OS X Server 5 (for El Capitan and Yosemite) sees little change with the FTP Service. Instead of sharing out each directory the new incantation of the FTP service allows administrators to share a single directory out. This directory can be any share that has previously been configured in the File Sharing service or a website configured in the Websites service. To setup FTP, first open the Server app and then click on the FTP service. Once open, use the Share: drop-down list to select a share that already exists (output of sharing -l basically) and click on one of the shares or Custom to create a new share for FTP.…
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Use Time Machine Server in OS X Server 5
The Time Machine service in OS X Server 5 hasn’t changed much from the service in previous operating systems. To enable the Time Machine service, open the Server app, click on Time Machine in the SERVICES sidebar. If the service hasn’t been enabled to date, the ON/OFF switch will be in the OFF position and no “Backup destination” will be shown in the Settings pane. Click on the ON button to see the New Destination screen, used to configure a list of volumes as a destinations for Time Machine backups. The selection volume should be large enough to have space for all of the users that can potentially use the Time…
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Configure Messages Server in OS X Server 5
Getting started with Messages Server couldn’t really be easier. Messages Server in the OS X Server 5 version of the Server app uses the open source jabber project as their back-end code base. The jabber binary is located at /Applications/Server.app/Contents/ServerRoot/private/var/jabberd directory and the autobuddy binary is at /Applications/Server.app/Contents/ServerRoot/usr/bin/jabber_autobuddy. The actual jabberd binary is also stored at /Applications/Server.app/Contents/ServerRoot/usr/libexec/jabberd, where there are a couple of perl scripts used to migrate the service between various versions as well. Setting up the Messages service is simple. Open the Server app and click on Messages in the Server app sidebar.  Click on the Edit… button for the Permissions. Here, define which users and interfaces are allowed…
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Using the serverinfo Command in OS X Server 5
OS X Server 5 (for El Capitan and Yosemite) comes with the /usr/sbin/serverinfo command (introduced in Mountain Lion Server). The serverinfo command is useful when programmatically obtaining information about the very basic state of an Apple Server. The first option indicates whether the Server app has been downloaded from the app store, which is the –software option: serverinfo --software When used, this option reports the following if the Server.app can be found: This system has server software installed. Or if the software cannot be found, the following is indicated: This system does NOT have server software installed. The –productname option determines the name of the software app: serverinfo --productname If…
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Troubleshooting Apache, Proxies, and Tomcat in OS X Server 5
OS X Server 5 dropped last week. It’s the first time I’ve seen an OS X Server version drop before an OS release. I’m guessing there was an impetus to get it out the door before OS X 10.11 ships, so that caching and software update servers can facilitate quicker adoption and tools like Profile Manager will work on 0-day. But, there are some funny issues that are popping up. One of these is OS X Server usurping some ports that would otherwise potentially be used by other tools. Notably for Casper administrators, this includes port 8443. So here are some issues I’ve seen with Apache in the latest OS…
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Promote an Open Directory Master in OS X Server 5
Open Directory has never been so easy to setup for a basic environment as it is in OS X Server 5 (for OS X 10.11 El Capitan and OS X 10.10 Yosemite). It’s also never been so annoyingly simple to use that to do anything cool requires a bunch of command line foo. No offense to the developers, but this whole idea that the screens that were being continually refined for a decade just need to be thrown out and started fresh seems to have led to a few babies thrown out along with them. Not often as I’m kinda’ digging most of the new config screens in OS X Server…
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Ask serveradmin If an Open Directory Certificate Authority is Available
The serveradmin command has an option to run commands. I’ve talked about these in past articles, for doing tasks like asking how many concurrent NFS connections are open on a host. Well, here’s another, and it’s a simple command. Here, we’re going to look at whether the Open Directory server has a CA. To do so, we’ll use the serveradmin command, along with the command verb. Then, we’ll add the certs option, followed by command= and then the payload of the command. In this case that’s isODCAPresent: sudo serveradmin command certs:command = isODCAPresent This is a simple, informational command, similar to the web:command of getSites or the mail:command of getConnectedUsers.…
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Mavericks Server: Enable APNS Debug Logging
Troubleshooting push notification communications between OS X Server and Apple’s Push Notification can be a challenge. Especially with Profile Manager. One great tip I’ve learned over the years is that the APNS daemon, apsd, has a debug mode. To enable APNS debug logging, run these commands: defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.apsd APSLogLevel -int 7 defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.apsd APSWriteLogs -bool TRUE killall apsd Then use tail -f to watch the apsd.log file at /Library/Logs/apsd.log. Be wary, as this can fill up your system. So to disable, use these commands: defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.apsd APSWriteLogs -bool FALSE defaults delete /Library/Preferences/com.apple.apsd APSLogLevel killall apsd
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Automatically let users install printers
A scripty way to install a printer: sudo /usr/sbin/lpadmin -p MYPRINTERNAME -L "" -E -v lpd://MYPRINTERIPADDRESS -P MYPRINTERPPDFILE So if you create a file called installprinter.terminal and then paste this command in there, it’ll install the printer. You’d need to change the items in all caps for it to run. Another way would be to use Profile Manager. There, you’d setup a basic profile manager server and then use the Printer profile (see screenshot) to install the printer. Then users can just double-click on the profile, install it to their printers and use it. That’s the modern/best/easiest way IMHO.
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Take Control Of OS X Server (Yosemite) Now Available
I’ve been light on posting here, mostly because I’ve been swamped with work, selling my old house, buying a new house, doing some crazy taxes, wrapping production on a new book and updating the Take Control of OS X Server book to Yosemite Server. Well, earlier this week I sold my house, got the next version of Bushel ready to rock and filed my taxes. Aaaaannnnnndddddd, the Yosemite version of Take Control Of OS X Server is now available at http://tid.bl.it/1xuCJUC. Boom. Will get back to my normally scheduled postings shortly!