OD / AD / Magic Triangle configuration in Snow Leopard Server

Hi:
I'm working on training / setting up a magic triangle. I've been able to perform the necessary binding of my 10.6.4 Server to the AD, Set up OD as an OD Master connected to AD and finally, binding a client 10.6.4 Mac to both AD and OD. FYI - I'm using the Apple Training Series: Macs OS X Directory Services v10.6 as my guide.
I'm running into issues which are based upon how I connect / authenticate. I tried the 4 scenarios listed below with different results. The first scenario is the way to view/administer the directories according to the training guide. I tried the other 3 scenarios just to see what might happen:
1 - local mac - run WGM and View Directories: Result: Can authenticate to AD directories, but can't authenticate to the OD directory on the OS X server.
2 - local mac - run WGM and Authenticate to OS X Server: Result: Can authenticate to OD directory on the Server, but cannot authenticate to AD directories as AD Administrator
3 - from the OS X Server - run WGM and Authenticate to OS X Server: Result: Automatically authenticate to OD directory on the Server, but cannot authenticate to AD directories as AD Administrator
4 - from the OS X Server - run WGM and View Directories Result: Automatically authenticate to OD directory on the Server, but cannot authenticate to AD directories as AD Administrator
Earlier today, while using #2 scenario, I was able to see the contents of the Active Directory and could even add computers/users to the groups I had created on the server's ldap directory and successfully tested attributes on the users/computers I assigned to the respective groups. This evening though, I can no longer see users/computers in the AD and the users I added to the OD groups have lost their connections - when I look at Members, each listing name initially shows loading then changes to not found. (The ID for each still appears though).
Any ideas? I've completely reset the server configuration for OD and its binding to the Active Directoy a couple of times now, but still can't get it working. I have the sense I've missed some detail here.
Thanks!

It sounds like you lose the AD connection intermittently from at least the server.
You are using the "AD" DNS?
Reverse lookup of the OS X server name works (OS X server name added to forward zone and IP added to reverse zone for your LAN in "AD" DNS)?
In SA, OD, Kerberos is not running (should use AD kerberos realm)?
Anything in logs about this (DirectoryService)?

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beware and proceed with caution.
Apple web site is naively optimistic on the upgrade process:
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VPN Server in Snow Leopard Server not accepting connections

