OS X Server

Apple’s tradition of making things simple makes its server technology helpful at home, not just in businesses

or a decade or so, Apple’s Xserve, running OS X Server, was the platform of choice among many system administrators. Now the Xserve is gone, but OS X Server remains a powerful and flexible tool for running a large network. You can run it on any Mac, even the Mac mini, which makes sense because it doesn't need the raw power of the Mac Pro, nor the displays which come with the iMac, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air.

Setting it up is straightforward, thanks to walkthrough instructions. And once it’s up and running, you can create users and groups and manage the way they share files using SMB 3, OS X Server's file sharing protocol.

FOne server, many services

Administrators can set up Mail, Contacts and Calendars accounts for clients, configure system settings and passwords, and restrict who has access to each resource. Those clients can be Macs, PCs or iOS devices. There’s also the option of enabling VPN (Virtual Private Network) connections back to your network.

Also useful at home, the Caching service caches downloads from the App Store, iTunes and Apple's other download services, so