Apple 10.3 manual 5Before You Begin, Set Up a Planning Team

5Before You Begin 5

Before installing and setting up Mac OS X Server, take the time to do a little planning.

The major goals of the planning phase are to make sure that:

•Server user and administrator needs are addressed by the servers you deploy

•Server and service prerequisites that affect installation and initial setup are identified

Installation planning is especially important if you are integrating Mac OS X Server into an existing network, migrating from earlier versions of Mac OS X Server, or preparing to set up multiple servers. But even single-server environments can benefit from a brief assessment of the needs you want a server to fulfill.

Use this chapter to stimulate your thinking. It does not present a rigorous planning algorithm. Nor does it provide the details you’ll need to determine whether to implement a particular service and assess its resource requirements. Instead, view this chapter as an opportunity to pause and think about how to maximize the benefits of Mac OS X Server in your environment.

Planning, like design, is not necessarily a linear process. The sections in this chapter had to be in some particular order, but the order does not imply a mandatory sequence. Different sections in this chapter present suggestions that could be implemented simultaneously or iteratively.

Set Up a Planning Team

Involve individuals in the installation planning process who can represent various points of view:

•What day-to-day user requirements need to be met by a server? For what activities will server users and workgroups depend on the server? If the server will be used in a classroom, make sure that the instructor likely to manage its services and administer it day to day provides input.

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