Server 5.4 changes

Hi all,


Server 5.4 has a weird thing. From release notes :


Caching Server, Time Machine Server, and File Sharing advanced options are now built directly into macOS

• Caching Server now supports a tiered architecture



Now, I can confirm all this is gone from Server itself. How do you manage them now ??? I don't get it.

Replies

Yeah, this really *****. We can't use SMB for various reasons but in "Server 5.4" you can't share a folder over AFP on a APFS volume. Not being able to see which users are connected, using which protocol, and for how long is a deal killer for us. Also not being able to see image sizes and timestamps for TIme Machine Server is a real loss. I sincerely hope they put the services back in but I'm sure they won't and slowly kill off macOS Server. I had heard this same thing at a recent conference I went to. In two different on-stage discussions Apple IT folks at huge northern california tech companies said if you manage nad admin Macs, it's time to start looking for a new job.

I didn't find where was caching logs and statistics chart now...

OK, Where do I find the shared preference pane? I see Sharing in system Preferences. Is this it?

Same thing here. I too thought it was just an early build at first but the release notes was like a dagger in the back. We too use Mac Minis and Pegasus RAIDs (40+ installations). I don't understand moving the features out either. Server works perfectly fine as of Sierra and this is a huge **** to us.

From man AssetCache:

FILES
    /Library/Preferences/com.apple.AssetCache.plist
              Configuration preferences.
    /Library/Application Suport/Apple/AssetCache/Data
              Data store.
DIAGNOSTICS
AssetCache logs to the os_log(3) subsystem com.apple.AssetCache.

I can see activity in Console when looking for the subsystem. (but I have not yet found the nice GUI to show activity)

check also the commands AssetCacheManagerUtil and its man page

Thats a new command that seems to replaces the serveradmin functionality in this version....

Mind you, this in also available on High Sierra without Server.app installed. (so one more reason NOT to get the server.app)😕

Thanks for this. Very helpful especially moveCacheTo <path>

How loud do we have to yell to get these services back into server.app. I now need to remote in with a gui to set up and make chanegs to these services? I would love to know the thought process that went into this decision. It must not be important to many, like it is to me, otherwise there would be quite a bit more feedback on this. Hopefully there will be command line utilities to control all aspects of these serivces. The "servers" I have don't even have keyboards, monitors, or mice attached to them. Server.app was nice casue I could still get the gui control remotley without screen sharing. There were also command line tools to get the job done as well. Maybe I am the only person that liked how easy it was to manage multiple servers from server.app and make changes to filesharing and such. I know there are other non apple solutions to this, but they just broke something that has worked rock solid for the past 7 years in my location.

I completely agree. I manage 60 servers throughout the country and they indeed broke Server.app just when it got fully baked. Sierra was the best version yet.

Everyone on this thread should submit feedback in Server.app > (menu) Server > Provide Server Feedback.

I filed a bug report with each beta, my third bug report was marked as a duplicate of my second bug report on this. The second and first bug report have no responses as of yet.

All the people moaning they use this for important work, well-- do not use beta software! Stick to the older versions and your kittens will survive.

Wegface, I do not think you are understanding the probelm, the problem is not running beta software, the problem is that they moved these services away from server.app and have included them in the core OS with no known way to manage these services remotely on a headless machine. If I want to set up time machine server, caching server, and filesharing I now need to screen share into the remote machine if I want a gui, or wait for the documentation to come out in order to use the command line. It was just easier and quicker to be able to do all of this from within server.app.

The core OS of which you speak is beta. Roll back to sierra and use the older server app.

Strange you say "no known way to manage these services headlessly" and then, in your next sentence, give a solution-- screen share.

I'm with ya GStone. The roadmap is the problem.

I know it won't do any good, but I agree - these changes are really scary for those of us who have relied on OS X Server and Server.app for years.