Mac OS X Lion Server For Dummies®

Grouping Servers in Server Admin

If you think about it, Server Admin looks a little like iTunes. You have a list of servers in a left column. Click one, and you see stuff on the right. The comparison is a stretch, but when you have a lot of Mac servers on the network, you can create the equivalent of iTunes playlists. You can even create the equivalent of smart playlists.

With Server Admin, the “playlist” is called a group, and the “songs” are servers. The group lives in the left column and, when you expand it, displays the servers in that group. You can group servers by function, geography, or anything you like. As with iTunes playlists, servers can be in more than one server group. You even have the equivalent of smart playlists: smart groups.

To create a server group, click the Add (+) button at the bottom left of the window, select Add Group, and give the group a name. The group appears in the left column. Now you can drag servers into the new group.

To create a smart group, click the Add (+) button and select Add Smart Group. Give the smart group a name and then add the criteria that decides which servers are added to the smart-group list. Click OK, and the group appears in the left column, with a list of servers that meet your criteria.