I've got some issues with a new Snow Leopard Server, running on a Mac mini Server, and VPN.
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Within 24 hours, it stopped working, and I can't work out why.
On the Server, I can see in the logs the following messages: (server name and IPs changed to protect the guilty)
---BEGIN vpnd.log---
2009-11-03 20:03:32 EST Incoming call... Address given to client = 192.168.0.213
Tue Nov 3 20:03:32 2009 : Directory Services Authentication plugin initialized
Tue Nov 3 20:03:32 2009 : Directory Services Authorization plugin initialized
Tue Nov 3 20:03:32 2009 : PPTP incoming call in progress from '123.456.789.123'...
Tue Nov 3 20:03:33 2009 : PPTP connection established.
Tue Nov 3 20:03:33 2009 : using link 0
Tue Nov 3 20:03:33 2009 : Using interface ppp0
Tue Nov 3 20:03:33 2009 : Connect: ppp0 <--> socket[34:17]
Tue Nov 3 20:03:33 2009 : sent [LCP ConfReq id=0x1 <asyncmap 0x0> <auth chap MS-v2> <magic 0x38278225> <pcomp> <accomp>]
Tue Nov 3 20:03:33 2009 : rcvd [LCP ConfReq id=0x1 <asyncmap 0x0> <magic 0x4e96b584> <pcomp> <accomp>]
Tue Nov 3 20:03:33 2009 : lcp_reqci: returning CONFACK.
Tue Nov 3 20:03:33 2009 : sent [LCP ConfAck id=0x1 <asyncmap 0x0> <magic 0x4e96b584> <pcomp> <accomp>]
Tue Nov 3 20:03:36 2009 : sent [LCP ConfReq id=0x1 <asyncmap 0x0> <auth chap MS-v2> <magic 0x38278225> <pcomp> <accomp>]
Tue Nov 3 20:03:36 2009 : rcvd [LCP ConfReq id=0x1 <asyncmap 0x0> <magic 0x4e96b584> <pcomp> <accomp>]
Tue Nov 3 20:03:36 2009 : lcp_reqci: returning CONFACK.
Tue Nov 3 20:03:36 2009 : sent [LCP ConfAck id=0x1 <asyncmap 0x0> <magic 0x4e96b584> <pcomp> <accomp>]
Tue Nov 3 20:03:39 2009 : sent [LCP ConfReq id=0x1 <asyncmap 0x0> <auth chap MS-v2> <magic 0x38278225> <pcomp> <accomp>]
Tue Nov 3 20:03:39 2009 : rcvd [LCP ConfReq id=0x1 <asyncmap 0x0> <magic 0x4e96b584> <pcomp> <accomp>]
Tue Nov 3 20:03:39 2009 : lcp_reqci: returning CONFACK.
Tue Nov 3 20:03:39 2009 : sent [LCP ConfAck id=0x1 <asyncmap 0x0> <magic 0x4e96b584> <pcomp> <accomp>]
Tue Nov 3 20:03:42 2009 : sent [LCP ConfReq id=0x1 <asyncmap 0x0> <auth chap MS-v2> <magic 0x38278225> <pcomp> <accomp>]
Tue Nov 3 20:03:42 2009 : rcvd [LCP ConfReq id=0x1 <asyncmap 0x0> <magic 0x4e96b584> <pcomp> <accomp>]
Tue Nov 3 20:03:42 2009 : lcp_reqci: returning CONFACK.
Tue Nov 3 20:03:42 2009 : sent [LCP ConfAck id=0x1 <asyncmap 0x0> <magic 0x4e96b584> <pcomp> <accomp>]
Tue Nov 3 20:03:45 2009 : sent [LCP ConfReq id=0x1 <asyncmap 0x0> <auth chap MS-v2> <magic 0x38278225> <pcomp> <accomp>]
Tue Nov 3 20:03:45 2009 : rcvd [LCP ConfReq id=0x1 <asyncmap 0x0> <magic 0x4e96b584> <pcomp> <accomp>]
Tue Nov 3 20:03:45 2009 : lcp_reqci: returning CONFACK.
Tue Nov 3 20:03:45 2009 : sent [LCP ConfAck id=0x1 <asyncmap 0x0> <magic 0x4e96b584> <pcomp> <accomp>]
Tue Nov 3 20:03:48 2009 : sent [LCP ConfReq id=0x1 <asyncmap 0x0> <auth chap MS-v2> <magic 0x38278225> <pcomp> <accomp>]
Tue Nov 3 20:03:48 2009 : rcvd [LCP ConfReq id=0x1 <asyncmap 0x0> <magic 0x4e96b584> <pcomp> <accomp>]
Tue Nov 3 20:03:48 2009 : lcp_reqci: returning CONFACK.
Tue Nov 3 20:03:48 2009 : sent [LCP ConfAck id=0x1 <asyncmap 0x0> <magic 0x4e96b584> <pcomp> <accomp>]
Tue Nov 3 20:03:51 2009 : sent [LCP ConfReq id=0x1 <asyncmap 0x0> <auth chap MS-v2> <magic 0x38278225> <pcomp> <accomp>]
Tue Nov 3 20:03:51 2009 : rcvd [LCP ConfReq id=0x1 <asyncmap 0x0> <magic 0x4e96b584> <pcomp> <accomp>]
Tue Nov 3 20:03:51 2009 : lcp_reqci: returning CONFACK.
Tue Nov 3 20:03:51 2009 : sent [LCP ConfAck id=0x1 <asyncmap 0x0> <magic 0x4e96b584> <pcomp> <accomp>]
Tue Nov 3 20:03:54 2009 : sent [LCP ConfReq id=0x1 <asyncmap 0x0> <auth chap MS-v2> <magic 0x38278225> <pcomp> <accomp>]
Tue Nov 3 20:03:54 2009 : rcvd [LCP ConfReq id=0x1 <asyncmap 0x0> <magic 0x4e96b584> <pcomp> <accomp>]
Tue Nov 3 20:03:54 2009 : lcp_reqci: returning CONFACK.
Tue Nov 3 20:03:54 2009 : sent [LCP ConfAck id=0x1 <asyncmap 0x0> <magic 0x4e96b584> <pcomp> <accomp>]
Tue Nov 3 20:03:57 2009 : sent [LCP ConfReq id=0x1 <asyncmap 0x0> <auth chap MS-v2> <magic 0x38278225> <pcomp> <accomp>]
Tue Nov 3 20:03:57 2009 : rcvd [LCP ConfReq id=0x1 <asyncmap 0x0> <magic 0x4e96b584> <pcomp> <accomp>]
Tue Nov 3 20:03:57 2009 : lcp_reqci: returning CONFACK.
Tue Nov 3 20:03:57 2009 : sent [LCP ConfAck id=0x1 <asyncmap 0x0> <magic 0x4e96b584> <pcomp> <accomp>]
Tue Nov 3 20:04:00 2009 : sent [LCP ConfReq id=0x1 <asyncmap 0x0> <auth chap MS-v2> <magic 0x38278225> <pcomp> <accomp>]
Tue Nov 3 20:04:00 2009 : rcvd [LCP ConfReq id=0x1 <asyncmap 0x0> <magic 0x4e96b584> <pcomp> <accomp>]
Tue Nov 3 20:04:00 2009 : lcp_reqci: returning CONFACK.
Tue Nov 3 20:04:00 2009 : sent [LCP ConfAck id=0x1 <asyncmap 0x0> <magic 0x4e96b584> <pcomp> <accomp>]
Tue Nov 3 20:04:03 2009 : LCP: timeout sending Config-Requests
Tue Nov 3 20:04:03 2009 : Connection terminated.
Tue Nov 3 20:04:03 2009 : PPTP disconnecting...
Tue Nov 3 20:04:03 2009 : PPTP disconnected
2009-11-03 20:04:03 EST --> Client with address = 192.168.0.213 has hungup
---END vpnd.log---
On the client I'm seeing this in the logs
--- BEGIN ---
3/11/09 8:03:32 PM pppd[12074] pppd 2.4.2 (Apple version 314.0.2) started by root, uid 502
3/11/09 8:03:32 PM pppd[12074] PPTP connecting to server 'server.example.com' (10.0.1.1)...
3/11/09 8:03:33 PM pppd[12074] PPTP connection established.
3/11/09 8:03:33 PM pppd[12074] Connect: ppp0 <--> socket[34:17]
3/11/09 8:04:03 PM pppd[12074] LCP: timeout sending Config-Requests
3/11/09 8:04:03 PM pppd[12074] Connection terminated.
3/11/09 8:04:03 PM pppd[12074] PPTP disconnecting...
3/11/09 8:04:03 PM pppd[12074] PPTP disconnected
3/11/09 8:04:03 PM pppd[12074] PPTP disconnected
3/11/09 8:04:03 PM pppd[12074] PPTP disconnected
--- END ---
Any ideas?

