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I currently have two Mac Mini servers with several Mac clients and everything works well (DNS, Open Directory, Contacts/Calendar/Messaging, File Sharing, Time Machine, etc). I'm open to introducing Windows 7/10 and Linux (Ubuntu/CentOS) into the environment as BYOD option. Mail is handled by two linux mail servers (IMAP only).

Does OS X server integrate into these environments? I'm sure both can join Open Directory, or at least Linux can.

Most importantly, how can I get Contacts/Cal to work across Android/Windows mobile and desktop devices?

OS X 10.10 Server

Markaway
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  • For Contacts and Calendar, you have iCould.com. In my point of view, a great way to have iCloud Contact/Calendar on Android/PC platform is to synchronise iCloud and Google http://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/75360/how-to-sync-icloud-contacts-with-google – StrawHara Oct 21 '15 at 15:12
  • The server already hosts iCal/Contacts and Messenger. Using iCloud.com doesn't tie into my local system like Outlook365 does with a local AD server. At least not that I'm aware of. Is it possible to have the local network share out to iCloud.com for the users who don't run Macs? I need a user who isn't at the office to get invitations to meetings/appointments without having to first sync the event on their computer. – Markaway Oct 21 '15 at 15:18
  • It isn't really an answer to your question, but if it will put you at ease: brew and MacPorts are free, open source methods of porting much of the software available for Linux and FreeBSD to Mac OS. In general, it's a safe bet that if you can do it in Linux, you can do it in OS X. – agentroadkill Oct 21 '15 at 23:14

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Server data app on OS X is highly standards compliant. LDAP is industry-standard (but it's not active directory), Mail is IMAP, CardDAV, WebDAV and CalDAV. All are quite standard and ubiquitous. Filesharing uses SMB3.

Unless you have highly specific/rigid client requirements or are wedded to certain client apps, you should be able to make productive use of server.app services across multiple client operating systems.

bmike
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  • I'm aware of the standards but I wasn't sure if Apple modifies something to make it more proprietary or not. And I wasn't sure on the compatibility of other OSes. At this point I'm small enough that I can get by with Profile Manager and FileVault2 to secure the client systems. My concern is having data synced to mobile devices. – Markaway Oct 21 '15 at 17:18
  • @Markaway Cool - since it's free to ask follow on questions - feel free to ask a more specific question. Integration is in the details - sometimes a minor version bump can change things. I figured a general answer to a broad question would be of use. :-) – bmike Oct 21 '15 at 17:47
  • I believe I had asked about it in my original question. How to handle other devices. – Markaway Oct 21 '15 at 17:59
  • @Markaway Cool - it's far too broad a subject for me to be more specific - I'm not comfortable making guesses as to what "other devices" means in your situation. Let's see if someone else has better insight than I or can offer sage advice/pointers.. – bmike Oct 21 '15 at 18:41
  • What 'other devices' - I have Windows/Android specified for both mobile and desktop. My question is how to get iCal/Contacts to work across mixed environments like Windows and Android devices. I can see how that can be broad but I'm not expecting a step-by-step answer either. If there's an application to use i'm not aware of that would be acceptable. – Markaway Oct 21 '15 at 19:32