Networking and VPN. To protect and to serve.

With Snow Leopard Server, you don’t need to be a networking expert to set up a bulletproof server for your organization. Using Server Assistant and Server Preferences, you can easily configure it — safely and securely — just the way you want.

Built-in firewall.

A firewall is built into Mac OS X Server, making it easy to restrict access and block unwanted communications to your server. With just a few clicks, you can prevent connections outside your network from accessing services on your server. The enterprise-class firewall scans incoming IP packets and rejects or accepts them based on filters. You can turn off all access outside your network or customize the firewall to perform stateful packet inspection to determine whether an incoming packet is a legitimate response to an outgoing request or part of an ongoing session.

Secure private network access.

Virtual private network (VPN) access enables your users to take advantage of network services while they’re offsite and simultaneously prevent access by unauthorized individuals. Mac OS X Server supports standards-based L2TP/IPSec and PPTP tunneling protocols to provide encrypted VPN connections for Mac and Windows systems — and even iPhone. These VPN services use secure authentication methods, including MS-CHAP and
network-layer IPSec.

Gateway to the world.

Mac OS X Server takes the complexity out of configuring Internet settings. If you are using an AirPort Extreme Base Station (802.11n) as an Internet router, Mac OS X Server can automatically configure AirPort Extreme to make services such as iChat, Mail, Web, and VPN accessible on the Internet. If you don’t have an Internet router, Mac OS X Server can set up your dual-Ethernet equipped Mac Pro or Xserve as a gateway between your local network and the Internet.