Well, this didn't last long. The VPN is already down. Cannot connect to it again.Very Frustrating.
I know the actual server is receiving the requests (Server Log):
Jan 7 10:26:33 SnowServer racoon[118]: Connecting.
Jan 7 10:26:33 SnowServer racoon[118]: IKE Packet: receive success. (Responder, Main-Mode message 1).
Jan 7 10:26:33 SnowServer racoon[118]: IKE Packet: transmit success. (Responder, Main-Mode message 2).
Jan 7 10:26:33 SnowServer racoon[118]: IKE Packet: receive success. (Responder, Main-Mode message 3).
Jan 7 10:26:33 SnowServer racoon[118]: IKE Packet: transmit success. (Responder, Main-Mode message 4).
Jan 7 10:26:36 SnowServer racoon[118]: IKE Packet: transmit success. (Phase1 Retransmit).
Jan 7 10:26:55: --- last message repeated 6 times ---
Jan 7 10:26:55 SnowServer servermgrd[67]: servermgr_jabber[W]: detailed service status not available until network configuration completed
Jan 7 10:26:57 SnowServer racoon[118]: IKE Packet: transmit success. (Phase1 Retransmit).
Jan 7 10:27:03: --- last message repeated 1 time ---
Jan 7 10:27:03 SnowServer racoon[118]: IKEv1 Phase1: maximum retransmits. (Phase1 Maximum Retransmits).
Jan 7 10:27:03 SnowServer racoon[118]: Disconnecting. (Connection tried to negotiate for, 30.655020 seconds).
Jan 7 10:27:03 SnowServer racoon[118]: IKE Phase1 Failure-Rate Statistic. (Failure-Rate = 100.000).
Jan 7 10:27:57 SnowServer racoon[118]: Connecting.
Jan 7 10:27:57 SnowServer racoon[118]: IKE Packet: receive success. (Responder, Main-Mode message 1).
Jan 7 10:27:57 SnowServer racoon[118]: IKE Packet: transmit success. (Responder, Main-Mode message 2).
Jan 7 10:27:58 SnowServer racoon[118]: IKE Packet: receive success. (Responder, Main-Mode message 3).
Jan 7 10:27:58 SnowServer racoon[118]: IKE Packet: transmit success. (Responder, Main-Mode message 4).
Jan 7 10:28:01 SnowServer racoon[118]: IKE Packet: transmit success. (Phase1 Retransmit).
Jan 7 10:28:28: --- last message repeated 8 times ---
Jan 7 10:28:28 SnowServer racoon[118]: IKEv1 Phase1: maximum retransmits. (Phase1 Maximum Retransmits).
Jan 7 10:28:28 SnowServer racoon[118]: Disconnecting. (Connection tried to negotiate for, 30.993122 seconds).
Jan 7 10:28:28 SnowServer racoon[118]: IKE Phase1 Failure-Rate Statistic. (Failure-Rate = 100.000).
But the VPN Server never gets the connection request (VPN Log):
2010-01-07 10:12:13 EST Loading plugin /System/Library/Extensions/L2TP.ppp
2010-01-07 10:12:13 EST Listening for connections...
2010-01-07 10:12:13 EST Listening for connections...
I have a call with Apple Support this afternoon. Hopefully it will be fruitful. If I get anywhere, I will post it. If anyone has any bright ideas, they would be greatly appreciated.
Message was edited by: AeroJet

