Apple today released Mac OS X 10.7 Lion. Lion is the next major release of Mac OS X and includes over 250 new features and enhanced functionality. Lion is the first major desktop operating system to be available only online at launch. Apple also announced 3 enhanced hardware products today. This email provides a number of resources necessary for planning and deploying Mac OS X Lion. Included in this email are the following topics:
- Mac OS X Lion Features
- Mac OS X Lion Server Features and Resources
- Mac OS X Lion Hardware Compatibility
- Mac OS X Lion Software Compatibility
- Purchasing Lion
- New MacBook Air, Mac mini, Mac mini Server and Thunderbolt display
- Technical Resources
Mac OS X Lion Features
With over 250 new features Mac OS X Lion includes a number of amazing new capabilities and productivity features. Links to more details about the latest release of OS X may be found here:
Overview:
What is Lion:
Security:
Compatibility:
Accessibility:
OS X Apps:
All of the new features (250+):
Video Overview:
How to buy (more information below for education):
Tech Specs:
Mac OS X Lion Server Features and Resources
Mac OS X Lion Server is the next major release of Mac OS X Server. Apple has included a number of valuable improvements to this OS release. In order to update to Mac OS X Lion, Administrators must first purchase, download and install Mac OS X 10.7 Lion Client ($29.99) and then purchase, download and install Mac OS X Lion Server ($49.99). Further pricing details may be found below.
Mac OS X Lion Server Features:
Servers Made Easy:
Features:
Tech Specs:
Mac OS X Lion Server Resources
Server Admin Tools:
Upgrading and Migrating:
Lion Server Advanced Administration
Xsan Administration Guide:
Mac OS X Lion Hardware Compatibility
OS X Lion requires a Mac with an Intel Core 2 Duo, i3, i5, i7, or Xeon processor and 2GB of memory running Mac OS X v10.6.6 or later. Some features may have additional system requirements. For example newer MacBook, MacBook Pro or MacBook Air trackpad functionality is only available on select, newer models. Further Details may be found here:
Mac OS X Lion Software Compatibility
Mac OS X Lion is the next major release of Mac OS X. As is often the case with any major release, software vendors must verify their software compatibility and occasionally make changes to their software to be compatible with that release. Mac OS X Lion is no exception. When Apple launched Mac OS X Tiger on Intel, a compatibility environment was included in the OS called Rosetta. Rosetta allowed Power PC software to run on Intel hardware. Rosetta is no longer included with Mac OS X, which may present problems with older versions of software. Additionally, there have been many enhancements to Mac OS X Lion that may impact some software. This unverified link may allow users considering updating to Lion to discover what software is or is not compatible with Lion:
Purchasing Lion
Mac OS X 10.7 Lion will not be available with any physical DVD media for end users or institutions. Today the software can only be obtained from the Mac App Store. Later this August Mac OS X Lion will be available on a USB thumb drive through the Apple online store for $69. Deploying Mac OS X to multiple supported Macs in a department is discussed below.
Apple today changed the licensing for several Apple Software products in addition to licensing for Lion and Lion Server. Volume license contracts are available at a 50 percent discount per license with a minimum quantity of 20 licenses. Other products that are now available under the new licensing program include iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, Aperture, Final Cut Pro X, Motion 5, Compressor 4 and Apple Remote desktop. These products all offer licenses in addition to 3 year maintenance, if desired. Further details about the program may be found here:
Further detail regarding obtaining Lion in volume and with maintenance may be found here:
OS X Lion Volume Licenses: 20+ Seats
Whether your business or school is large or small, the Apple Volume Licensing Agreement (VLA) provides an easy and cost-effective way to purchase Apple's OS X Lion software for multiple systems. With VLA, you license the right to use Apple software on a specified number of computers at your business or school - you determine how many. Volume Licenses start at 20 seats.
Customers will receive a certificate that authorizes their use of the software for the number of licenses purchased. Upon completion of your OS X Lion Volume License order, you will receive one content code per Volume License Agreement. To redeem your software, your employee or authorized user will need sign in to the Mac App Store with an Apple ID and password provided by your organization, company or institution. Your use of the content code and the redeemed software will be subject to the terms and conditions applicable to the Mac App Store (http://www.apple.com/legal/itunes/ww/) and the applicable license agreement(s). Customers needing more details should contact their Apple Account Executive.
