Today, Apple has quietly discontinued macOS Server. I cannot say that I am surprised by this. macOS Server has long been in maintenance mode where it only gets the bare minimum of updates. Furthermore, I think the final death knell for macOS Server is the fact that Apple recently introduced Apple Business Essentials, which effectively replacing the last remaining service in macOS Server, Profile Manager. Apple Business Essentials further aides Apple in its push to be more services oriented than a product-only company.

Ever since Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah was introduced in 2001 there has been some sort of server component. This initially started as a dedicated version of OS X Server, which was the base macOS with the additional server options. macOS Server was aimed at small and medium businesses as a way of being able to host their own website, calendar, mail, DNS, VPN, and FTP servers; among other services as well.

Pricing for macOS has changed over the years as well. Initially, it was $500 for a 5 simultaneous users or $999 or unlimited simultaneous users. The user limitation was only for file server, all other services were unlimited. With the release of Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard Server pricing changed to be $499 for unlimited users. This was not the final shift.

In 2011, with the release of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion the entire server model changed. Instead of being a separate version, it now became an app that anybody could install from the Mac App Store. Along with being a change to be an app, the pricing changed. The price dropped by 90% to be $49.99. This put it squarely in the realm of power user affordability. The price again dropped the next year, to just $19.99, with the introduction of Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion. This absolutely put it into even home user pricing. And with the App Store update mechanism, it was easy to keep up to date.

Over time though, Apple started removing services, in particular version 5.7.1 of macOS Server, which corresponded with macOS Mojave (10.14), was the one that cut the services down to just two, Xsan and Profile Manager. I suspect that when the decision to cut macOS Server down to just Profile Manager and Xsan, that the determination was made to create Apple Business Essentials and once it was introduced that macOS Server would be discontinued.

I cannot argue with the fact that macOS Server's overall utility has been slowly diminishing. Some of macOS server's features have been rolled directly into macOS itself. These include File Server, Caching Server, and Time Machine Server. Relegating macOS Server to strictly be Profile Manager has effectively made the app a single-purpose app. I cannot fault Apple for discontinuing macOS Server, the scant resources being used to maintain the server app can now be used to continue improving Apple Business Essentials.

Having always been a power user I will remember the early days of macOS Server fondly, but it no longer makes sense to include that into macOS, and instead allow third-parties, including Apple's own Business Essentials service, to manage all of ones devices for them. There are many companies who sole focus is Mobile Device Management, and they are better suited for it.

Source: Apple Support

Each release of macOS has the possibility of changing things and macOS Catalina is no different. There are numerous change with macOS Catalina. I have written an entire book about all of the changes. I use my iMac for developing websites and testing out ideas.

Another thing I use my iMac for is testing out Apple's Profile Manager service, which is available through the macOS Server app. With macOS Mojave I was able to create a website on a different port. This took a bit of tweaking and configuring of Apache. This was outlined in a post that I wrote last year.

It looks like the initial release of macOS Catalina has actually broken the ability for this to work. Here is the scenario.

Scenario

After I upgraded macOS to Catalina and then upgraded the Server.app, the ability for me to run a website on a different port, at the same time no longer works. If Server is configured, it will start before the Apache service does, and it will utilize ports 443 and 80.

If I stop both Apache and Profile Manager and then start Apache, the configuration works. However, if I start Profile Manager and then Apache, the website would never load. It is not merely a configuration issue, as the site works when only Apache is loaded.

Additionally, if I go to Terminal and type in "netstat -an | grep 8080", it would return nothing. In case you are wondering, this command will filter the contents of the "netstat -an" command for any lines that have 8080. This would come up blank, which means that the service is not up and running.

The Fix

I spent approximately 4 hours trying to figure out a workaround, but to no avail. When I began writing this post, I did not have a solution for this, but during the writing an idea came to me. Since Server is able to successfully work, why not edit the server's website configuration and just use it to host the additional sites I need.

This is exactly what I ended up doing. The files for the Server app are located in /Library/Server/Web/Config. Here there are two folders "apache2" and "proxy". Your first thought might be that you need to modify those under "apache2". However, the actual file that you want to modify is under the "proxy" folder. Specifically, the "apache_serviceproxy.conf" file.

Here is the configuration that I used.