I transferred files from a NAS server to the Mac Mini Snow Leopard Server and now some of the files have Custom Access and can't be opened by some users. How do I fix this?

We're setting up our Mac Mini Snow Leopard Server, and in the process transferred files that had been stored and accessed from our Blackarmor NAS server over to the Mac. These files were all created on PC's and are Office Excel files, WordPerfect files or PDF's. When you look at the files on the Mac from the Mac and bring up Get Info for the affected file, it says that the file has Custom Access. The files that work properly don't have that configuration. I can access and open the files on some computers, but some users can't open the files from their computer even though they can see it. We're all using PC's and they get the Error: Access Denied-Contact your administrator--or something similar. I've seen on the web similar issues and it may have something to do with ACL permissions. I don't know enough about Mac OS to understand this, but what is baffling is that they can be opened from some PC's but not others, and all of the Users have the same accessibility to the files. Thanks for a solution!!

Oh, on the losing Internet, try this...
Make a New Location, Using network locations in Mac OS X ...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2712
10.7 & 10.8…
System Preferences>Network, top of window>Locations>Edit Locations, little plus icon, give it a name.
10.5.x/10.6.x/10.7.x instructions...
System Preferences>Network, click on the little gear at the bottom next to the + & - icons, (unlock lock first if locked), choose Set Service Order.
The interface that connects to the Internet should be dragged to the top of the list.
Instead of joining your Network from the list, click the WiFi icon at the top, and click join other network. Fill in everything as needed.
For 10.5/10.6, System Preferences>Network, unlock the lock if need be, highlight the Interface you use to connect to Internet, click on the advanced button, click on the DNS tab, click on the little plus icon, then add these numbers...
208.67.222.222
208.67.220.220
Click OK.
PS. Your English is quite good & completely understandable.

