Setting Up File Services In OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion Server
Sabelia Ewings
I am looking to create a Secondary Server, so if the Main Server goes down the Secondary Server may be able to maintain the clients working with no interruption or just a small gap (10 - 15 minutes for example).
I would like to know if you have any suggestion regarding backup tools and also ask how to create the backup Server on a way that if the main server goes down the backup server will supply our clients without them noticing that the main server went down.
For backup, does the client need something they can hold in their hand ? Any HIPAA or other privacy requirements ? Rotated external drives might do the trick but keep in mind that Time Machine volumes are not encrypted by default, and if they are that will increase the time for backups - the data & extent of change(s) to that data will have direct bearing on this. Testing with your data is called for.
ServerBackup Usage:
ServerBackup supports the following options:
-cmd backup -source SOURCE_VOLUME : Will start the backup process for the supplied
SOURCE_VOLUME. This should always be / for Server.
e.g.; ServerBackup -cmd backup -source
Note: the SOURCE_VOLUME for backup must be at version $MINVER or later.
-cmd browse -path PATH -service SERVICE: Will obtain browse listing of service SERVICE.
SERVICE can be specified as [all] to get all service browsable items.
e.g.; ServerBackup -cmd browse -path /Volumes/xxx/Backups.backupdb/xxx.sparseimage -service sharePoints
-cmd list : Displays a list of the backup snapshots in the backup repository for this system.
-cmd listVerbose : Displays a list of the backup snapshots in the backup repository for this system, uses options -Alh.
-cmd purgeSnapShot -path SNAPSHOT_PATH : This will remove the snapshot at path SNAPSHOT_PATH
NOTE: Use with care!!!
-cmd prefs : Validate or create settings for ServerAdmin backup.
-cmd postBackupComplete : Remove the /.ServerBackups backup folder from the root drive.
-cmd destination : Show current destination for backup. Can be a local volume or a network volume.
-cmd restore -path PATH -target DESTINATION_VOLUME : Will start the restore process with
the supplied PATH for the indicated
DESTINATION_VOLUME. Note: the DESTINATION_VOLUME is always /
e.g.; ServerBackup -cmd restore -path / -target /
Since data could be overwritten
this should be used with care. Also, any special
service handling should be considered!!!
Use with care!!!
Note: the DESTINATION_VOLUME for restore must be version $MINVER or later.
-cmd services : Lists the names of services.
-cmd size : Calculates the size requirements for doing a backup.
The line returned represents the number of Kilobytes required for storage.
e.g. total := 1872
-cmd version : Returns version information for this binary.
e.g. Server Backup (ServerBackup), Apple Inc., Version 10.8
-cmd verify -path PATH -service SERVICE : Will verify the live data against the snapshot
for the service SERVICE.
e.g.; ServerBackup -cmd verify -path /Volumes/xxx/Backups.backupdb/HOSTNAME/SNAPSHOT -service sharePoints
We have a lot of customers who use their Mac mini as a VPN server.This works great when you need an IP address in the US, or a secure internet connection on the road, or a number of other reasons. When Apple released Lion, they changed the setup a bit. By default, Lion Server VPN will distribute IP addresses in the same range the Mac itself uses. This doesn't work well in a facility like Macminicolo where each Mac mini has a static WAN IP address.
This tutorial will show how to make the Mac mini an internet gateway that assigns a LAN IP range to connected VPN clients. This tutorial was created on Lion 10.7.1, and proven to continue working when upgraded to 10.7.2. Read over the steps below, and then follow each one closely. (Update: Since posting this tutorial, Apple has also put together a similiar approach here. We also create a tutorial for setting up VPN on Mountain Lion Server as well. And here is one for VPN on a Mavericks Server)
Server:
Before we start the process, be sure you have downloaded and installed the Server Admin Tools for Lion. Those can be found on the Apple Support site here.
