Apple Issues OS X Server 2.2 Update With App Update Caching, Time Machine Monitoring, And More

Apple has released a big update for all OS X Server users on Mountain Lion. Version 2.2 adds a number of notable features, including the ability to cache app and software updates in the Mac App Store for faster downloads. Administrators can also monitor multiple Time Machines connected to different Macs on the same network and see when they last backed up.

OS X Server is the next generation of Apple’s award winning server software. Designed for OS X and iOS devices, OS X Server makes it easy to share files, schedule meetings, synchronize contacts, host your own website, publish wikis, configure Macs, iPhones and iPads, remotely access your network, and more.

Server is now an application you can add to Mountain Lion right from the Mac App Store. Anyone can quickly and easily turn a Mac running Mountain Lion into a server that’s perfect for home offices, businesses, schools, and hobbyists alike.

Release notes for this latest update:

Caching service

• Introduces a new feature called the Caching service, which speeds up the download of software distributed by Apple through the Mac App Store. It caches both software updates and purchased apps from the Mac App Store. For more information about the Caching service, choose Server Help in the Help menu.

Server app

• Addresses an issue in which attempting to change the blacklist server used by the Mail service might not work.
• Includes general enhancements.

Adaptive Firewall

• Addresses an issue that caused an exception to be raised when using the hb_summary tool.

Calendar service

• Addresses an issue in which Calendar invitations were always sent in English.
• Includes general enhancements.

Mail service

• Addresses an issue in which freshclam and clamav do not provide logs about upgraded systems.
• Resolves an issue in which the quota hard limit was not being respected.
• Addresses an issue in which certain settings weren’t maintained when upgrading from a previous version of OS X Server.

Contacts service

• Corrects an issue in which under certain circumstances, the service would not start when using a non-default location for the data store.
• Adds the ability to search for records containing non-English characters.

Messages service

• Resolves an issue where under certain circumstances, the service would not start when using a non-default location for the data store.

Profile Manager

• Adds the ability to use Active Directory groups with Profile Manager.
• Adds the ability to delete apps uploaded to Profile Manager.
• Includes performance and other general enhancements.

Additional Information:
The DHCP service may not automatically start when updating from a previous version of OS X Server configured to use the DHCP service. If this occurs, open Server app and start the service manually.

OS X Server v2.2 now stores Postgres data needed by services in its own database (“/Library/Server/PostgreSQL For Server Services” by default). If you migrate from a previous version of OS X Server, system Postgres data will be migrated from /Library/Server/PostgreSQL to “/Library/Server/PostgreSQL For Server Services”. Any custom content you may have created in /Library/Server/PostgreSQL will remain there after upgrading to OS X Server v2.2. If you wish to access this data, or if you’re installing OS X Server v2.2 for the first time and wish to create new Postgres data, you may need to start the service with this command:

sudo serveradmin start postgres

This will start a Postgres process separate from the one used by services, which can be used to serve your own content.

You can download OS X Server in the Mac App Store for $20.

Source: Apple