Setting up Snow Leopard Server with Address Book, iCal for Small Business

Hello Folks,
I have a small business with 2-3 people and I want to setup Snow Leopard Server on a Mac Mini. I have everything in place, RAID, Backup drive etc.
What I need is a guide on how to setup the server correctly and how to setup Address Book Server, iCal Server, DNS, etc. I was in IT a long while back but have gone back to my creative roots and sworn off IT but I am in a situation where my IT guy's wife is pregnant so he is busy painting the baby's room, etc.
I was looking at Snow Leopard Server for Dummies and a few other books. Do you guys have any suggestions on resources for me to read or research that would give me very straightforward steps in getting this setup. I am at a point where I can re-install from scratch if needed.
For the ease of those that might respond let's assume I know my way around Mac and general networking as a whole.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Cheers,
Jason

Hi Guys,
First of, I will give you a brief background on me regarding networking as a mac user since 1994. I can setup and network multiple macs without a server in our home and small office. Turning file, print and internet sharing with a regular Mac OS X client version at no problem at all. This would be my first time setting up a Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server.
I'm in the same boat as Jakekub but we do not have a static IP from our DSL provider. We just bought a Mac Mini Server for our small office with 3 iMacs and 1 MacBook. We will just use the server for internal usage and to centralized things out and use some of server's features like Address Book, Mail, iCal etc. I've search the forums and found Orhidy's post here:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2148553
I even followed the sample IP Address, Subnet Mask, Router, DNS Server and I think I had it correctly setup initially. And I think I got it all running on the basic setup base on his instructions. So I tried to test my DNS settings via Terminal > hostname then got answer as
servername.companyname.private
And double checking DNS again with a command: sudo changeip - checkhostname and was given an answer of:
Primary address = 192.168.1.192
Current Hostname = servername.companyname.private
DNS Hostname = servername.companyname.private
The names match. There is nothing to change
dirserv:success = "success"
But here's another one that bugs me. I tried to follow from "Mac OS X Snow Leopard for Dummies" the command line:
NSLOOKUP hostname
and got an answer of:
;; Got SERVFAIL reply from 192.168.1.192, trying next server
Server: 192.168.1.1
Address: 192.168.1.1#53
** server can't find hostname: NXDOMAIN
So does it mean that I still haven't configured my server properly?
Thank you all for the help in advance!
dive

Snow Leopard Server running extremely slow all of a sudden!!

Hi, I'm not a qualified server technician but am currently trying my best to run a server in a Secondary School! Please help, need to fix ASAP.
So basically we've got a Mac Pro running Snow Leopard server which has become incredibly slow in the past week. Nothing has changed in our department to trigger this. Here's everything I know so far...
- If I try to log on to the admin account when "Some Network Accounts Are Available", log on will take under a minute. If I try to log on to the admin account when the light goes green and "Network Accounts Are Available" log on will take forever and eventually just crash and which point I have to just force a shutdown and try again.
- When I can log on, some aspects of the computing seems fast and other aspects are really slow. For example, a few programs open as soon as I log on no problem, however a simple spotlight search or trying to open Sytem Preferences will crash the computer completely.
- Have tried booting in Safe Mode, and everything ran fast and how it's mean to but once restarting and booting normally the problems remained.
Sorry for the lack of knowledge!!
Thanks in advance.

