Apple Training Series: Mac OS X Server Essentials v10.6: A Guide to Using and Supporting Mac OS X Server v10.6

I recently purchased a Mac Mini Server to replace some old hardware I have running linux. I thought, being a Mac, that this would be a very simple server to use an probably not need any additional documentation to run. I have been used to doing things in a very low level way and I kept trying to use the beautiful interface that Snow Leopard Server offered but then tweek things by hand. My servers I have been running for over 20 years are not very fancy and I had never configured directory services. I messed things up enough to the point where I reinstalled Snow Leopard Server a total of 5 times as I would mess things up again and again in my ignorance. I decided that I needed some help and while reading the Apple Documentation was helpful, I needed more.

This book has been perfect for me. It is very easy to read. It has pictures where they are needed and each chapter has an exercise that can be completed to learn the concepts. Since I had already set up my server and was... Read more

"Apple Training Series: Mac OS X Server Essentials v. 10.6" is just what it says it is: a book on how to get Mac OS X 10.6 Server up and running, and how to configure it to support different types of environments and users. It is organized into major topics according to server services (mail services, file services, Web services, etc.), and richly illustrated with screen shots.

As the book is frequently used in classroom settings, every chapter has a classroom-style review section. But the book is not written as a textbook; you can skip around from topic to topic and use it as a "how to" guide.

The book assumes you are familiar with the concept of server services and have either a Mac OS X or Unix/Linux background. None of the topics is covered exhaustively, and some services -- the firewall, for example -- are essentially not covered at all. The emphasis is on getting Mac OS X 10.6 Server up and running quickly and supporting users.

On the whole, it... Read more

I bought this book because I was having problems setting up my 10.6 server (after having last done such work with 10.3). All together I was disappointed with the book. I could not learn anything from it that was not in the help and hints on the server itself (or in the Apple support pages). It's very basic. Beyond that, for real problems, Google searches and blogs offer much more.

It could well be helpful to people who are preparing for a certification test or just don't know much about servers. There are introductions to each section which attempt to explain what the server does in each respect (AFP, mail, chat, etc.). I hope it helps some people.

I bought the book as a medium-advanced server admin who inherited a server in a bad state and needed to clean it up. This book offers no help for working out of bad configurations. (In the end I simply reinstalled the OS). So if you are anything but a beginner take a look around at the books on the market and Apple's... Read more