On November 5th, 2010, Apple announced the end of life for the Xserve family of rack mount server hardware.  What does this mean for you, the Xserve customer?

Apple recommends that you upgrade your Xserve hardware to MacPro or MacMini hardware. These systems support nearly all of the software functions of Xserve but neither provides the data center ready form factor and remote LOM management functionality of Xserve.  Given those limitations, you may decide to migrate to another server platform such as Windows or Linux.

If you decide to migrate to Windows, The Enterprise Desktop Alliance can help as we provide a range of software tools to support Macs connecting to Windows servers and support those tools with a strong technical support teams well versed in multi-platform solutions.

The Windows ecosystem has wide range of tools that support your Xserve transition and supports nearly all of the critical functions that you need to replace.  The partners in the Enterprise Desktop Alliance are just part of the extended ecosystem for integrating Macs into the infrastructure.

If you have questions or suggestions about your migration, please email us at info@enterprisedevicealliance.org

  • Frequently Asked Questions regarding the announce of the end of life for the Apple Xserve
  • Xserve Transition Survey (chance to win $50 gift card) – Tell the community about your Xserve transition plans.
  • Options for Migration From Xserve to Windows:
OS X Server Function Windows Equivalent Notes
File Server No native Mac file server Add Group Logic ExtremeZ-IP to gain full AFP compatibility & integration
Print Server No native Mac print server ExtremeZ-IP supports Bonjour with PPD downloading
Backup Server No native Mac backup server ExtremeZ-IP supports Time Machine
Mail Server Exchange Apple Mail integrates well with Exchange and Lotus offers a rich product
Calendar Server Exchange Apple iCal integrates well with Exchange and Lotus offers a rich produt
Open Directory Active Directory Add Centrify DirectControl to gain full GPO & Workgroup Manager management
Update Server No native Mac update support Add Absolute Manage to update Mac OS X, 3rd party applications and more
Client Management No native Mac client management Absolute Manage provides a full range of client management functions from a Windows console (as well as a Mac console) with packages stored on a Windows server
Service Desk Web Help Desk is cross platform Support for Windows Server & Microsoft SQL Server