Your comment indicates "crash the computer"? Do you mean that OS X Server itself fails, and you have to reboot? Or that the application crashes, and you have to restart it?
The following are some general approaches toward gathering some data:
Launch Console.app from Applications > Utilities and see if there are blocks of repeating errors.
Launch Terminal.app from Applications > Utilities and issue the following harmess, diagnostic command:
sudo changeip -checkhostname
After entering an administrative password and possibly seeing a one-time informational message about sudo, you should see some network configuration information and then an indication that no changes are required, or that there are DNS or network errors.
Boot from the Snow Leopard installation DVD and run a volume verification pass using Disk Utility, this from the Utilities menu of the installation disl.
FWIW...
If the applications or OS X Server are crashing, then you're generally heard toward either a reinstallation of the software, or a hardware repair, or quite possibly a combination of the two.
Forcing a hard shutdown can lead to corruptions, depending on exactly what's going on when the power drops out; that's probably best left as a last-resort approach and one best avoided.

How to resolve network issue or dns to access web page on snow leopard server?

I have my network setup like as follows:
internet > router 1 > ethernet ports > switch > router 2
I have a mac osx snow leopard server connected to "router 1", but it is so slow when accessing a web page hosted on the server from a browser on a workstation connected to either router 1 or router 2?
Is there a problem with my network setup or maybe because I changed the name to newservername.local?

@Jeff and @Camelot,
I think it is a DNS issue. I completely reset the DNS settings on server and the local name with the steps below, but now cannot access the site hosted on the server at all
I used a modified version of http://www.mkahn.com/2010/09/configuring-dns-on-mac-os-x-10-6-snow-leopard-serve r-for-hosting/ to reset the server set
1. Stop DNS Service in Server Admin
2. Close Server Admin
3. Obtain 10.6 DNS Default files (below)
4. Overwrite the DNS files with DNS Default files:
/etc/dns/loggingOptions.conf.apple
/etc/dns/options.conf.apple
/etc/dns/publicView.conf.apple
/var/named/named.ca/etc/named.conf
/var/named/named.local
/var/named/localhost.zone
5. Restart your server
All machines have 1ms ping responses within the network including this snow leopard server that I am trying to setup. There is another test web server that return pages instantly within this network so I doubt it is a network issue, but a DNS issue.

Unable to access gateway and DNS via VPN (L2TP) with Snow Leopard Server

Summary:
After rebooting my VPN server, i am able to establish a VPN (L2TP) connection from outside my private network. I am able to connect (ping, SSH, …) the gateway only until the first client disconnects. Then i can perfectly access all the other computers of the private network, but i cannot access the private IP address of the gateway.
Additionally, during my first VPN connection, my DNS server, which is on the same server, is not working properly with VPN. I can access it with the public IP address of my gateway. I can access it from inside my private network. A port scan indicates me that the port 53 is open, but a dig returns me a timeout.
Configuration:
Cluster of 19 Xserve3.1 - Snow Leopard Server 10.6.2
Private network 192.168.1.0/255.255.255.0 -> domain name: cluster
-> 1 controller, which act as a gateway for the cluster private network, with the following services activated:
DHCP, DNS, firewall (allowing all incoming traffic for each groups for test purposes), NAT, VPN, OpenDirectory, web, software update, AFP, NFS and Xgrid controller.
en0: fixed public IP address -> controller.example.com
en1: 192.168.1.254 -> controller.cluster
-> 18 agents with AFP and Xgrid agent activated:
en1: 192.168.1.x -> nodex.cluster with x between 1 and 18
VPN (L2TP) server distributes IP addresses between 192.168.1.201 and 192.168.1.210 (-> vpn1.cluster to vpn10.cluster). Client informations contain the private network DNS server informations (192.168.1.254, search domain: cluster).
_*Detailed problem description:*_
After rebooting the Xserve, my VPN server works fine except for the DNS. My client receives the correct informations:
Configure IPv4: Using PPP
IPv4 address: 192.168.1.201
Subnet Mask:
Router: 192.168.1.254
DNS: 192.168.1.254
Search domain: cluster
From my VPN client, i can ping all the Xserve of my cluster (192.168.1.1 to 18 and 192.168.1.254). If i have a look in Server Admin > Settings > Network, i have three interfaces listed: en0, en1 and ppp0 of family IPv4 with address 192.168.1.254 and DNS name controller.cluster.
The DNS server returns me timeouts when i try to do a dig from my VPN client even if i am able to access it directly from a computer inside or outside my private network.
After i disconnect, i can see in Server Admin that the IP address of my ppp0 interface has switch to my public IP address.
Then i can always establish a VPN (L2TP) connection, but the client receives the following informations:
Configure IPv4: Using PPP
IPv4 address: 192.168.1.202
Subnet Mask:
Router: (Public IP address of my VPN server)
DNS: 192.168.1.254
Search domain: cluster
From my VPN client, i can access all the other computers of my network (192.168.1.1 to 192.168.1.18) but when i ping my gateway (192.168.1.254), it returns me timeouts.
I have two "lazy" solutions to this problem: 1) Configure VPN and DNS servers on two differents Xserve, 2) Put the public IP address of my gateway as DNS server address, but none of these solutions are acceptable for me…
Any help is welcome!!!

