For the past 3 months I have been fighting with Apple’s file server (ever since upgrading to Mavericks) to get it to work properly. No scratch that, I have been fighting to get it to work at all. See this post for the most recent issues. On top of the file server issues they have continued to strip functionality out of user management. I mean, lets face it. Using their recommended tools (since they keep threatening to remove Workgroup Manager) all you can edit is their name and e-mail address.

Really? I can’t put in a phone number? I can’t put in their mailing address? All those things show up in Contacts/Address Book, so why can’t I edit them? Oh, I have to use either a product that you explicitly tell us not to use or I have to use a 3rd party software? Well thanks, that makes life easier. I use Mac over Linux because it makes life easier, but if I am down to using the command line for doing everything anyway, whats the point?

At this point, Apple has completely and utterly lost my confidence in their server software. Our file server has been basically non-functional for 3 months. I have to reboot it every week just to keep people able to work on their files, and even with that people were locked out of their files for a few days before I could reboot. Even their client software is getting extremely sketchy as they keep trying to force people to use iCloud, and worse, merge all their data without telling them. This has caused our staff numerous issues as suddenly all their work stuff is merged with their personal stuff which then takes hours of my time trying to unmerge it for them. I will be switching to a non-Apple file server as soon as I am able.

Thanks for the good times Apple. But your server software sucks worse than Microsoft Me did, and that is being kind. It isn’t like this is a small segment of the community having file sharing issues. Your forums are full of people saying their file server is basically non-functional because AFP is broken. SMB is even more broke. NFS? Yea you kinda killed that too.

Well even though the file server isn’t working at-least I have an LDAP server that works and is replicated. Oh wait, I don’t? Yes, that is right. I can’t turn on replication because I had the nerve to customize the installation. Thats okay, at-least it is solid and very reliable. Oh thats right, it isn’t that either. It stops authenticating users twice an hour for about 3 minutes each time. Once before Time Machine starts and once after it finishes.

Okay so file server and authentication server are broken. Well I can still take solace in the fact that their custom built collaboration server works so people can use shared calendars and stuff. Oh… I forgot.  That is broken too. I have to reboot it every day to keep it functioning and even then I have to reset peoples accounts in iCal ever few weeks because they randomly de-configure themselves.

Okay fine. So not everything of Apple’s works, but I still have… no wait. That’s right. I don’t have anything else that runs on Apple’s Server software. I already moved it all off to other Linux installs and other things because it was so broke it never worked reliably anymore.

It’s been nice, but so long. Farewell. Thanks for all the fish.