Next we will enable the VPN server. Your Shared Secret will be shared with any of the clients that you allow to connect:
Next will be a window where you can confirm the settings and continue. When it's done, it will be reported as complete:
The Gateway Setup should now be done and the four services should be enabled with green dots. First, go to the Firewall setting and be sure your proper ports are open. This would include the ARD ports so you can access the machine remotely and check all the VPN L2TP ports so you can connect to the new VPN server you are setting up. Or, you can choose to allow all traffic. Then Save:
Go to the DNS service in Server Admin and set the Forwarder IP Addresses to the DNS addresses that your Mac mini uses. (For Macminicolo customers, that is 66.209.64.20 and 66.209.64.21):
You can now close Server Admin. Next, open up Server.app and go to the VPN service. The service will be running already but we need to make two changes. First, we will need to change the subnet. It will default to 192.168.1.x, but it must be 192.168.2.x. Next, you can decide the range of IPs that you want to assign. For instance, if you anticipate 50 users, you would use a range of fifty. (ie, 192.168.2.100 - 192.168.2.150) Below are two screenshots of how it will look at first, and then how it will look after you change it.
At this point, disable the VPN Server, wait 20 seconds, and enable it again.
If you go back to your network settings, you'll see that the IP address has changed from what you originally set. Also, you'll see that it's 192.168.1.x and not 192.168.2.x. Both of these are correct changes. Don't alter them.
If it doesn't connect right away, you may try the Terminal command again, and disabling/enabling the VPN service. Sometimes it takes a couple tries to rewrite the plist.
If you try to connect from behing an Apple router (Airport Extreme or Airport Express) it may report that the server is unreachable. I wish I could give you a fix for this, but it looks to be a bug with the way the AE handles NAT, Back to my Mac, VPNs, and the mix of them. Hoping this will be fixed with an AE firmeware update.)
Setting up the client in OS X is just like any other VPN, but here are a couple tips. First, it will be done in the Network Settings. Create a new VPN interface with the "+" button and put in your settings. (this will include your server address and VPN account name:
This tutorial got a lot of help from Rusty Ross, a great consultant that works with some customers here at Macminicolo. (Let us know if you'd like to be referred.) If you have questions, you can find us on Twitter @macminicolo. And if you're looking for somewhere safe and connected to place a VPN server, checkout our prices to host a Mac mini with us.
@perrycj Do you know if the setting will stick after updating Server.app? I tried relocating the directory in a previous version of OS X Server ( I think it was under Mountain Lion or Yosemite), and whenever I would update Server.app it would revert back to the default location in the boot drive, which didn't have enough space (SSD).
Since I had to reconfigure my storage, I did a clean install of the OS + Server.app. The command was there with the previous edition of Server.app, and after I had updated it to v. 5.2 to test your method before I did the clean install.
Software Update service is also not listed in Server.app sidebar even though its folder is present in /Library/Server with the base config plist. The service was listed when I did the initial test after updating the app before I did the clean installation.
If you want to relocate all /Library/Server directory data to another drive in one fell swoop, select your server from the sidebar, then go to Settings tab, and click the "Change Location..." button under Service Data.
However, just be aware that, in the past, I've had some trouble when I've updated Server app after relocating the data. It would give me error messages about Profile Manager and Wiki server even though I never even switched on those services. I don't know if that is still true with the latest versions of Server app.
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I use the server for several purposes. For some purposes a dedicated may seem a bit like overkill (especially since I also have a Time Capsule, which is able to do basic network configuration and file serving), but for some purposes a dedicated server is necessary. Basically, I used my old server to act as
When you start up the Server Admin, you get a picture like the one to the right (click for larger version). We basically have an overview of servers (to the left) and a bunch of things we can do the currently selected server or service (along the top) and a pane to actually set the things (right area). Right now, I have selected the server, and get a view of generic information about the hardware, software, and enabled services. At the bottom I get a couple of graphs showing the load of the server in the last 24 hours (configurable), both the CPU load, the network traffic (it has a 1 Gbps network adapter) and the amount of free disk.
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