Apple today previewed Mac OS X 10.3 “Panther” Server, the next major release of Apple’s UNIX-based server operating system. Panther Server includes “powerful open source solutions and innovative, easy to use server management capabilities.” New features in Panther Server include Automatic Setup for easily setting up multiple servers; Open Directory 2 for hosting scalable LDAP directory and Kerberos authentication services; Samba 3 for providing login and home directory support for Windows clients; and the JBoss application server for running powerful J2EE applications. Mac OS X 10.3 Panther Server will be available by the end of this year for US$499 for a 10-client edition and $999 for an unlimited-client edition.