Mac OS X Server Essentials v10.6

I recently purchased a Mac Mini Server to replace some old hardware I have running linux. I thought, being a Mac, that this would be a very simple server to use an probably not need any additional documentation to run. I have been used to doing things in a very low level way and I kept trying to use the beautiful interface that Snow Leopard Server offered but then tweek things by hand. My servers I have been running for over 20 years are not very fancy and I had never configured directory services. I messed things up enough to the point where I reinstalled Snow Leopard Server a total of 5 times as I would mess things up again and again in my ignorance. I decided that I needed some help and while reading the Apple Documentation was helpful, I needed more.This book has been perfect for me. It is very easy to read. It has pictures where they are needed and each chapter has an exercise that can be completed to learn the concepts. Since I had already set up my server and was using it to host several web sites, I could not follow the exercises verbatium but it was easy to transfer the ideas to my live server. This book has made things click for me and the server is humming along now. I am confident that the things I do won't mess it up now as I have a clear idea on what I need to do to accomplish the things I need to do.I highly recommend this book to folks new to Snow Leopard Server.

"Apple Training Series: Mac OS X Server Essentials v. 10.6" is just what it says it is: a book on how to get Mac OS X 10.6 Server up and running, and how to configure it to support different types of environments and users. It is organized into major topics according to server services (mail services, file services, Web services, etc.), and richly illustrated with screen shots.As the book is frequently used in classroom settings, every chapter has a classroom-style review section. But the book is not written as a textbook; you can skip around from topic to topic and use it as a "how to" guide.The book assumes you are familiar with the concept of server services and have either a Mac OS X or Unix/Linux background. None of the topics is covered exhaustively, and some services -- the firewall, for example -- are essentially not covered at all. The emphasis is on getting Mac OS X 10.6 Server up and running quickly and supporting users.On the whole, it is an excellent introductory volume. I would have preferred a better index, and almost every chapter could easily be expanded into a whole book. But judging the book on its intended audience and purpose, it is a winner.

I purchased this book to prepare for Apple's ACTC certification. I was also hoping that it would provide a useful introduction to some of the general concepts about server administration. However, I was ultimately disappointed about the book's usefulness in the later regard.The book covers most of the major functionality that is included in Mac OS X Server 10.6. It provides useful descriptions of available features and incredibly detailed setup guides that take you through the setup and configuration of each service with extra detail for directory services and authentication/permissions setup.The author uses both screen shots and text instructions to illustrate each procedure. These make the book easy enough to follow along even if you don't have access to a non-production server to play around with.My only major complaint was that the author doesn't always go into detail about why you would want to select a certain option over another, especially in areas where the computing environment needs to be taken into account (All Mac clients, All Win clients, etc.). This kind of detail would have made the book more useful as reference for real-world applications.That said, if you're needing study material to help prepare to take Apple's Certified Technical Coordinator certification tests, this is the book that you need.

I bought this book because I was having problems setting up my 10.6 server (after having last done such work with 10.3). All together I was disappointed with the book. I could not learn anything from it that was not in the help and hints on the server itself (or in the Apple support pages). It's very basic. Beyond that, for real problems, Google searches and blogs offer much more.It could well be helpful to people who are preparing for a certification test or just don't know much about servers. There are introductions to each section which attempt to explain what the server does in each respect (AFP, mail, chat, etc.). I hope it helps some people.I bought the book as a medium-advanced server admin who inherited a server in a bad state and needed to clean it up. This book offers no help for working out of bad configurations. (In the end I simply reinstalled the OS). So if you are anything but a beginner take a look around at the books on the market and Apple's own online documentation. (Apple offers a near 300-page pdf file for administering OS X Snow Leopard and it's quite detailed and high-quality.)

THe way the ordered goods were packaged should be improved, since all the ordered books, containing CD's, were delivered in a post bag. This caused the books to get damaged, luckily the CD's didn't got damaged.

I like this book a lot! Makes a great reference and takes you through setting up a Mac Server and Network from ground zero. I have, yet, to truly study it for testing but am looking forward to it.

Passed the test in December. Took a class that was instructed by one of the authors but even without that, the book was very helpful. Very easy to grasp the content.

Gutes Buch, es werden fast alle Dienste des Server bahandelt, hätte mir gewünscht das Sie etwas auf einen Server eingehen, aber drinnen wird beschrieben wie man zwei server aufsetzt und miteinander Verbindet. Im kleinen Unternehmen hat man oft nur einen Server.