OS X Maintenance Licenses: 20+ Seats
Mac OS X Maintenance is a three-year subscription entitling customers to every major release of Mac OS X delivered during the contract term. Customers must be licensed for the current version of Mac OS X in order to purchase Mac OS X Maintenance. The maximum order quantity is limited to the number of systems owned by the customer that are licensed for the current version of Mac OS X.
Major upgrade releases of Mac OS X will be provided via a content code redeemable on the Mac App Store. To redeem your software, your employees or authorized users will need to sign in with an Apple ID and password provided by your organization, company, or institution. Your use of the content code and the redeemed software is subject to the terms and conditions of the Mac App Store (
http://www.apple.com/legal/itunes/ww/) and the applicable license agreement(s).
Your OS X Maintenance agreement is valid for three years from the time of purchase. OS X Maintenance requires full payment in advance for all three years.
OS X Maintenance is available at a minimum order quantity of 20 licenses. For more details, please contact their Apple Account Executive.
Education Institution Purchases
OS X Lion Volume Licenses 20+ - Part number: D5983Z/A - $14.99 (per seat)
OS X Maintenance Licenses 20+ - Part number: D5996Z/A - $19.99 (per seat)
Lion Server Volume Licenses 20+ - Part number: D5984Z/A - $24.99 (per seat)
OS X Server Maintenance Licenses 20+ - Part number: D5997Z/A - $32.99 (per seat)
Apple does not offer additional pricing discounts beyond the 50% discounts for higher volume tiers. In other words if an institution needs 100 or 1000 copies of OS X Lion the quantity is the number of seats times the price per seat (minimum of 20). 1000 copies of Mac OS X would cost $14,990 or 1000X$14.99. With 3 years of maintenance it would be $34,980 or 1000X($14.99 + $19.99).
Individuals ordering Lion or Lion Server should simply visit the Mac App Store and purchase the software on their computer.
Up-to-Date
All new hardware purchased after June 6th, 2011 is eligible for the Up-to-Date Program. Customers who have purchased new hardware on or after June 6th, 2011 have 30 days from July 20th, 2011 to redeem the software at no additional cost. After that 30 day period Lion can be obtained for $29 through the Mac App Store. Further details on the Up-to-Date program may be found here:
New MacBook Air, Mac mini, Mac mini Server and Thunderbolt Display
MacBook Air
MacBook Air now features next-generation Intel Core i5 and i7 dual-core processors, high-speed Thunderbolt I/O, a backlit keyboard, and it comes with OS X Lion right out of the box. Available in 11-inch and 13-inch models, the new MacBook Air also features up to 2.5 times the performance of the previous generation, fast flash storage, and a thin and light design that slips easily into a briefcase, purse, or bag. Further details may be found here:
Mac mini
Mac mini now features next-generation Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, new discrete AMD Radeon graphics, high-speed Thunderbolt I/O, and it comes with OS X Lion right out of the box. Designed without an optical drive, the new Mac mini can use optical drives on other PCs and Macs, and it works with the MacBook Air SuperDrive. The new Mac mini delivers up to twice the performance of the previous generation in the same compact design. Further details may be found here:
Mac mini Server
A new Mac mini server model features a quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, 4GB of memory, a 500GB hard drive, and it comes with OS X Lion Server. Configured-to-order options include more memory and up to two hard drives. Further details may be found here:
Thunderbolt Display
The new 27-inch Apple Thunderbolt Display is the world's first display with Thunderbolt I/O, and it's the ultimate docking station for a Mac notebook. With just a single cable, customers can connect a Thunderbolt-enabled Mac and access the display's FaceTime camera, high-quality audio, and Gigabit Ethernet, FireWire 800, USB 2.0, and Thunderbolt ports. The Apple Thunderbolt Display requires a Mac with a Thunderbolt I/O port. The Apple LED Cinema Display is available for Macs with a Mini Display port. Further details may be found here:
