• Mac OS X Server,  Mac Security,  Time Machine

    Using ServerBackup to Backup Lion Servers

    ServerBackup is a new command included in Lion Server, located in the /usr/sbin/ServerBackup directory. The ServerBackup command is used to backup the server settings for services running on a Lion Server. The command is pretty easy and straight forward to use, but does require you to be using Time Machine in order to actually run. In the most basic form, ServerBackup is invoked to run a backup using the backup command. Commands are prefixed with a -cmd followed by the actual command. As you might be able to guess, the commandlet to fire off a backup is backup. The backup command requires a -source option which will almost always be…

  • iPhone,  Mac OS X Server,  Mac Security,  Mass Deployment,  SQL

    Working with Postgres from the Command Line in Lion Server

    Mac OS X Server 10.7, Lion Server, comes with a few substantial back-end changes. One of these is the move from SQLite3 to PostgreSQL for many of the back-end databases, including Wiki and Podcast Producer (collab), Webmail (roundcubemail), iCal Server and Address Book Server (caldav) and as the back-end to the newest service in Lion Server, Profile Manager (device_management). As such, it’s now important to be able to use PostgreSQL the way we once used SQLite3, when trying to augment the data that these databases contains, as there currently aren’t a lot of options for editing this data (aside from manually of course). Postgres has a number of commands that…

  • Final Cut Server,  Xsan

    Accessing the Final Cut Server Database Remotely

    Before I get started: By remote, I mean from another machine – I sincerely hope that you will not be opening your Final Cut Server database to the WAN.  So again, please be careful with this as there is no security around the database and you will be limiting access via IP for now. This article lays the beginning framework for a series (no promises on when the next in the series will be posted) on clustering the stored role of Final Cut Server, which provides the database (back end functionality) of Final Cut Server. All of this is done using built in tools for Final Cut Server. Don’t do…

  • Mac OS X

    Daylite 3.9

    Daylite 3.9 is actually a fairly substantial update from 3.8. This mainly stems from the fact that 3.9 uses PostgreSQL rather than OpenBase, and it runs Postgres on a dedicated server (not that this increases complexity too much as it’s going to discover those databases using Bonjour). This gives the application speed and the developers a number of new options they hadn’t had before. The MarketCircle developers will likely be able to come to market with new changes faster, thus being able to make you more productive with your productivity app. Also expect more 3rd party developers. Why? Because PostgreSQL is way more popular than OpenBase, is flexible for exchanging…

  • Final Cut Server

    Final Cut Server: PostgreSQL and FCS

      The database that stores the configuration information and assets that you are using with Final Cut Server is built in PostgreSQL.  The name of the PostgreSQL database is px.  The implementation of PostgreSQL that runs on Mac OS X for Final Cut Server uses port 5433 by default, although only through the localhost.  There are two sets of PostgreSQL binaries on a Final Cut Server.  The first is in the /Library/Application Support/Final Cut Server/Final Cut Server.bundle/Contents/PostgreSQL/bin directory.  However, the tools here do not function.  Use the PostgreSQL binary files to manage the database located in the /System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/rmdb.bundle/bin directory.  The actual database information is stored in /var/db/FinalCutServer. Given the above…