# Custom Configuration - 8080 / PHP

Listen 8080
LoadModule php7_module libexec/apache2/libphp7.so

<IfModule php7_module>
	AddType application/x-httpd-php .php
	AddType application/x-httpd-php-source .phps

	<IfModule dir_module>
		DirectoryIndex index.html index.php
	</IfModule>
</IfModule>

<VirtualHost *:8080>
    ProxyPreserveHost On
    SetEnv proxy-chain-auth on
    RequestHeader set X-Forwarded-Proto "https"
    RequestHeader set X-Forwarded-Port "443"
    RequestHeader unset Proxy early

<IfModule mod_ssl.c>
    SSLEngine On
    SSLCertificateFile "/etc/certificates/${CERT_ID}.cert.pem"
    SSLCertificateKeyFile "/etc/certificates/${CERT_ID}.key.pem"
    SSLCertificateChainFile "/etc/certificates/${CERT_ID}.chain.pem"
    SSLHonorCipherOrder On
    SSLCipherSuite "HIGH:MEDIUM:!MD5:!RC4:!3DES"
    SSLProtocol -all +TLSv1.2
    SSLProxyEngine On
    SSLProxyProtocol -all +TLSv1.2
    SSLProxyCheckPeerCN off
    SSLProxyCheckPeerName off
</IfModule>

    ServerAdmin webmaster@dummy-host.example.com
    DocumentRoot "/usr/local/website"
    ServerName dummy-host.example.com
    ServerAlias www.dummy-host.example.com
    ErrorLog "/private/var/log/apache2/website-error_log"
    CustomLog "/private/var/log/apache2/website-access_log" common

</VirtualHost>

Let me break down what this code does, in order.

• Indicates to listen on port 8080
• Load the PHP 7 module
• Set PHP to be usable by adding extensions to apache
• Configure the VirtualHost
• Within the VirtualHost, configure SSL support

There is one section I want to call out specifically within the VirtualHost 8080 configuration. The three lines are:

SSLCertificateFile "/etc/certificates/${CERT_ID}.cert.pem"
SSLCertificateKeyFile "/etc/certificates/${CERT_ID}.key.pem"
SSLCertificateChainFile "/etc/certificates/${CERT_ID}.chain.pem"

I copied and pasted these three lines from the VirtualHost configuration earlier in the file. These actually have a benefit as they will use any SSL certificate that you have configured within the Server app. This means that you will not need to update certificate information in multiple places and instead can update it through the Server app and have it work for all of your sites. This should be an improvement for me since I had to manually configure SSL with apache under macOS Mojave.

Possible Drawback

There is one possible drawback from using this configuration. The drawback is that your configuration could get wiped out by a future update to macOS Server. Because of this, it is a good idea to have a backup of your configuration saved once you get it working. Additionally, you should save a backup outside of the Server Web configuration path, just to be on the safe side.

Closing Thoughts

While it may be a pain to have to use modify the Server's configuration to have multiple websites, but it is better than not having ti work at all. Before you make any changes, it is always a good idea to have a backup of any configuration files before making any configuration changes.

Back in February, Apple announced some major changes to the fall release of macOS Server. One of the changes that they indicated was that many of the services would no longer be included in macOS Server. At the same time, some services would still be present but the user interface elements would be removed. One of the services that would no longer have a user interface is Websites.

macOS Server is used by many, including myself, as a development environment. Besides developers, there are also some companies that need to use Apple's Profile Manager service, but they also need to use host an internal site, and they need to do all of this on the same machine. If you were running macOS Server running on High Sierra, this scenario was easy to setup and maintain. The same scenario is still possible on macOS Mojave, but it is not as easy. It will take some let us look at how to do this.

macOS bundles in a web server, the one chosen is apache. On macOS Mojave, it is version 2.4.34. This is the latest, as of this writing. The installation of apache is not any different than one you would install on other variations of Linux, which is a good. Even though apache is standard, there are some modifications that are made to accommodate the ability to use of other web-based services, and in particular Apple's Profile Manager.

Default Configuration

Even under macOS Mojave with Server.app installed, there is a default configuration available. You can use this for your configuration, if you so choose. The default location for files is "/Library/WebServer/Documents/". You can use this for configuration, the default alternative port is 8080. If this is all you need, then you can start putting files in the path above and navigate to http://127.0.0.1:8080, or another IP address on the machine and you can ignore the rest of this article. However, if you want to be able to make some additional configuration changes, read ahead.

Choosing a configuration

Before modifying any files, it is important to know that there are a variety of ways to configure apache. You could use a whole different IP address or you could just use a different port, on the same IP Address. This is the first item that you will need to determine. We will look at both approaches, because they are only slightly different.

The second thing that you will need to do is create a folder for the additional website. This is similar to how you would have done so with older versions of macOS Server. If you have an existing folder location, you can use that.

Once you have determined your approach and have created a folder, now we can start modifying the files. There is a standard apache configuration file, called httpd.conf. This is the primary configuration file for the apache service. The httpd.conf file is located at "/private/etc/apache2/httpd.conf". You will need to open up the file with a text editor, either using terminal or a graphical text editor, like BBEdit.

  macOS is Unix under the hood and can possibly require authentication when changing files. For this reason, it is best to use BBEdit for modifying files. BBEdit can handle this by providing an opportunity for entering in your password when saving the files.

