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From Mac OS X Server FAQ
Welcome to macos-x-server.com
Welcome to the Mac OS X Server FAQ. The purpose of this site is to serve as a resource for answering frequently asked questions about Mac OS X Server. These FAQs come from questions asked on the macos-x-server mailing list hosted by Apple Computer.
First things, first
Before reading any further, please familiarize yourself with some canonical resources which you, as an Internet user and technical person, are assumed to be already intimately familiar.
First, understand how to ask questions effectively to improve the ability of others to provide you with assistance,
- How to ask questions [1]
Conversely, how to report problems is equally important. While geared towards bug reports (see "I've found a bug" in the above reference for a first word on them) the following provides good information on how to effectively report the trouble you're experiencing. Since a large number of posts we see don't include good or well presented information, and you're asking a bunch of people to assist you, try and be as effective as possible so that we can too.
- How to Report Bugs Effectively http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/bugs.html
The Internet is a diverse place. Technically proficient people are busy, often terse people. Please read these guidelines for what's unconsidered proper form.
- RFC 1855 - [Netiquette Guidelines http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc1855.html]
- Mailing List Etiquette FAQ [2]
- A Primer on How to Work With the Usenet Community [3] (directed towards USenet, but has many germane points for mailing lists too)
Don't be a "Help Vampire" [4] Specifically follow the advice given there: "Before you ask a question in a community, try to find the answer elsewhere. This way you help yourself by stretching your mind and research abilities, and you learn things more thoroughly too. Plus it's good karma."
So you're ready to ask your question? Many aren't specific Mac OS X Server questions and are likely to have been answered before elsewhere. Here's some popular FAQs and answers that cross platforms:
Lastly, learn what things mean and how things are specified to operate. This can often help you resolve your question on your own.
- RFCs http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/
- The Jargon File http://www.faqs.org/docs/jargon/
General
FAQ
Mail Server
- What is a Realtime Blackhole Lists (RBL) and which ones should I use?
- Why am I getting Relaying Denied messages?
- How do I configure virtual mailboxes?
- How can I configure the mail server to send e-mail for user@example.org and user@example.com to different users?
- I've set up mail accounts in Workgroup Manager, but they do not show up in ServerAdmin's Mail Accounts. How can I fix this?
- How do I test mail services?
- How can I ensure my server isn't an open relay?
- I need to support a lot of virtual domains and user mailboxes like an ISP, how can I use Exim, Courier, ProFTP, MySQL and Apache to streamline this?
- How do I implement vacation messages in Mail?
- What is Sieve and how do I configure it?
- How do I enable Virus and Spam protection for mail services?
- How do I enable SSL for mail?
- What are the best anti-virus options?
- I've set up Webmail, when I send why do I get: (nothing/error/access denied/no confirmation)?
Networking
- What's this TCP protocol an network layer stuff?
- Where can I find a primer on all this network stuff I'm supposed to know?
- How should I change the IP address?
- How can I let my admin accounts see the volumes instead of AFP sharepoints?
- How do I find out which services use which ports?
- How do I define additional IP addresses?
- How do I enable NAT routing?
- How do I troubleshoot a "port is already in use" error?
- How do I view what ports are open on my machine?
- How do I troubleshoot a "connection refused" error?
- What is does Stateful Packet Inspection mean?
- What is a Proxy?
- What are denial of service attacks?
- What's IPv6?
- What sort of problems can I expect with NAT?
- Why doesn't FTP work with NAT and firewalling?
File System/Disk Management
- Why can't I see all certain directories in the Finder?
- Why did my system run out of disk space?
- Why is Mac OS X Server not showing up in the "Classic" Mac OS Chooser?
- When should I run Repair Permissions?
- How do I recover from disk and filesystem errors?
- How do I keep ServerAdmin from overwriting my handmade configuration changes?
Print Server
- My print queues behave erratically, how do I start over and clear out the old queues?
- Jobs just seem to disappear from the print queus without printing, where did they go?
- Configuring CUPS Print Queues on Mac OS X
Server Management
- Why do I have to use the Terminal to do some tasks?
- I used "softwareupdate" via ssh to apply some updates, and it hangs on QuickTime. Is there a workaround?
- How can I remotely manage my server?
- How can I enable ARD remotely?
- How do I install software?
- How do I reset the root or admin password?
- How do I monitor the system?
- I made changes to /some/system/file and now something doesn't work? How do I fix this?
- After updating Mac OS X, something no longer works. What next?
Web Server
- How do I define both www.example.com and example.com as web sites? How do I define a ServerAlias?
- Why does Apache return the wrong virtual host?
- How do I enable SSL in Apache?
- Why are my websites configured for port 16080 - or - How does the Web Performance Cache work?
- Does OS X Server have Apache 2 built-in -and- can I use Apache 2 as my default webserver?
- How do I setup a virtual host using Mac OS X Server and Apache?
- How do I build a PHP module that works (not an Apache module)?
Tomcat / JBoss
Miscellaneous
- What are these "auxpropfunc error -1" messages?
- Why does my system reboot itself?
- I'm having problems with Automounts, how do I troubleshoot them?
- How do I execute something when the system boots? How do I create StartupItems?
- What is configd?
- What is lookupd?
- How do I execute something at user login?
- How do I see what files a process has open? How do I find out who has a file/disk open?
- I've found a bug...
- How do I configure netinfo and netinfo domains?
- Where are the system logs?
- Should I script in csh or tsch?
- Why is top posting frowned upon?
- Where can I find man pages for utilities that are missing man pages such as pdisk, autodiskmount, configd, mount_ftp, sips, scutil, et cetera?
- My system has been compromised, what should I do?
Open Directory/User Management/NetInfo
- Why can't I get an Open Directory Replica Working?
- I'm having privilege issues with users, what can i do?
- is there a troubleshooting guide for setting up network home directories?
- How do I integrate Active Directory?
- How do Mobile User Accounts work?
- What are the differences between local and network users?
- I've messed up my Kerberos settings! How do I switch them back to the way they were?
- How is dsimportexport broken?
- Can I manage OD users via the command line?
- My server's IP number changed and now nothing works
- Windows clients logging in to my xServe take forever! why?
- I can't make changes to my OD/LDAP database. How do I change the password of the pasword server admin user? (NeST)
DNS
- When should I use BIND's DNS Views?
- What is a Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN)?
- Why do I need reverse IP (PTR) records for my hosts?
- What are some tools for working with DNS data and domain names?
FTP
- Why do FTP users see the whole filesystem? Why is this not a security risk?
- Why do my FTP Logs appear empty, even after I have successfully log in?
- I need a more robust FTPd, what's another option?
- How do I give users FTP access without also granting shell?
VPN
MySQL
NetBoot / NetInstall / NetRestore / Client Imaging
- What are the differences between NetBoot, NetInstall and NetRestore?
- How do I create and deploy an image to a number of client machines?
- How do I deploy updates to a number of client machines made from an image?
- How do I create a Universal Boot image?
System Maintenance
- How do I backup my system?
- How do I backup my mail files?
- How do I roll log files?
- Backup user data files?
- What tools support preserving filesystem metadata?
iChat Server
- How do I enable the iChat Server?
- How do users connect to the iChat Server?
- How do I setup the iChat Server so that my users can talk to users on other servers?
Apple Hardware
- What hardware will 10.3 Server work on?
- Why are Apple-branded RAM and Hard Drives ("Drive Modules") so expensive, and where can I buy compatible third party equivalents?
- Is x component compatible with my XServe / XServe RAID?
- I just bought an XServe without a video card. What are my options for adding a video card to it?
- Why doesn't Server Monitor display any information?
