 10.6.4 Intel with Rosetta (August 16, 2010)
- Mac OS X Server 10.6.5 Intel with Rosetta (November 15, 2010)
- Mac OS X Server 10.6.6 Intel with Rosetta (January 6, 2011)
- Mac OS X Server 10.6.7 Intel with Rosetta (March 21, 2011)
- Mac OS X Server 10.6.8 Intel with Rosetta (July 25, 2011)
From 10.7 onward, Server updates are part of the Client update cycle.
OS X Server 10.7 (Lion)[]
OS X Server 10.8 (Mountain Lion)[]
OS X Server 10.9 (Mavericks)[]
OS X Server 10.10 (Yosemite)[]
OS X Server 10.11 (El Capitan)[]
- OS X 10.11 Server 5.0 – also marketed as OS X Server 5.0 (2015)
- OS X 10.11 Server 5.1 – also marketed as OS X Server 5.1 (2016)
macOS Server 10.12 (Sierra)[]
- macOS 10.12 Server 5.2 – also marketed as macOS Server 5.2 (2016)
- macOS 10.12 Server 5.3 – also marketed as macOS Server 5.3 (2017)
macOS Server 10.13 (High Sierra)[]
- macOS 10.13 Server 5.4 – also marketed as macOS Server 5.4 (2017)
- macOS 10.13 Server 5.5 – also marketed as macOS Server 5.5 (2018)
- macOS 10.13 Server 5.6 - also marketed as macOS Server 5.6 (2018)
From Server 5.7.1 onward, Open Source services are no longer provided with the Server app, but need to be installed from the original provider.
macOS Server 10.14 (Mojave)[]
- macOS 10.14 Server 5.7 - also marketed as macOS Server 5.7 (2018)
- From Apple: "As of April 21, 2022, Apple has discontinued macOS Server. Existing macOS Server customers can continue to download and use the app with macOS Monterey."
Release notes[]
Mac OS X Server 1.X[]
- About Mac OS X Server 1.x
- Mac OS X Server 1.x: Release Notes
- July 21, 1999: About Mac OS X Server 1.0-2 Update
- Mac OS X Server: About Release 1.2
Mac OS X Server 10.0[]
Mac OS X Server 10.1[]
- February 19, 2002: Mac OS X Server Update 10.1.3
- April 17, 2002: Mac OS X Server Update 10.1.4 (archive.org)
- July 15, 2002: Mac OS X Server Update 10.1.5
Mac OS X Server 10.2[]
- September 18, 2002: Mac OS X Server Update 10.2.1
- November 11, 2002: About Mac OS X Server Update 10.2.2
- December 19, 2002: Mac OS X Server Update 10.2.3
- February 24, 2003: About Mac OS X Server Update 10.2.4
- About Mac OS X Server Update 10.2.5
- May 8, 2003: Mac OS X Server Update 10.2.6
- October 3, 2003: Mac OS X Server Update 10.2.8 (Combo)
Mac OS X Server 10.3[]
- November 10, 2003: About Mac OS X Server Update 10.3.1
- December 19, 2003: About Mac OS X Server Update 10.3.2
- March 16, 2004 Mac OS X Server Update 10.3.3 (Combo)
- May 26, 2004: Mac OS X Combined Server (10.3.4) Update 10.3.4
- August 9, 2004: About Mac OS X Server Update 10.3.5
- November 5, 2004: About Mac OS X Server Update 10.3.6
- November 15, 2004: Mac OS X Server Combined Update 10.3.7
- January 7, 2005: Mac OS X Server Update 10.3.8 (Combo)
- April 15, 2005: Mac OS X Server Update 10.3.9 (Combo)
Mac OS X Server 10.4[]
- May 19, 2005: Mac OS X Server 10.4.1
- July 12, 2005: Mac OS X Server 10.4.2 Combo
- October 31, 2005: Mac OS X Server 10.4.3 (Combo)
- January 10, 2006: Mac OS X Update 10.4.4 (Combo)
- February 14, 2006: Mac OS X Server 10.4.5
- April 3, 2006: Mac OS X Server 10.4.6 Combo
- June 27, 2006: Mac OS X Server Update 10.4.7 (Combo)
- September 29, 2006: Mac OS X Server 10.4.8 Update (Universal)
- March 13, 2007: Mac OS X Server 10.4.9 Update (Combo) (Universal)
- June 20, 2007: Mac OS X Server 10.4.10 Update (Combo) (Universal)
- November 14, 2007: Mac OS X Server 10.4.11 Combo Update (Universal)