Technical Resources
There are a number of changes and enhancements to Mac OS X for upgrading, troubleshooting, installing and deploying the new OS. There are too many changes to mention here. This email includes a number of the initial, important changes:
- Upgrading to Lion
- Recovery HD Partition
- Burning a bootable Lion DVD
- Deploying Mac OS X Lion
- Virtualization
- Windows on a Mac
Upgrading to Lion
Mac OS X Lion can only be upgraded over a copy of Mac OS X Snow Leopard v10.6.6 or later. Earlier versions of Mac OS X cannot upgrade to Mac OS X Lion. In order to upgrade a licensed copy of Snow Leopard must first be installed. It is highly recommended that all software updates be applied to Snow Leopard or Snow Leopard Server before upgrading to Lion. The current version of Mac OS X Snow Leopard is 10.6.8. The 10.6.8 Combo Updates are available here:
Apple also released the Migration Assistant Update for Mac OS X Snow Leopard. The update may be downloaded from here:
Recovery HD
Because Mac OS X Lion does not come with a bootable DVD, Apple has implemented the Recovery HD partition. This partition is a hidden partition to users running Mac OS X Lion from the GUI. The Recovery HD partition, however, appears when users hold down the Option key or will start up from by holding down Command-R during the boot sequence. Mac OS X will start up from the Recovery HD to perform a number of tasks. These tasks include:
- Restore from a Time Machine Backup - connect to a USB, FireWire, Thunderbolt or a wireless or wired network Time Machine drive
- Reinstall Mac OS X Lion - will ask the administrator to connect to their Mac App Store account to re-download Lion. A copy of the ~4GB installer does not exist on the Recovery HD partition but can download while in Recovery mode.
- Get Help Online - use Safari to browse the web for support (no browser plug-ins run while using Safari in this method)
- Run Disk Utility - repair or erase a disk
- Run Firmware Password Utility - from the Utilities menu the firmware password may be set on the hardware
- Run Network Utility - from the Utilities menu troubleshoot network issues for wired or wireless connections
- Run Terminal - from the Utilities menu run various command line functions to troubleshoot or reconfigure the system
- Run Reset Password - by first launching Terminal then typing resetpassword the Reset Password.app will launch to change the password for any users on the system
- Choose Startup Disk - from the Apple menu or by quitting the Mac OS X Utilities App choose the startup volume
The Recovery HD partition will use the wireless settings from the primary OS to connect to the wireless network automatically. Administrators may also select a network from the Wi-Fi menu. When running Mac OS X Lion users can run the following command in Terminal to see the partitions: diskutil list It is important to note that without the Recovery HD partition FileVault cannot work in Mac OS X Lion.
Burning a Bootable Lion DVD
Any Mac OS X Lion user who has downloaded the Install Mac OS X Lion.app from the Mac App Store, or who has copied the App from another computer, may burn a fully functional, bootable DVD. To burn a DVD follow these steps:
- Launch Disk Utility (located in /Applications/Utilities/)
- Right-click on the Install Mac OS X Lion.app (located in the Applications folder)
- Choose Show Package Contents
- Navigate to /Contents/SharedSupport/InstalESD.dmg
- Drag InstallESD.dmg to the left hand side bar in Disk Utility
- Select InstallESD.dmg in Disk Utility
- From the Images menu choose Burn… and insert a compatible DVD+/-R or RW blank disk
Alternately, using the same InstallESD.dmg image, administrators can restore the image to a partition on a thumb drive or a hard drive. Use the Restore function in Disk Utility to restore InstallESD.dmg to a drive.
