EarthWeb: Apple’s Mac OS X Tiger is a ‘serious enterprise operating system, a pivotal release’
Friday, May 06, 2005 - 03:37 PM EDT"On April 29, Apple released the latest iterations of Mac OS X, version 10.4, aka 'Tiger.' While features such as Spotlight, Dashboard and Automator have received the majority of the, well...spotlight, there are a number of features in Mac OS X 10.4 Server that will please any sysadmin, especially those in a heterogenous environment," John Welch writes for EarthWeb.
"Apple has implemented a lot of new features in Mac OS X 10.4 Server and, happily, almost all of them are things that Mac sysadmins have been asking for. The kernel has been extensively updated, with the benefit that previous "funnel" structures which serialized all network operations are now effectively gone, meaning that network operations can be much more efficient and multithreaded network applications should run better. The kernel modifications also allow for a feature that sysadmins have wanted in Mac OS X for a while now: Access Control lists, or ACLs," Welch writes.
"Along with the Windows compatibility for ACLs comes increased Windows integration. Setting up Tiger Server as a member server in an Active Directory realm is now far easier and more reliable. Mac OS X 10.4 Server now supports Kerberos and NTLMv2 authentication for Windows clients, so from the Windows side, single sign-on is much more reliable for users accessing SMB shares on a Mac OS X 10.4 Server. This Kerberos integration is also present in Mac OS X 10.4's SMB client, so if your Mac running Mac OS X 10.4 is a part of an Active Directory realm, you now get single sign-on convenience when accessing Windows file servers," Welch writes.
"Mac OS X 10.4 is possibly the most extensive change Apple has made to Mac OS X since it was first released. This is not an update that you can jump on without planning. I think it's a great update, but it has so many changes that you simply cannot assume that everything will work right. Cisco VPN users who jumped into Mac OS X 10.4 are now very unhappy they did. Obviously, updates and patches will be coming, but Mac OS X 10.4 is definitely a "measure twice, cut once" update. I've been very happy with it, but I also haven't moved my Macs on to it yet," Welch writes. "Once the problems that occur with any major OS update have been ironed out, Mac OS X 10.4 is going to be viewed as a pivotal release for Apple, and one that will go a long way to making it an even better player in the enterprise."
Full article here.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
RUMOR: Apple to release Mac OS X 10.4.1 Tiger Update by mid to late-May - May 06, 2005
BusinessWeek: 'Tiger bolsters Mac OS X's edge as the best personal-computer operating system' - May 06, 2005
The Guardian: Mac OS X Tiger a powerful solution while Microsoft's Longhorn remains on drawing board - May 06, 2005
Chicago Sun-Times: Mac OS X Tiger shows 'there's never been a more compelling time to switch to Mac' - May 05, 2005
Dan Gillmor: 'With Mac OS X Tiger, Apple is plainly in the lead today' - May 05, 2005
Jupiter Research VP: Apple's Mac OS X Tiger 'runs rings around Microsoft Windows' - May 04, 2005
The Independent: Apple's 'faster, smarter, simpler' Mac OS X Tiger 'a must-have' - May 04, 2005
Mac OS X Tiger review for a Windows PC audience finds Tiger's 'far, far better than Windows XP' - May 03, 2005
Longhorn mentioned in nearly every Apple Mac OS X Tiger review to assuage Windows masses - May 02, 2005
Boston Herald: Mac OS X Tiger should compel Windows PC users to think about switching to Apple Mac - May 02, 2005
Mac OS X Tiger will likely improve performance of your Macintosh - April 30, 2005
PC World review gives Apple's Mac OS X Tiger 4.5 stars out of 5 - April 30, 2005
Forrester analysts: Apple should advertise Mac OS X Tiger on television and in movie theaters - April 29, 2005
Ars Technica: Mac OS X Tiger 'at least twice as significant as any single past update' - April 28, 2005
BusinessWeek: 'Tiger bolsters Mac OS X's edge as the best personal-computer operating system around' - April 28, 2005
Associated Press: Mac OS X Tiger 'provides another excellent incentive to switch from Windows' - April 28, 2005
Mossberg: Apple's Tiger 'the best, most advanced personal computer operating system on the market' - April 28, 2005
InformationWeek columnist: Apple's Mac OS X Tiger 'a compelling upgrade' - April 28, 2005
NY Times: Apple's Mac OS X Tiger is the most secure, stable and satisfying OS on earth - April 28, 2005
Wired News: Apple's Mac OS X Tiger 'full of welcome surprises' - April 27, 2005
Apple posts QuickTime movies of Mac OS X Tiger features in action - April 13, 2005
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