Apple has updated OS X Server, the application that runs on top of OS X Mountain Lion to expand the system's server feature set.
The most notable change in this update appears to be a new caching server for Mac App Store updates. Presumably, the server now downloads updates for things like iPhoto and OS X itself to prevent an organization from needing to download large updates multiple times for one workgroup.
What's New in Version 2.2
• Caching Server to speed up download of software distributed by Apple through the Mac App Store.
• Time Machine service monitoring of which computers have backed up, when they last backed up and size of backup.
• Wiki Server support for MacBook Pro with Retina display.
• Fix for deleting apps uploaded to Profile Manager.
• Ability to use Active Directory groups within Profile Manager.
• Centralized Certificate management interface.
OS X Server is available for $19.99 on the Mac App Store. [Direct Link]
Top Rated Comments
WTF is the point of the Mac as "It just works" if they keep making it more difficult to use instead of easier? (i.e. NFS used to be just a button click). And my WebDav sharing setting hasn't worked right yet when I tried it with XBMC (I had to install Samba3 to get SMB to work properly with it since XBMC doesn't work right with AFP, tending to crash after about a half hour of watching something and NFS is a PITA to set up via script).
A server is not an "app". Try bolting something on to your Caravan to make it into a Ferrari.
Yes it can blip during a consumer fad, but like iOS it will wax and wane depending on the fickle herd mentality of the average dummy in the street.
To really take hold they need to get the enterprise, and therefore get enterprise apps. So far their strategy has been to tell the enterprise to pound sand.
An interesting tactic.
Same thing with FTP and other services. I'm having to go to the command line now instead of just ticking a box. Very annoying.
Well, actually, every Mac is a nearly full-functioning server. This isn't a self-contained app as it seems to be. It piggybacks on the many server technologies built into every Mac. It pretty much is like your average Linux server. They too have easily accessible server tools in the client version. The difference is the GUI for interacting with these features.
I dont know... now with the Windows 8 disaster, maybe I'll suggest Linux, or Chrome??