Apple Announces Mac OS X Server “Tiger”
Shipping April 29 With Support for 64-bit Applications, iChat Server,
Weblog Server & Xgrid
CUPERTINO, California-April 12, 2005-Apple today announced that Mac OS X
Server version 10.4 “Tiger” will be available on Friday, April 29, at the
same time as the Mac OS X version 10.4 “Tiger” desktop version. The next
major release of Apple’s award-winning, UNIX-based server operating system,
Tiger Server integrates over 100 leading open source projects and
standards-based software applications with easy-to-use management tools
that make it easy to deploy for Mac, Windows and Linux clients. Tiger
Server has over 200 new features including native support for 64-bit
applications, ideal for high performance computing; iChat Server to deploy
secure instant messaging within an organization; Weblog Server that makes
it simple to publish and share weblogs (blogs); and Xgrid to make it easy
to turn a group of Macs into a virtual supercomputer.
“Tiger Server continues Apple’s blazing pace of innovation and is the best
release of Mac OS X Server yet,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice
president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “With no client access fees and
over 100 open source projects combined with Apple’s legendary ease of use,
Tiger Server is the clear choice for all Mac and PC workgroups and an ideal
alternative to Windows and Linux servers.”
Tiger Server brings the power of 64-bit computing to mainstream servers.
For the first time, applications can unleash 64-bit performance when
accessing massive amounts of memory through 64-bit addressing and also
undertake high precision math calculations with 64-bit optimized math
libraries, at the same time as running 32-bit applications. Combined with
Apple’s Power Mac G5 or Xserve G5, Tiger Server offers an affordable,
easy-to-manage solution for the most demanding high performance scientific,
technical and creative computing needs.
Tiger Server also includes a brand new iChat Server designed for
organizations that need to keep internal communication private. iChat
Server integrates within an organization’s existing directory services,
uses SSL/TSL encryption to ensure privacy, works with Apple’s popular iChat
conferencing software in Tiger and is compatible with open source Jabber
clients available on Windows, Linux and popular PDAs.
Weblog Server is fully compatible with Safari in Tiger and makes it easy
for non-technical individuals to publish and syndicate content using their
existing web browsers. It supports calendar-based navigation, user and
group blogs and HTML, RSS, RSS2, RDF or ATOM protocols. Weblog Server can
integrate with Open Directory, LDAP and access control lists for
authentication and comes with several Apple-designed blog themes.
Tiger is the first operating system to include a built-in distributed
computing architecture for both the desktop and server versions. Both Tiger
and Tiger Server include Xgrid, Apple’s easy-to-use solution for
distributed computing. Xgrid makes it easy to turn an ad hoc group of Macs
into a virtual supercomputer by streamlining the process of assembling
nodes, submitting jobs, and retrieving results. With Xgrid, scientists,
animators and digital content creators can easily run a single job across
multiple computers at once, dramatically improving performance and
responsiveness.
Other new features in Tiger Server include:
* support for Access Control Lists and native file permissions of Windows
XP and Windows Server 2003 Active Directory environments that provide a
more flexible permissions model to give administrators better control over
files, folders and network services in mixed platform environments;
* Software Update Server that saves on network costs and avoids bandwidth
bottlenecks by letting system administrators host their own proxy/cache
server to control the availability of Apple’s software updates;
* Adaptive Junk Mail Filtering with virus detection and quarantine helps
protect all clients connected to the mail server from viruses and unwanted
junk email;
* Gateway Setup Assistant to make it easier for small business and home
office users to set up complex network services, including DHCP, NAT, DNS,
port routing, firewall and VPN services; and
* Ethernet Link Aggregation and Network Interface Failover that support
the IEEE 802.3ad standard to increase potential I/O performance and
eliminate single points of failure by allowing multiple network interfaces
to appear as a single interface.
Pricing & Availability
Mac OS X Server version 10.4 “Tiger” will be available on April 29 at
Apple’s retail stores and through Apple Authorized Resellers for a
suggested retail price of $499 (US) for a 10-client edition and $999 (US)
for an unlimited-client edition. Visitors to the Apple Store
(www.apple.com) can pre-order copies of Tiger Server beginning today and
current subscribers to the Apple Maintenance Program will receive Tiger
Server as part of their service agreement. Volume and maintenance pricing
is available from Apple. The standard Mac OS Up-To-Date upgrade package is
available to all customers who purchase a new Xserve G5 system from Apple
or an Apple Authorized Reseller on or after April 12 for a shipping and
handling fee of $9.95 (US). Tiger Server is included with Apple’s powerful
Xserve G5 rack-mount server hardware and can run on any Macintosh computer
with a PowerPC G5, G4, or G3 processor, a minimum 256MB RAM; built-in
FireWire and at least 4GB of available disk space.
Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple
II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh.
Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its
award-winning desktop and notebook computers, OS X operating system, and
iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital
music revolution with its iPod portable music players and iTunes online
music store.