I would suggest taking a look at:
server admin:vpn:settings:client information:network route definitions.
as I understand your setup it should be something like
192.168.1.0 255.255.255.0 private.
at least as a start. I just got done troubleshooting a similar issue but via two subnets:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2292827&tstart=0

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I have a Mac Mini Server edition (2010) with Snow Leopard Server (10.6.8) pre-installed. I don't like the interface of Server edition because 1) I don't need the server functions and 2) I prefer client OS's easier (less powerful I know) interface to do sharing, logging in, configuring.... etc.
(I know I should've bought the non-server version with a DVD drive but I can't take it back now.)
My question is, what's the easiest way of changing it to a 'client OS', preferably to the latest Mountain Lion? From forum posts it seems downgrading from 'server' to 'client' will definitely require a fresh install. That's fine. I can move all my personal files to the second HDD in the Mini and do a fresh install of OS on the first HDD.
I can see 'Mountain Lion' upgrade in the App Store, but it doesn't say if it's server or client. I am assuming it's a server upgrade?? What will happen if I purchase it for £13.99 in App Store? Or is there an alternative way?
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Not_So wrote:
I went to the AppStore and as I was running Snow Leopard Server it prompted me to purchase Lion Server which I didn't want.
Luckily, I wasn't asked to purchase the 'Server' when I upgraded from SLS to Mountain Lion via the AppStore. I think your particular problem was mentioned in some other posts where the upgrade path to Lion became an infinite loop (hmmm... ). But that's all in the past now. Glad it all worked.

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Does anyone know of an idiot's guide to setting up a VPN to access my server? I'm running Snow Leopard server in the office and I'd like to be able to access the server, probably just from one computer (MacBook Air runnung Mountain Lion) from home.
I'm not sure if it complicates things or not, but the office is in an area with poor broadband and so the internet connection is via satellite broadband. The set up is a satellite modem into a Gigabit router and the server is connected to the router via an unmanaged switch.
As an aside, I'm considering changing this set up so that the modem plugs into a Time Capsule and the server will connect directly into the TC. The desktops will then run into the server via the unmanaged switch or wirelessly via TC - any thoughts on the best set up here? Are cables into a switch better/worse than using TC's wireless facility.
Is this something that I, as a reasonably competent computer operator but definitely not an IT expert, could do, or should I get someone in to set it up for me?
Thanks in advance
Jim

