In fact, Microsoft has extended its mainstream support of the server OS -- previously set to expire on July 9th, 2013 -- through January 15th, 2015.
ENGADGET: Microsoft extends free Windows Server 2008 support through January 15th, 2015
These cloud and web hosting customers appreciate the cost savings associated with a lower cost infrastructure, yet still want to deploy a server-class product with reliability and security features and server OS certification.
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Last month Apple announced it was releasing to developers source code for a few key components of its Mac OS X Server operating system.
Mac OS X Server remains, but who knows for how long.
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If the server machine is running OS X, getting it to talk with your Mac mini is easier than selling a marked up iPod shuffle on eBay - your success is assured.
The four systems run on Solaris 8 OS and extend the server line whose genesis in September was the Sun Fire 280R.
Microsoft changed that in 2001 with a version of Outlook for Mac OS 9 that supported Exchange server.
The Linux Foundation's primary backer for the alternative OS efforts, Parallels' server CTO James Bottomley, has revealed that Microsoft's requirements for signed, Secure Boot-ready code are tough if developers aren't entirely onboard its train of thought.
ENGADGET: Linux Foundation vet explains setbacks in getting a Secure Boot key for Windows 8 PCs
We'll admit that most of our attention as end users will be focused on what happens several weeks from now, but if you're one of those rare server operators that can't wait to start testing a new OS release almost immediately, you've got a head start on most of us.
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Sun is also working to improve SSD support with its next-gen ZFS file system, which in addition to powering its Solaris OS should be making an appearance in Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, at least in the server version.
ENGADGET: Vista, OS X updates could bring significant SSD speed gains
If you have an old PC of any OS flavor lying around, now is the time to repurpose it into a file server.
But more recently, users of Apple's newest operating system, OS X, have again been left out of the exclusive club that the Exchange server can sometimes seem to be.
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