441259 largerAlongside Mountain Lion 10.8, Apple released the server component as a separate generic app called OS X Server.

OS X Server is the next generation of Apple’s award winning server software. Designed for OS X and iOS devices, OS X Server makes it easy to share files, schedule meetings, synchronize contacts, host your own website, publish wikis, configure Macs, iPhones and iPads, remotely access your network, and more.

Server is now an application you can add to Mountain Lion right from the Mac App Store. Anyone can quickly and easily turn a Mac running Mountain Lion into a server that’s perfect for home offices, businesses, schools, and hobbyists alike.

OS X Server requires Mountain Lion 10.8 and adds server functionality to OS X. [Mac App Store]

Top Rated Comments

Skika Avatar
175 months ago
Well that sux to us people who own the server edition of the Mac mini and now we have to pay twice as much to keep it a server!

You don't have to pay anything to keep it as a server. You have to pay to upgrade it to a new version of OS X server.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Xenomorph Avatar
175 months ago
That's one good-looking icon. Damn.

Image (https://cdn.macrumors.com/article-new/2012/07/441259_larger.png)

Are those supposed to be earthquakes? We're looking at some terrible destruction here, folks.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Caliber26 Avatar
175 months ago
That's one good-looking icon. Damn.

Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Schizoid Avatar
175 months ago
so... ML Server roundup:

No more Server Admin, NAT, DHCP(!), Firewall, XGrid

No more Server Tools, therefore Workgroup Manager, so you have to rely on Profile Manager to manage your ML clients... let's hope the damn thing works (i.e it's not Lion)

Server Image Utility (SIU) seems unable to make the "combined"installer for a server as per the previous way (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4746)

Everything is now in Server.app... Welcome to The Fisher-Price guide to servers... except there's no DHCP so "small businesses" et al will have to rely on their router for that...

----------

From what I understand my 2008 8-core 3 Ghz Xserve with 10GB of memory is inadequate to run Mountain Lion, and therefore can't run Mountain Lion Server. I would say this xserve has more computing power than 99% of all macs. Is this really all because it does not have the right graphics card? Now I can't upgrade Lion server to mountain lion to fix the crap thats broken like File Permissions, Address Book and Network Spotlight etc.. Crazy! Let me know if anyone gets Mountain Lion on an Early 2008 Xserve working.

I'm in the same boat... no ML server for me because our Xserve's don't have GFX cards... never mind the fact that half the crap on Lion doesn't work and we were waiting for the upgrade... it's throw the Xserve in the bin.

To add insult to injury, Apple include "XSan 3" as a main feature of ML server, which is just some marketing prick writing down things on a website... a joke
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
evino526 Avatar
175 months ago
What if i bought Lion Server like 2 weeks ago?
Now 20$ is nothing, but still feels like I spent the 50$ for nothing...
You think I might be able to get a redeem code, like with a new mac purchase?

Not feeling a lot of sympathy for you considering we all knew 10.8 was coming out this month and there were a lot of signs pointing to today as a release date for weeks.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
talmy Avatar
174 months ago
Has anyone tried putting 'ML Server' on a 2008 XServe, even by cloning an existing installation rather then straight installing?

Considering all that has been lost in OS X Server, why would you want to do that?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
Photos App Icon Liquid Glass

John Gruber Shares Scathing Commentary About Apple's Departing Software Design Chief

Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs. On his blog Daring Fireball,...
ive and altman

Jony Ive's OpenAI Device Barred From Using 'io' Name

Friday December 5, 2025 6:22 am PST by
A U.S. appeals court has upheld a temporary restraining order that prevents OpenAI and Jony Ive's new hardware venture from using the name "io" for products similar to those planned by AI audio startup iyO, Bloomberg Law reports. iyO sued OpenAI earlier this year after the latter announced its partnership with Ive's new firm, arguing that OpenAI's planned "io" branding was too close to its...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 Release Candidates to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....
iphone air camera

iPhone Air's Resale Value Has Dropped Dramatically, Data Shows

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:27 am PST by
The iPhone Air has recorded the steepest early resale value drop of any iPhone model in years, with new data showing that several configurations have lost almost 50% of their value within ten weeks of launch. According to a ten-week analysis published by SellCell, Apple's latest lineup is showing a pronounced split in resale performance between the iPhone 17 models and the iPhone Air....
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

iPhone 17 Pro Lost a Camera Feature Pro Models Have Had Since 2020

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:18 am PST by
iPhone 17 Pro models, it turns out, can't take photos in Night mode when Portrait mode is selected in the Camera app – a capability that's been available on Apple's Pro devices since the iPhone 12 Pro in 2020. If you're an iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro Max owner, try it for yourself: Open the Camera app with Photo selected in the carousel, then cover the rear lenses with your hand to...
ios 18 to ios 26 upgrade

Apple Pushes iPhone Users Still on iOS 18 to Upgrade to iOS 26

Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent. Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...