Tenon’s iTools updated to version 6.5

There’s a new version of the Apache administration tools available from Tenon Intersystems. The company’s Web server tool suite, iTools 6.5 for Mac OS X 10.1 and Mac OS X Server 10.1, has been updated with an Aqua graphical user interface (GUI) that lets Webmasters set up and configure Apache directly on Apple’s Aqua desktop, according to Tenon’s vice president Anita Holmgren.

The iTools Web Server Suite is an Apache-based Web server package that takes advantage of the preemptive multitasking and memory protection of Mac OS X, she said. Web Server Suite for Mac OS X is a family of tools essential to “serious, commercial content delivery and eCommerce,” Holmgren added.

Tenon’s iTools has been used for almost two years now, originally on Apple’s precursor to Mac OS X, the early Mac OS X Server 1.2. The new iTools 6.0 is designed not only for Mac OS X, but also for Apple’s Mac OS X Server.

“Tenon’s iTools Manager makes difficult tasks easy, and Apple’s Aqua makes it pretty,” Holmgren said. “The new GUI co-exists with Tenon’s secure, remote, browser-based administration, enabling webmasters to seamlessly switch between desktop management and anytime, anywhere browser-based control.”

The Aqua Apache administration tools provide configuration, not only for Apache, but also for DNS, FTP and mail. Tenon’s iTools can be used with the Mac OS X 10.1 “client” or with Mac OS X Server 10.1. Both the new Aqua GUI and the browser-based tools give Webmasters more than just on and off buttons, Holmgren said. She said that, instead, they offer total Web site control, extending the Webmaster’s reach to “a level that far exceeds what is available even with Apple’s new OS X Server.”

The new iTools Manager lets Webmasters set up virtual hosts, create URL aliases and redirects, create self-signed SSL certificates and SSL certificate requests, create realm-based, host-based, and cipher-based access controls, and perform other tasks. There’s no need for Macintosh Webmasters to “learn” Apache — they can just use the knowledge they have from years of being a Mac OS Webmaster and Tenon’s technology will translate their mouse clicks and table entries into terms that Apache can understand, Holmgren said.

Tenon’s iTools includes SSL for secure eCommerce transactions, FastCGI and mod_Perl for top CGI performance, an integrated caching proxy server that augments Apache’s built-in proxy services, integrated domain name services, integrated multidomain FTP services, integrated logging and a Sherlock-savvy search engine. Also included is support for Java servlets and Java Server Pages with Tomcat, support for Active Server Pages with Halcyon’s iASP, and mod_dav to support the transition from a read-only Web to a collaborative, writable Web via WebDAV clients. Plus, a WEBmail tool turns Mac OS X into a POP3 and IMAP4 mail server and a customizable, anytime, anywhere “hotmail” style mail client.

Tenon’s iTools 6.5 is a free upgrade for all iTools 6.0 customers. For new customers, the price is US$399, $299 (educational and sidegrades from WebSTAR), and $99 (upgrade from iTools 5.0).