... there's really nothing an OS X based server does better than other platforms at this point, aside from the caching server....
Time Machine target may be marginally better. OS X Server may track APFS better than third parties ( if Apple does the work they should do. ... Yeah, that's an "if". )
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Can you expound on this at all? I would be interested to hear your feedback.
OS X Server is essentially just a set of apps layered on top of the regular OS X ( soon to be macOS. ;-) ).
For basic internet/network services (i.e., email , DHCP , LDAP , print spool , etc) there isn't nothing particularly special about Apple's apps. Most have some open source foundations to them. The main development thread/effort for those are typically on Linux ( or maybe FreeBSD). Apple's ports tend to lag behind ( sometimes for no good reason). Apple's GUI wrapper around them only adds marginal value to many experienced sysadmins.
File sharing Apple is moving to SMB ( and AFP is basically in deprecated mode). Apple's SMB implementation efforts have been perhaps underfunded ( or something like where the hardware effort has been. ).
There are other iOS provisioning/management systems out there don't require Mac OS X that are at least as good as what Apple offers.
So the only specialized service that do substantially better than others is caching system updates.
If just gong to basic internet/network services then can run Linux or Windows Server and there are other hardware options. "On the Internet no one knows you are a dog" is an old cartoon. Basic Internet services are OS/hardware independent. There is little to no traction for Apple to add some "value add" to them.
If you need a Mac "Server" to run some centralized 'desktop' application ( not a network service) then perhaps.
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... but need to get the server by 1 Oct this year. Do we have any realistic expectation of getting a refreshed MP anytime soon? Thanks!
Last couple of years Apple has only released Macs (if any ) if the mid-late October time frame. If your deadline is to deploy and be operational by October 1st then you are highly likely at odds with Apple's release schedule even if there is a Mac Pro in the queue.
macOS Sierra is coming and a new Mac Pro would be very unlikely to be introduced before that ships. There are not major hints in the Beta about new hardware which points to nothing extremely soon. Apple will likely finish the iOS transition to iOS 10 on deployed iOs devices , the iPhone upgrade , and the update of macOS to the already deployed Macs out there before getting to new Macs with the new OS. It will likely be post Oct 1. once the dust settles on all of those other rollouts.