Deploying Mac OS X Lion
Mac OS X Lion can be deployed using similar, but updated, tools commonly used to deploy Mac OS X. Not all Mac OS X imaging tools may be updated to support Lion. The Install Mac OS X Lion.app can be traced to the download account that redeemed the software but a Mac App Store account is not necessary when deploying a single image to multiple Mac clients. Each client, however, must be properly licensed to run the software. Any institution deploying Mac OS X Lion must have a license for every Mac running Mac OS X. A Mac OS X Lion license is handled differently within a household. Further details may be found here:
Details regarding deploying Apple Professional Apps may be found here:
Regarding deploying a single image to multiple systems, Apple's System Image Utility, which is part of Mac OS X Lion Server, can create a master image that can be deployed to multiple systems. It is important to note, however, that the NetRestore functionality of System Image Utility will not create a Recovery HD partition. In a lab environment, the Recovery HD may not be a desired partition. If a master image with the Recovery HD image is desired, DeployStudio (mentioned below) can build and deploy a custom image to supported client systems. The NetInstall feature of System Image Utility will install a fresh copy of Lion and will properly configure the Recovery HD partition. More details regarding the recovery partition may be found here:
As stated previously, without the Recovery HD partition FileVault cannot work in Mac OS X Lion.
DeployStudio Server (free) has been updated to version 1.0rc127 to include support for both Mac OS X Lion and Mac OS X Lion Server. DeployStudio allows administrators to both create and deploy the Recovery HD image, Mac OS X Lion and Windows images to supported configurations. Utilizing workflows in DeployStudio, when restoring images, the option to Restore system recovery partitions is on by default. This may be disabled, if desired. DeployStudio can create bootable NetBoot images for Leopard, Snow Leopard and Lion. It can similarly deploy Leopard, Snow Leopard and Lion master images from a single server. DeployStudio Server can be run from any combination of Mac OS Server, Leopard or newer, to deploy any combination of master images supported by the client systems. In other words, Lion Server is not required to deploy Lion images to supported Lion clients, but may be used if a Lion Server is available. Mac OS X Server is only necessary if mass deployment across the network is desired. Otherwise DeployStudio may be run from a local hard drive to re-image client systems. All license terms still apply when deploying a single image to multiple systems. To learn more about DeployStudio Server visit the DeployStudio site:
Virtualization
The end user license agreement for Mac OS X Lion allows users to install and run 2 virtual instances of Mac OS X Lion on supported Mac OS X hardware. Users wishing to utilize this new functionality (only Leopard Server and Snow Leopard Server were supported previously) must use virtualization software that has been updated to run on Mac OS X Lion and has added the functionality to install OS X Lion in to a virtual machine.
Windows on a Mac
The Boot Camp Assistant application, which resides in /Applications/Utilities/ within Mac OS X Lion has an enhanced functionality. Previously, to install the Windows Boot Camp Drivers, users could install the Leopard or Snow Leopard DVD while running Windows. Because there's no DVD for Lion, the Boot Camp Assistant allows users to either burn a CD/DVD with the Windows Boot Camp Drivers or install the drivers to an external hard drive. The drivers will be downloaded for the specific hardware Boot Camp Assistant is running on. To install Windows on a different generation or model of Mac, run the Boot Camp Assistant on that hardware to get the specific drivers. Mac OS X Lion only supports and includes drivers for Windows 7. When using older hardware that included Leopard or Snow Leopard Boot Camp drivers for Windows XP or Windows Vista may also be available for those systems. If the machine running Lion was capable of running Windows XP or Windows Vista and the Boot Camp Drivers are available, users can continue to use that version of Windows. To reiterate, the Boot Camp Drivers downloaded from the Boot Camp Assistant will only work with Windows 7. Use earlier licensed DVDs to install Windows XP and Windows Vista, where available. All new Mac hardware from Apple will only support Windows 7 with Boot Camp.
Also note that by default Mac OS X Lion has 3 partitions. They include the EFI partition (~200MB), Mac OS X Lion and the Recovery HD (~650MB). Apple's implementation of EFI uses a BIOS plug in to allow the installation and startup of Windows. Upgrading to Lion will add an additional partition with the Recovery HD (most likely /dev/disk0s3/) pushing the installation of Windows to what is most likely /dev/disk0s4/. This may effect the Master Boot Record (MBR) and effect tools like Boot Picker or rEFIt that allow selecting the boot volume at startup. If Windows was installed using the Boot Camp Assistant or another deployment tool, the MBR should automatically adjust with the installation of Mac OS X Lion, but not necessarily. It is always a good idea to back up any data on any partition before doing an upgrade.
Additional technical resources may be found here: