By Katie Marsal
Published: 12:40 PM EST (09:40 AM PST)
Mac OS X 10.7 Lion Server could be a paid add-on that users would download from the Mac App Store, according to evidence allegedly discovered in the Lion beta.
Searching "install server" in the help menu in a developer preview of Mac OS X Lion, a reader of French site
HardMac reportedly discovered a note that claims Mac OS X Server in 10.7 Lion will be a paid add-on. The alleged note says that users can make their Mac a server by "installing the Server app."
An accompanying screenshot shows that the Server application will be available on the Mac App Store, and once it is purchased it will be available in the Applications folder. Users will then open the Server application to set up the software.
From there, users enter the name and password of an administrator account on the Mac in order to begin installing and setting up Lion Server software. The Server application allegedly downloads the Server Essentials software package and installs it, a process that will turn the Mac into a server.
The current version of Mac OS X Server for 10.6 Snow Leopard has a retail price of $499, granting users an unlimited client license. The help file does not offer any indication as to how much the Mac OS X Server application would cost on the Mac App Store.
With its developer previews of Mac OS X Lion, Apple has issued
separate builds for the Server version of the Mac operating system. Preview 3 was released to developers
in mid-May.
For more on Mac OS X 10.7 Lion Server, see
AppleInsider's previous coverage:
Inside Mac OS X 10.7 Lion Server: Apple replaces Samba for Windows networking services
Inside Mac OS X 10.7 Lion Server: remote lock, disk wipe and administration
VMware vSphere 5 to add cloud virtualization support for Mac OS X Server
Why Apple axed Xserve, and how it can reenter the server market
