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See also: OSX & AD Integration

Setting up Mac OS X 10.6 Server

10.4 Setup Notes | 10.5 Setup Notes | 10.6 Setup Notes

Other Reading

The Setup Notes below describe just one particular model for the installation and configuration of a server in a school environment. For some more comprehensive notes, and other server info and background reading, these links may be of interest...: Apple's Server Info Page - Features, Tech Specs, etc.
Apple's OSX Server Guides - Detailed info on each service.
AFP548 - Search for "10.6 Server"

Background

Mac OS X Server can be configured to provide a wide range of services, to suit the needs of many varied network environments. (See the official Apple documentation above).

The documents below provide a (non-official) step-by-step guide to setting up an OSX 10.6 Server to provide basic network and collaboration services that meet the needs of a typical school environment. The documents are listed in the order of the installation and setup process.

The model described in these documents is by no means comprehensive, nor prescriptive, and may not necessarily be suitable for use in your particular environment.

The model described below is designed to support school learning environments, while being technically supportable by teaching staff or others who do not have extensive knowledge of server technologies.

As always, some testing and experimenting on non-production equipment is advisable. (Snow Leopard Server cannot be installed on PPC computers.)

Use with care - it is still early days for Snow Leopard in schools!

The notes below have been written using a test server in a non-production environment.
As 10.6 Server is not yet widely deployed in schools, the processes described have not yet
been fully tested in a wide range of situations, nor with a wide range of client OSs and
configurations under the normal day-to-day load that would be experienced
in a real-world school environment. Still plenty of discoveries to be made!

These notes will be updated and expanded when required (and as time permits),
and as Snow Leopard Server becomes more widely installed in local schools.

Update: March 2010
Posts to various listservs, and correspondence from some early adopters,
suggest that 10.6 server is working well in a "pure" 10.6 environment,
but may display some unexpected behaviour when used in combination with earlier OSs,
especially where other servers with earlier OSs are involved.

Setup Notes

Each document is in pdf format. (Info gradually being updated)

1. Installing Mac OS X Server (1.04 Mb): - installing server software;
- configuring initial setup options.
2. Configuring DNS (1.2 Mb): - adjusting default configuration;
- adding zone machines
- checking hostname;
- setting up forwarders;
- testing lookup.
Configuring Services: 3. Services Overview (88k)
4. AFP, Web, SMB (372k)
5. DHCP (241k)
6. Open Directory (345k)
7. Creating Sharepoints - Pt 1 (431k): Creating and designating shared folders for Groups and User Home Folder directories.
8. Users & Groups (650k): Creating Users and Groups, assigning Home folder sharepoints, creating account Preset profiles, bulk importing users.

9. Creating Sharepoints - Pt 2 (353k): Configuring permissions for network re-imaging access, and permissions for subfolders within the Groups folder.
10. Client Imaging: These notes describe the process of re-imaging stand-alone and network computers using DeployStudio.

This is one of those areas that needs some further exploration. System Image Utility (in the Server folder with other Admin Tools) includes options for creating Netboot, Netinstall and Netrestore images, in conjunction with the Netboot service. Will Apple's built-in tools be equal to the 3rd-party options? Time will tell.
See also: Apple's official guides.

11. Managing Preferences (983k): Managing the Dock, Printing, Group folder, Proxy server, Safari and other default preferences for network users.
12. Creating a New User Template: Setting a variety of user-specific application preferences for initial deployment to each new user.

Network Client Configuration

13. Mac 10.6 Configuration (319k)
Configuring Mac 10.6 clients to login to a Mac OS X Open Directory server.
See also:
- 10.5 Client Config
- 10.4 Client Config

14. Win XP - Workgroup (329k)

Accessing Mac OS X Server from Win XP in a local Workgroup.

15. Win XP - Domain (639k)

Setting up Mac OS X Server to be a Primary Domain Controller for Win XP computers.

See also:
Vista & PDC (Apple KB)

Publishing & Information Sharing

16. School Intranet - iWeb (755k)
Setting up your Mac OS X server to host a school intranet site built using iWeb - for teachers', students' and faculty sites.

17. Blogs and Wikis (590k)

Build your school Intranet around Snow Leopard Server's collaboration services to host blogs and wikis for teachers, students and faculties and year groups.

More blog & wiki info here soon.

For now:

Go to Server Admin & enable the Web service.
On a network computer launch Safari and go to your server's IP address. (Assuming that you haven't changed the default Web docs location!)
Explore the options - create a wiki/blog/calendar, etc.

18. Server Backup (680k)

Using Carbon Copy Cloner (CCCv3) and an external HD for a reliable, low-cost backup of server volumes.