• Announcement

Q: Where can I see what Apple has announced about Xserve?

A: The official announcement is here:  http://www.apple.com/xserve/resources.html

Q: What is the Enterprise Desktop Alliance response to this announcement?

A: The Enterprise Desktop Alliance response:  http://enterprisedevicealliance.org/eda-response-to-the-xserve-end-of-life

Q: What does this mean for the operating system software, Mac OS X Server?  Will there be an upgrade for Mac OS X 10.7 Lion for Xserve?

A: Apple has made no announcement about its plans for Mac OS X Server software.

Q: What are the alternatives sources of hardware?

A: At the time of this post, there are no other suppliers of rack mounted hardware than can run Mac OS X Server.

Q: Can I run OS X Server in a virtual machine on other hardware?

A: At the time of this post, no.  The license for OS X Server prohibits installation on hardware from any manufacturer except Apple.

Q: What does this mean for XSAN that currently uses Xserve?

A: At this time, Apple has made no announcement about its plans for XSAN.

  • Alternatives

Q: What are the alternatives for an organization dependent on Xserve?

A: You must plan to migrate to another hardware platform, either Apple’s (Mac Pro or Mac Mini) or transition to servers running Windows or Linux.

Q: If I choose Windows servers, can I accomplish the same key tasks as Open Directory, File Server, Print Server, Mail Server, Calendar Server and Update Server?

A: See the chart below to see that Windows server, augmented with third party tools, supports most if not all of the critical functions of OS X Server on Xserve.

Q: How can I tell the Mac community my plans for the Xserve transition?

A: Tell the community about your Xserve transition plans via this EDA survey (chance to win $50 gift card)

  • Windows Solutions

Q: Where can I learn about file server solutions for Windows?

A: Our file server solution is ExtremeZ-IP http://www.grouplogic.com/extremez-ip

Q: Why do I need ExtremeZ-IP for file server access – can’t I use the built in SMB client?

A: The built in SMB client is not only slower than using ExtremeZ-IP, but lacks many features that your Mac users expect starting with Spotlight searches.

Q: Where can I learn about print server solutions for Windows?

A: Our print server solution is ExtremeZ-IP http://www.grouplogic.com/extremez-ip

Q: Where can I learn about directory server solutions for Windows?

A: Our EDA Partner Centrify offers a range of directory service integration tools, some of which are free.  http://www.centrify.com/directcontrol/overview.asp

Q: Where can I learn about software update and client management solutions for Windows?

A: Our EDA Partner Absolute offers a Windows (or Mac) based software update and client management solution that will soon support iOS devices such as iPhone and iPad. http://absolute.com/en/products/absolute-manage/features.aspx

Q: Where can I learn about help desk solutions for Windows?

A: Our EDA Partner Web Help Desk offers a help desk solution for Windows and Macintosh http://webhelpdesk.com/

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  • 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