How are all Mac houses run? What does the back-end consist of?

[alfa147x]

I've always wondered how companies that use mostly Apple products (mostly Macs) have to support them. ML Server does a few things like Mail, files, XSAN, VPN and devices. How about things like storing / working with data (MS SQL server?) and other enterprise type activities. How are those things handled?

Also does anyone know of a good application like Crystal Reports for OS X?

 

[Oyeve]

On the back end its all MS servers for the most part. Always has been and always will be. My last job was all mac laptops and mac pros all connecting to my MS servers for pretty much everything. One thing apple could never ever do right was xserve, which is why they gave up a coula years ago.

 

[alfa147x]

On the back end its all MS servers for the most part. Always has been and always will be. My last job was all mac laptops and mac pros all connecting to my MS servers for pretty much everything. One thing apple could never ever do right was xserve, which is why they gave up a coula years ago.

Mind if I ask what (at your last job) MS servers were used for?

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Running Windows or Linux-based servers, with Appleshare protocols where needed, is pretty much the only way to go. Use an OS X server for computer management (pushed preferences, shared logins, etc.)

 

[Oyeve]

Mind if I ask what (at your last job) MS servers were used for?

Everything. Exchange email, active directory functions, printing, SQL databases, filesharing et.al.

 

[lokiju]

When I was a sys admin at a company that had a large mix of Mac and Windows users, we had a nearly equal mix of Linux and Windows servers.

 

[GWestphal]

I would imagine it depends on the needs of the company. If they want centralized auth, then most likely they will have AD which requires a windows server. For everything else (email, SQL, backup, etc), most use linux. OS X server is really designed for smaller businesses from my experience perhaps it's different now, but I don't think it has function comparable to AD. You can do email, calendars, net boot and all that, but in terms of policy and central auth I don't think it cuts it for most companies.

 

[alkemyst]

Backend is mostly MS or Linux/Unix based usually. Not that it's a bad thing.

 

[Ka0t1x]

K12 School District (90%+ Apple)

OD Master on XServe for User / Student accounts. Each building(35+) has their own Mac Pro for Auths/User Directories. Mail is handled by a single XServe that is struggling for IOs.. an HA Linux solution here would be clutch, but we cannot sell the cost to upper admins.

Student data is managed by an in-house developed info system written in PHP5/Oracle11g. Almost all other network services are on some form of Linux.

We could really do it all with Linux.. but Apple makes it easy for user integration.

 

[Reliant]

Mac or unix servers on the backend. My old job was a huge mix of Windows and SunOS, with some Linux sprinkled in.

These things can work well together but be a different OS. For example, we ran MS Exchange servers but had Linux running on our MX and list servers. Also, the data was stored on a filer which, in the end, was running a Unix based OS. So you can say we're on MS Exchange for mail, but in the end all the pieces added up for mail to actually work had more non-Windows servers than Windows servers.

In the end people assumed enterprise is a huge one stop shop for a type of tech, but it can be a mix and still work.