14 DAY TRIAL // When it comes to Apple, no OS X update is ever ready without the Sever version being there by its side, and that has not changed with Leopard. The new features of Mac OS X Server version 10.5 Leopard make it even easier for users to set up and manage.
Leopard Server is the most significant improvement to the server operating system since Mac OS X Server was launched, introducing a host of new features such as a wiki server (making it easy to connect groups over a shared intranet), Podcast Producer (the ideal way to automatically produce and publish podcasts to iTunes or a blog) and Spotlight Server (to quickly find content stored on other servers). Leopard Server also includes the new iCal Server, based on the CalDAV open standard that works with Leopard's new iCal application.
"Only Apple can deliver an advanced server operating system packed with over 250 new features on the same day as our client OS," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, in the press release. "With no client access licenses, Leopard Server is the most affordable way to bring innovative server features, such as group calendaring and a wiki server, to everyone from small businesses to large educational institutions."
Leopard Server is ideal for small businesses and workgroups that lack the funding or need for a dedicated IT department to handle their client server setup as well as file sharing, Mail, iCal, iChat, Address Book and VPN. Leopard Server automatically configures everything and comes with a new setup interface that has a built in Network Health Check, a new Server Preferences application and a server status Dashboard widget.
Other new features in Leopard Server include: ￭ Server Admin 4 with new file sharing and permission controls, tiered administration, and options for organizing servers into smart groups ￭ iChat Server 2 to securely communicate over instant messaging with others on different systems outside an organization's firewall ￭ External Accounts to enable Leopard users to store their home directory on an external FireWire? or USB portable drive ￭ a new System Imaging Utility that uses a workflow-based editor to create customized images that can include Boot Camp partitions ￭ Xgrid 2 featuring GridAnywhere for ad hoc distributed computing in environments without dedicated controllers, and Scoreboard for prioritizing job distribution to the fastest available CPU ￭ QuickTime Streaming Server 6 with support for 3GPP Release 6 bit rate adaptation for smooth streaming when delivering content to mobile phones regardless of network congestion.