Though the desktop version of Mac OS X has been in the limelight, Mac OS X Server--an industrial-strength version of the operating system designed for Web, mail and multimedia serving duties--will receive a technical and cosmetic facelift early this year.

Early users have reported that the software has carried the "OS X Server 2.0" name during its beta cycle, but Apple representatives have confirmed that the final version will be called simply OS X Server when it is released later this spring, possibly a month after the desktop version of OS X ships on March 24.

The operating system will inherit the Aqua interface and integrate features of both earlier versions of OS X Server and Apple's previous file, print, mail and Web services package, AppleShare IP.

In fact, according to Apple representatives, the company plans to take the tack that the next version of OS X Server will combine the features of both products, placing them on top of OS X's Darwin core, which is based on BSD and the Mach microkernel, all wrapped up with the Aqua user interface debuted in preview versions of OS X.

Familiar Features
Users reported that the next version of OS X Server will extend features and administration tools inherited from early editions of the operating system, such as NetBoot, QuickTime Streaming Server, and WebObjects, adding a DHCP server, a basic IP firewall, support for the upcoming WebObjects 4.5.1 and Java-based WebObjects 5.0 (complete with a WebObjects 5.0 runtime environment) and more.

From AppleShare IP, OS X Server will gain new (and OS X-native) versions of the Network Assistant, Network Admin and Macintosh Manager tools, as well as various file services.

In addition, OS X Server will have an "advanced Directory Services architecture," said an Apple representative, that will use either the built-in NetInfo directory system or standard LDAP servers.

Also in the next version of OS X Server will be Samba for sharing files with Windows-based clients, full support for Perl and CGI as well as Apache and new extensions for it, included the ability to cache static pages.

Comments from those who have had hands-on experience with demonstrations of the new OS have been positive, especially in contrast to the software's speckled history.

Positive Feedback
The first commercial release of Mac OS X Server -- the first product resulting from the marriage of Apple and Next Computer Inc. -- shipped in March 1999.

It was targeted at server administrators and developers--both those who were interested in creating software for Apple's next-generation operating system and those who had long worked with NextStep, the progenitor of all upcoming flavors of OS X.

The interface was generally considered an awkward conglomeration, borrowing from both the NextStep and the classic Mac OS, but the underpinnings--BSD Unix 4.4 and a Mach 2.5 kernel--were pure NextStep.

Initial versions of OS X Server offered only limited ability to run existing Mac OS applications, placing them in a separate emulation layer called Blue Box -- an early version of OS X's Classic environment. However, the company recommended against using Blue Box, as it rapidly drained system resources.

In a move new to Apple, the company made available the core of OS X Server (the Mach kernel, the Apache Web server technology and more) as open source.

This core, called Darwin, allowed developers and hobbyists alike to examine and modify the underlying code. Apple representatives have commented publicly that such contributions have made their way into what will be the final release of OS X.

Rocky Road to Growth
However, the growth of OS X Server has not been uniformly smooth. Over the last two years there have been long delays in updates and bug fixes for OS X Server; incompatibilities with Power Mac hardware designed as servers; and the feeling among developers that they were seen by Apple as "cannon fodder" for the desktop version of OS X.

Perhaps the most visible reaction was on the Stepwise Web site, long a nexus for WebObjects and Next developers; the broadside "Head for the Ramparts," published in early 2000, expressed the collective anger at what was seen as their abandonment by Apple.

However, even some of the most disgruntled developers seemed to have had most of their concerns addressed in recent builds of OS X Server. The new, integrated features, promised support for most of the new Apple hardware and even a public Web site for OS X Server all point to a higher profile for and commitment to the operating system.

"I'm really quite excited by OS X Server," said Scott Anguish, editor of the Stepwise site and a long-time developer. "I had originally planned on just running OS X 1.0 for my servers since I didn't think I'd need the extra features...but the extensions that have been made to Apache (caching of static pages, is a big one) really does make it attractive."

Pricing and Availability?
Still, there are some unanswered questions. Apple representatives declined to comment on pricing and whether OS X Server will be available as a package to install over the desktop version of OS X or solely as a stand-alone OS, though beta testers have reported evidence of the former.

Also, the upgrade path from current to the next version of OS X Server (which, oddly, will put users in the position of moving from the existing "OS X Server 1.2" to "OS X Server") is still not clear.

"OS X Server can utilize and maintain existing file and Web content, mail data and user and group information from both AppleShare IP 6.3 and OS X Server 1.2 installations," replied an Apple representative in an e-mail correspondence.

However, what this will mean to a corporate IT manager remains to be seen.

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