VPNs aren't particularly special or weird or secret or such. They're "just" a network connection. A sometimes very fussy network connection, but a network connection.
My preference is to use a firewall that includes an embedded VPN server. This for several reasons, as it avoids trying to forward the VPN through a device that's using NAT [1], and it means you can connect to multiple devices on the target LAN, and you can connect even if the OS X Server box is down.
Other folks will forward the VPN through NAT, and use the VPN server that's available in various versions of OS X Server.
Forwarding a VPN through NAT does work, but can also sometimes not work. NAT can cause some types of VPNs to get tossed off when (for instance) there's a second VPN connection arriving.
In various cases everything connects and works the first time, and in other cases it's trial-and-error.
With a VPN-capable firewall (which is a step above your average residential firewall), usually configuring the firewall as a L2TP server or the Cisco protocol, if you want to use the standard OS X or iOS clients. Or PPTP — which is easier to get working — but less secure. Once the firewall and the VPN server is set up — and that's where most of the "fun" is — then the set-up in Network Preferences is (usually) pretty simple.
There are thousands of OS X VPN set-up articles around, but the details all hinge on the particular VPN server, and whether you're going to try to push the VPN through (for instance) that Tome Capsule and its NAT. Until you sort out your VPN target and/or VPN client, and what sort of attacks you're securing against...
As for this case, satellite latency is large. The latency involved is the time it takes to the command or the text from your local Mac to the satellite ~35,786 kilometers up and then ~35,786 kilometers back down, and then the response back again. That's about a quarter second, each way, at the speed of light. Transferring big files is fine (once the connection is open and the transfer gets rolling), but anything interactive — such as a typical use of a VPN — is going to have a noticable lag.
Yes, it'll be easiest to get somebody to work through your requirements and expectations, and initially set this up for you. Or you can use this as an opportunity to read about and learn more about IP routing and networking and VPNs, too.
[1] VPNs seek to ensure that the network connection is secure, and from a known client IP source address to the IP address of the target VPN server. NAT explicitly obscures the network connections, and often has multiple client hosts located behind one IP address. Put another way, the VPN and NAT software implementations are working at cross-purposes.

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I have a MacPro (4x1 TB Drives, 16GB, RAID Card, 2 x Quad-Core Intel Xeon 2.8 GHz) that has MacOS 10.5 installed (including MS Windows running under VMWare Fusion).
The RAID setup is shown at https://www.radii.org/doc
The computer is used as an everyday workhorse (running OS 10.5.7 on Volume RS1, with Volume R1V2 partitioned into 2 data and file/document stores).
Given the specs of the machine, I plan to setup Snow Leopard Server (Raid 0) also — on a separate partition so that when the system on RS1 freezes, the server does not have to be crashed also.
Is there any advantage in partitioning the volume OSXSERVER to install Snow Leopard Server to perform a number of tasks:
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2. Provide a mail server
3. iCal server
4. address book server.
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I guess my biggest concern is the frequency with which Mac OSX gets itself tied in knots and a reboot is the only way out of the mess.
I haven't seen that myself, personally. About the only time any of my machines get rebooted is after software update.
Of course, server systems tend to be more focussed than client systems, so that might help too - the server is typically setup, configured and left to do its thing. It's not like you're constantly launching and quitting different applications throughout the day.
However, I know from years of experience with desktop systems in a variety of flavours that they will need to be rebooted at least once a week.
Ahh, there's the Windows-thinking coming through.
I have Mac OS X Server systems that, quite literally, have not been rebooted in years. Most of them have months of uptime. Of course, this means that not all my systems are running the latest OS updates but that's a call I've made.
in general, the smaller the capacity (memory, speed, HD) the more often they need to be rebooted.
Sure, but that's a matter of right-sizing your server for the load you're putting on it.
Again, there's a difference between client and server installations - client systems tend to jump between active processes with minimal background processing, whereas server systems tend to run more focussed tasks.
I have found that software such as MS Office has been highly unreliable in the last couple of years — I still get Excel saying that it 'had to close' sometime in about 10% of the times I am using it.
Right, but you're not running Office on your server, right?
I was hoping there would be a better solution than having to reboot the server — or crash it when the system freezes with a kernal panic brought on by a desktop app
Sure - don't run a desktop app on your server
If you do see that need, then run another virtual machine for your desktop apps. That means you've got one 'master' OS running multiple virtual machines - one per server process, plus another one for desktop/GUI apps.
Or, run all your server processes on a single server with sufficient resource (CPU, disk, memory, etc.) for the tasks you're running, and get an iMac or a Mini for those desktop tasks. Be cheaper that way, anyway.

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I recently purchased a mac mini with Snow Leopard Server, and I am interested in installing Perforce as a daemon. I am familiar on how to do this on a Linux distro, but not so much on Snow Leopard Server. Is there some documentation that explains how daemons are configured on a mac? If so a link would be nice.
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