Mac OS X Server 10.5[]
- November 15, 2007: Mac OS X Server 10.5.1 Update
- February 11, 2008: Mac OS X Server 10.5.2 Update (Combo)
- May 28, 2008: Mac OS X Server 10.5.3 Combo Update
- June 30, 2008: Mac OS X Server Combo 10.5.4
- September 15, 2008: Mac OS X Server Combo 10.5.5
- December 15, 2008: Mac OS X Server Combo 10.5.6
- May 12, 2009: Mac OS X Server Combo 10.5.7
- August 31, 2009: Mac OS X Server 10.5.8 Combo Update v.1.1
Mac OS X Server 10.6[]
- September 10, 2009: Mac OS X Server v10.6.1 Update
- November 9, 2009: Mac OS X Server v10.6.2 Update (Combo)
- April 12, 2010: Mac OS X Server 10.6.3 v1.1 Update (Combo)
- June 15, 2010: Mac OS X Server v10.6.4 Update (Mac Mini)
- July 22, 2010: Mac OS X Server v10.6.4 Update (v.1.1)
- August 16, 2010: Mac OS X Server v10.6.4 Update (Mac Pro)
- November 15, 2010: Mac OS X Server v10.6.5 Update (Combo)
- January 6, 2011: Mac OS X Server v10.6.6 Update (Combo)
- March 21, 2011: Mac OS X Server v10.6.7 Update (Combo)
- Jul 25, 2011: Mac OS X Server v10.6.8 Update (Combo) (v1.1)
OS X Server 10.7[]
- OS X Lion Server - Technical Specifications
- August 16, 2011: OS X Lion Update 10.7.1 (Server) - Apple Support
- October 12, 2011: OS X Lion Update 10.7.2 (Server) - Apple Support
- February 1, 2012: OS X Lion Update 10.7.3 (Server) Combo - Apple Support
- May 9, 2012: OS X Lion Update 10.7.4 Server Combo - Apple Support
- September 19, 2012: OS X Lion Update 10.7.5 Server Combo - Apple Support
OS X Server 10.8 (Server 2)[]
- OS X Mountain Lion Server - Technical Specifications
- About the security content of OS X Server v2.1.1
- About the OS X Server v2.2.1 Update
- About the security content of OS X Server v2.2.2 - Apple Support
- About the security content of OS X Server v2.2.3 - Apple Support
- About the OS X Server v2.2.4 Update
- About the security content of OS X Server v2.2.5 - Apple Support
OS X Server 10.9 (Server 3)[]
- About the OS X Server v3.0.1 Update
- About the OS X Server v3.0.2 Update
- About the OS X Server v3.0.3 Update
- About the OS X Server v3.1 Update
- About the OS X Server v3.1.1 Update
- About the OS X Server v3.1.2 Update
- About the OS X Server v3.2.1 Update
- About the OS X Server v3.2.2 Update
OS X Server 10.10 (Server 4)[]
OS X Server 10.11 (Server 5)[]
- About the security content of OS X Server v5.0.3
- About OS X Server 5.0.15
- About the security content of OS X Server 5.1
macOS Server 5[]
- About macOS Server 5.4
- About macOS Server 5.5
- Changes introduced in macOS Server 5.7.1
- What's new in macOS Server 5.7.1 - 5.12.2
References[]
- Mac OS X Server FAQ wiki (archived 2011-03-17)
External Links[]
- macOS Server at Apple
- Apple Server Documentation[DEAD LINK]
- OS X Server 1.0-1.2 Requirements
- About Mac OS X Server 1.0-2 Update
- OS X Server 1.2v3 Readme
- Apple Introduces Mac OS X Server – Apple press release
- Major Mac OS X Server v10.1 Update Now Available – Apple press release
- Apple Announces Mac OS X Server “Jaguar”, World’s Easiest-to-Manage UNIX-Based Server Software – Apple press release
- Apple Announces Mac OS X Server “Panther” – Apple press release
- Apple Announces Mac OS X Server “Tiger” – Apple press release
- Apple Announces New Mac OS X Server "Leopard" Features – Apple press release
- Apple Introduces Mac OS X Server Snow Leopard – Apple press release
- Macenterprise.org
- AFP548.com
- macOS Server at wikipedia