Before modifying any file, you should make a backup copy of it. I always like to use the name of the file and its extension and put the date after file. Once you open this file you will need to make a couple of changes.

Making Changes

As mentioned, macOS Server takes into account the Profile Manager service. To accommodate this, there is a block of code that determines if macOS Server is using the default ports, which are 80 and 443. The following block is what is used to determine this.

<IfDefine SERVERAPPHASDEFAULTPORTS>    Listen 8080 </IfDefine> <IfDefine !SERVERAPPHASDEFAULTPORTS>   Listen 80 </IfDefine>

This block checks to see if Server.app is installed and configured. If it is installed and configured, the default port of 8080 is used for alternative. However, if Server.app is not installed and configured, then port 80 is used. Here is where you need to enter in your configuration. If you only need to listen on a different port, you can enter in "Listen 8081" where 8081 is the port you want to use. If you want to specify an alternative IP address use "192.168.1.2:80", where 192.168.1.2 is the IP address you want to use. As the last example shows, you can specify a port if you need to, which means you can combine the two and use something like "192.168.1.2:8081".

The next step is to test to make sure it is working as expected. To do this, you will need to create a file in the directory you chose. The file should have something like this code,

After you have saved this file, you want to test your apache configuration. This is done by performing the following steps:

1. Open Terminal
2. Type in, or copy and paste the following command, without the quotes: "sudo apachectl configtest". This command will check the syntax of your apache configuration and make sure everything works.

If there are no issues with your apache configuration, you need to restart apache. This is complete by doing the following steps:

In the same terminal window, type in, or copy and paste the following command: "sudo apachectl restart", without the quotes. This command will either start up, or restart, the apache service.

The last step is to open up Safari and browse to your new site. You should a page with the text "This Page is working".

These are just the basic steps to be able to host both a website and profile manager on the same Mac running macOS Mojave. You can do some additional configuration, by configuring Virtual Hosts and enabling Modules. Again, this is the same version of Apache that is installed on linux, so there is a plethora of tips, tricks, and how to to guides available on the web.

Transition Guide

There is an entire Support Guide for transitioning some of macOS Server's services to the built-in version of Apache. This is available on the Apple Developer site. The document also includes information on transitioning the SSL, if configured, on the site. This should help some people get started with configuring apache on macOS, while still keeping Profile Manager running.

Earlier this year Apple announced a shift for macOS Server. Since writing up that article I have been thinking about some directions that Apple could take macOS Server. I have a couple of ideas, and thought I would share them.

Per Apple, the primary focus for macOS Server going forward will be device and storage management. Device Management within macOS Server is handled through Apple's Profile Manager service. One of the primary tasks with Profile Manager is to be able to restrict functions on iOS devices. With this being the focus, there is a possibility for some expansions. This is great for solution companies, but what about individuals?

Profile Manager can be installed, and managed by just about anyone. The tricky part is that some of the settings are not easy to understand and determine how they affect operating of an iOS device. Most of the setting are somewhat self-explanatory, for those more technologically inclined. What if Apple were to make profile manager non-techie friendly? This is my first idea.

User-Friendly Profile Manager

There are many different aspects to iOS that can be configured with Profile Manager, but many users are not like myself, and are able to understand what impact each of those settings could have, when they are set. I would love to see Apple create a cloud-based management portal for non-techies. In particular, one that can allow parents to manage their children's iOS devices.

Many parents would love to see the ability to limit the days and times that the iOS devices that their child has can be operated. In addition, they would also like to be able to allow certain applications all the time, like apps for school work, or maybe evening learning applications.

In order for Apple to provide this type of service, additional and more granular restrictions would be needed for iOS, but providing this type of service, as well as the restrictions, would go a long way to helping parents keep an eye on what their children are using.

The reason for making this could based, instead of just iOS-based, would be so a parent could adjust settings from anywhere. It would also be useful to have an app for the

Cloud-based Profile Manager

One of the other ideas that I have pondered, is one where Apple provides a cloud-based profile manager, similar to its current form, just cloud-based instead of on-premise. This would not necessarily replace profile manager for those who host it within their company, but could allow smaller companies to get into Profile Manager without needing to have a server on-site.

Profile Manager requires an Open Directory server to connect to. This means that you either have to have one on the same server as the profile manager server, or one that can connect.

Providing this service would require an additional Open Directory server to be present on the Profile Manager server. This server could be a secondary server, but one would be necessary. If a company is only hosting their profile management server in the cloud, then it would make configuration a lot easier.

Providing a cloud-based profile manager server could be a benefit smaller companies who would want to be able to have the ability to control devices, but do not have the internal expertise to manage a macOS Server. Similarly, this could help Apple add to its services revenue, which could help in the long run.

These are just a couple of ideas for where Apple could take macOS Server. Only time will tell if this is the direction Apple will take macOS Server or not.

