Use the Server app to set up Contacts service. Contacts service provides secure, centralized storage for contact information. The server uses the CardDAV protocol, based on the widely used WebDAV protocol. It stores contacts as standard vCards for easy sharing. Contacts service provides a consolidated, server-hosted contact list.
Built on open standard protocols, Contacts service provides a simple–to–implement, secure, hosted contact solution. You can access personal and directory-based contacts across multiple computers within a workgroup, a small business, or a large corporation.
Contacts service is the OS X Server–hosted contact management solution for your organization. It provides:
Access to client contacts anywhere there’s a Internet connection
Integration with Contacts, Mail, Calendar, and Messages
Compatibility with any apps that use the standard CardDAV framework
For more information about which clients can access Contacts service, see Contacts service client apps.
You can decide who gets to use the service, and from which network. See Server access overview.
Contacts service also lets you access contact information in your organization’s directory by including directory users in your Contacts search results.
Before starting Contacts service, you may need to update your network’s DNS records.
Directory contact searching lets Contacts service clients search the directory services your server is bound to.
This can include computers with OS X Server that are configured to use Open Directory, or an existing LDAP or Active Directory implementation.
When directory searches are enabled, Contacts service clients can search their own contacts, the directory of users, and other shared directory contacts with a single search.
In the Contacts pane, select “Allow users to search the directory using the Contacts application.”