Mac Hardware/Software

[Saubs]

I know this is already a long thread, but I must ask:

Why is OSX Server recommended for a FMSA installation over 'regular' OSX? Is it because OSXS is more robust/reliable than OSX? Any insights/experiences appreciated.

I'll be deploying my solution in a few weeks and want to do it right!

Many thanks--

[Steven H. Blackwell]

Diagnostic Tools, WorkGroup Manager, and CHUD tools to name jsut a few. And a couple of Apple hardware options require OS X Server, IIRC.

Steven

[xochi]

Steven is right -- I've set up FMSA8 on both Mac OS X 10.4.x and Mac OS X Server 10.4.x. If the machine is just going to be a FM server and nothing else, then the setup procedure is nearly identical, and in my experience, the reliability is the same (i.e. both are rock solid). Install OS, install filemaker, turn on the firewall, set up a backup procedure, and you're done.

The main difference comes in if the server is going to provide any other services, such as file sharing, apache web serving, DNS, DHCP, etc. In that case, OS X Server provides tools for configuring workgroups, firewalls, VPNs, etc. that are much better than regular OS X.

(I'm ignoring here the wisdom of having a single machine provide services in addition to fmserverd, which is a topic for another debate).

[Steven H. Blackwell]

LOL.

One of the principal reasons I'd go with OS X Server over OS X is the ability so easily to configure Accounts via WorkGroup Manager.

Steven

[John May - Point In Space]

I would definitely say that if you're looking for a GUI for a whole lot of open source stuff, like Apache, MySQL, mail services, etc. then OS X Server is the way to go.

- John

[Saubs]

I would definitely say that if you're looking for a GUI for a whole lot of open source stuff, like Apache, MySQL, mail services, etc. then OS X Server is the way to go.

Thanks for your replies, all. Actually I'm just planning on running only FMSA--and no other services--on this dedicated machine. So based on that, it looks like (other than wgm and diagnostics) there are no compelling reasons to use OSX Server instead of OSX.

Thanks again--

[Ender]

I'm not sure about the relevance for web publishing, but with the regular FM clients, it's necessary to use OS X Server when you start getting over 50 concurrent clients. It has to do with the number of sessions that OS X can handle vs. the number that OS X Server can handle.