Getting Started With Mac OS X Server
Technology Overview
Mac OS X Server combines the most popular open source server technologies with Apple's easy-to-use setup, management, and monitoring tools. It comes with an extensive suite of services for supporting Mac, Windows, and mixed-client environments in businesses, departments, and educational institutions. And because it's all based on open standards, Mac OS X Server integrates easily with existing networks.
Start Here
Before you begin to write any code, it’s a good idea to become familiar with the features of OS X Server. If you haven’t already done so, read the product overview, the administration guides, and the developer introduction.
Choose a Learning Path
Mac OS X Server, based on the open source Darwin project and expanded through the integration of many industry-standard open-source services, provides many opportunities for you to add functionality in the form of scripts, plug-ins, and applications, and even to extend the capabilities of the operating system itself.
If you are an in-house developer who, in keeping with the best UNIX traditions, needs to extend or modify the services provided by Mac OS X Server, start by viewing the Apple Server Solutions site for Mac OS X Server to see the wide range of options open to you.
Providing Access to Network File Services
If you want your application to take advantage of networked file sharing services, read Apple Filing Protocol Programming Guide to learn the AFP file system structure and the AFP commands for manipulating files on a server. If you want your application to take advantage of Open Directory for centralized LDAP directory-based resource management, read Open Directory Programming Guide. If you want your application to include directory services, read Open Directory Plug-in Programming Guide to learn how to create customized Open Directory plug-in libraries.
Providing Access to Network Printing Services
If you want your application to take advantage of Mac OS X Server’s managed network printing services based on the Common UNIX Printing System (CUPS), read Getting Started with Printing.
Hosting Web Content
Web hosting services in Mac OS X Server are provided by an Apple-optimized version of the open source Apache web server. Streaming multimedia content over the Web is supported by Apple’s open source QuickTime Steaming Server.
If you want to embed dynamic logic in your HTML code as server-side includes or common gateway interface (CGI) scripts, see the Apache documentation site. Many good books on CGI scripting are available, among them CGI Programming with Perl, Second Edition, from O’Reilly & Associates. If you prefer to use Java for your dynamic code, you can create JavaServer Pages (JSPs) and Java servlets, both supported by Tomcat and a robust Java virtual machine (JVM). See the Apache Tomcat site for further information. If your application needs to display multimedia content streamed over the Internet from the QuickTime Streaming Server (QTSS), read QuickTime Streaming Guide for information on creating streams from live sources and on creating, serving, and receiving streamed content, and QuickTime Streaming Server Modules Programming Guide for information on adding your own functionality to change or extend the capabilities of QTSS.
Next Steps
The Mac OS X Server Reference Library includes the following high-level resource pages, which can be bookmarked for easy access:
Guides Conceptual and how-to information for Mac OS X Server. Reference Focused, detailed descriptions in reference format for Mac OS X Server. Release Notes Late-breaking news about new or changed features in technologies related to Mac OS X Server. Sample Code Examples of small programs to get you started on the right foot with Mac OS X Server. Technical Notes Supplementary documentation on specific Mac OS X Server issues. Technical Q&As Design information and FAQs by Apple’s support engineers. Mailing Lists The Mac OS X Server mailing list (macos-x-serversystem-imagingclient-management
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