• Mac OS X Server

    Install OS X Server

    Installing Mavericks Server is about as easy as installing Keynote. First, open the Mac App Store and search for OS X Server. Then, click the button to buy the software, or if you’ve already purchased the software click on the Install button. The Server app downloads to your /Applications directory which you can watch happen by watching the status in LaunchPad. Once the download is finished, click on the Server app in LaunchPad or open the Server app to start the initial configuration wizard. When you first click on the Server app, you will be prompted to setup your server. Click Continue. Agree to the licensing agreement by clicking Agree.…

  • Mac OS X,  Mac OS X Server,  Mac Security

    Provide VPN Services Using Mavericks Server

    OS X Server has long had a VPN service that can be run. The server is capable of running the two most commonly used VPN protocols: PPTP and L2TP. The L2TP protocol is always in use, but the server can run both concurrently. You should use L2TP when at all possible. Sure, “All the great themes have been used up and turned into theme parks.” But security is a theme that it never hurts to keep in the forefront of your mind. If you were thinking of exposing the other services in Mavericks Server to the Internet without having users connect to a VPN service then you should think again,…

  • Mac OS X Server

    Configure Mavericks Server To Be An Open Directory Master

    Open Directory has never been so easy to setup for a basic environment as it is in OS X Mavericks Server (OS X 10.9, Server app 3). 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 Mavericks Server, but with Open…