The first version of what we call macOS was released in 2001, with the release of Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah. When Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah was released, a separate version called Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah Server was also released. At the time of its release the landscape of servers, and their utility, was entirely different from today's landscape. Back then, high speed internet was generally limited to large companies and home users typically had dial-up, ISDN, or possibly even slow DSL connections. The roll out of cable-based internet was not nearly as ubiquitous as it is today. Mobile internet was not even on the horizon for many users. That would come a half dozen years later with the release of the iPhone. Today's internet landscape is vastly different. Mobile broadband as well as home broadband are more common than before. Of course there are some exceptions, but having high speed internet is the norm in many places.

The server portion of macOS has seen its share of changes over the years. At first, the Server version was a separate installation and had its own pricing structure. As time progressed, the features of macOS Server increased. As the feature set increased, the pricing of macOS Server has decreased. Initially, Server came in two versions, a 10-client and Unlimited Client versions. With the release of Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, the unlimited version was the only one released. Its price was reduced to the price of $499, which was the original cost of the 10-client version. This is down from $999.

Mac OS X 10.7 Lion completely changed the server paradigm on the Mac. Instead of being a different version, the entire Server application was released as an application. The price was reduced again to $49.99. This was a substantial reduction from the previous price, a 90% price drop. With OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, Apple reduced the price even further to $19.99 for the app. This has been the pricer new purchases, but for the last few versions if you previously purchased macOS Server, each new version was a free upgrade.

macOS Server has had a standard set of services that it has provided, with a few additions over the years. The set of all services that macOS Server has provided over the years is as follows:

• Caching Server
• Calendar
• Contacts
• DHCP
• DNS
• File Sharing
• Mail
• Messages
• NetInstall
• Open Directory
• Profile Manager
• Software Update Server
• VPN
• Websites
• Wiki
• Xcode
• Xsan

With macOS High Sierra (10.13), Apple moved a couple of these services to the core operating system itself. Caching Server and File Sharing were both integrated into macOS itself. Xcode Server was also removed from macOS Server and that service was integrated into Xcode 9, and its core functionality changed. Xcode Server removed the ability to host code repositories, instead relying on services like GitHub to do this for users. Apple has unveiled some new information about the future of its macOS Server application, specifically what the spring update to macOS Server will bring to those who use macOS Server.

macOS Server is changing to focus more on management of computers, devices, and storage on your network. As a result, some changes are coming in how Server works. A number of services will be deprecated, and will be hidden on new installations of an update to macOS Server coming in spring 2018. If you've already configured one of these services, you'll still be able to use it in the spring 2018 macOS Server update. These deprecated services will be removed in a future release of macOS Server, so those depending on them should consider alternatives, including hosted services.

The list of deprecated services include:

• Calendar
• Contacts
• DHCP
• DNS
• Mail
• Messages
• NetInstall
• VPN
• Websites
• Wiki

Apple does provide a list of alternatives for each of the deprecated services, within the support article. These alternatives will require a bit more knowledge, and more likely more configuration, over the graphical interface provided by the Server application. This change will have the biggest impact on small and medium businesses who rely on macOS Server to be able to run their custom applications. It is not impossible to continue to use macOS to host these, it just will not be a elegant to do so.

The deprecation of these services leaves only a few remaining services. These service are:

• Open Directory
• Profile Manager
• Xsan

That is all that remains of macOS Server with the next update in the spring. If you have any of the deprecated services already configured, these will still be available to be managed. Profile Manager, and by extension Open Directory, are still areas which Apple can differentiate themselves and management of macOS and iOS devices is an area that Apple still feels is very important. I think the writing was on the wall for macOS Server after the Software Update Service was officially deprecated. If one of the features that many institutions relied on was being deprecated, what about the other services.

The removal of Calendar, Contacts, DHCP, DNS, Mail, Messages, Net Install, VPN, and Wiki, honestly all make sense. The usage of these services by individuals and small businesses is probably very small. These services were big and much needed 15 years ago, but are not necessary today. The one that I would like Apple to keep is Websites, only because I tend to do some web development on my Macs. With the removal of Websites, packages like XAMPP are likely to become even more heavily used by developers.

As the article states, "These deprecated services will be removed in a future release of macOS Server". It is my guess that these services will be removed in the version of Server that corresponds with the next version of macOS. Like macOS Server 6.0 that is paired with macOS 10.14. It is entirely possible that these remaining services will be integrated directly into macOS itself and activated similarly to how Caching Server is activated, through System Preferences, however since these services still require a bit of advanced knowledge, these are more likely to still be configured by a separate, albeit a much smaller, application. It is possible that Apple may even reduce the price further, to $9.99 or possibly even free. I know I am interested in seeing how macOS Server 6 is under the next version of macOS.

Source: apple.com.