One mac network user - home directory error, won't sync

[jbutlin]

Hi folks, I'm still a relative newbie to apple technology although I can find my way around the basic bits of mac server and workgroup... I've got one mac user who's home directory has stopped syncing, and flatly refuses to sync at all!

 

When she logs in, it brings up shortcuts to her home folder and the main staff drive, both of which work (both located on the server), but it doesn’t run the sync. When I click on `sync home now’ it brings up an error

 

The first error says: There was a problem connecting to the server “server.orchard.lan” The server may not exist or it is unavailable at this time.

 

When I click OK:

 

The sync could not complete because your network home at “afp://server.orchard.lan/StaffHomes” is unavailable. The mac server is indeed called `server'

 

The user’s home folder opens without problems.

 

I’ve checked the user’s permissions on the folder (on the mac server) and they all look fine; anyone seen this before?

 

I've also checked the time and date, which is exactly the same as the mac server.

[AntonioRocco]

A number of things this could be from reading your post. Time and/or DNS and/or permissions or a combination of all three? To check DNS log on as the local admin on the affected Mac, launch Terminal and issue this command:

 

host server.orchard.lan

 

It should return that server's IP address. Then check its rDNS by issuing this command:

 

host xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx

 

Which should return its fully qualified domain name. If both of the above checks out OK move onto checking the permissions (yes I know you've done this but double-check all the same) of that person's home folder. These should POSIX permission by default on the top level folder which should be named the users short name. For example: asmith. POSIX permission for this folder should be:

 

owner:asmith R/W

group:staff R/O

everyone: R/O

 

Drill down to the next level and everything should be no access apart from the owner which should be the same as the top level folder. I say time because if these macs (including the mac server) are in an Active Directory environment they should not be using Apple's NTP server for their time. Apple's time servers are not great at keeping regular time. I would use your DC for time which is what Apple recommends anyway.

 

StaffHomes should be the share and this should R/O for everyone. The other possibility is corruption in that users Library folder. You can clear out the whole of the Library folder (including itself) and try for a login again. The folder should be recreated on successful login. If this is a managed user there'd be nothing in the Library folder that's of any use anyway although I would keep a copy of at least the Preferences folder just in case.

 

Hopefully the above might help?

 

Antonio Rocco (ACSA)

[jbutlin]

Thanks for that Antonio, as soon as the user stops using her macbook I will try that!

[jbutlin]

Cheers Antonio. I've checked the host using the name, and it returns the correct IP address, but when I do it the other way, it doesn't find it - so I'm guessing I need to have a look at DNS...

[jbutlin]

Interesting, when I look at DNS, in the `host names' window, it only shows the mac server and its IP address. However, when I choose to `show all records' it is listed several times, with several different IP addresses

[AntonioRocco]

I'm guessing you're using a Windows Server to provide the DHCP (and presumably DNS) service? If that's true then remove all references in the rDNS section of the DNS service for that server apart from the one it should be. I would also amend the "scavenge stale addresses" setting to a lower value so as the potential problem does not build up again in the future.

 

Seems odd that there should be multiple rDNS entries for it unless, at some time in the past, the server had been misconfigured in some way or it had been given a dynamic address instead a static one? Thinking about it this is probably the case now? Which would not be surprising as well as alarming. All servers in any network offering resources to workstations should be assigned static IP addresses at the very least as well as valid host names that resolve on both the forward and reverse pointers. There should be no ambiguity with DNS at all when it comes to servers.

 

Just trying to get a sense of what your environment is like so I have some questions: Is this an AD environment with home folders for all users specified in AD? Or is their another folder, stored on the mac server that the user accesses which is not their real (Windows) home folder? Am I right in thinking your DC is providing DHCP and DNS?

 

Antonio Rocco (ACSA)

Edited April 29, 2016 by AntonioRocco

[jbutlin]

Cheers Antonio - it was two separate networks, a windows one for admin, and a mac one for teachers and students. I inherited it, and I've tried to run it in a more integrated way (which has been a steep learning curve); some groups from Windows AD can log onto macs if they need to.

DHCP is and always was provided by Windows. DNS is also configured on the Windows DC, but it is also running on the mac.

 

The mac domain is orchard.lan

Windows domain is orchard-ad.local

 

When I got here, there were quite a few users listed in Open Directory with home folders set up on the mac server. This particular user I set up in Open Directory, and used OD to create her a home directory. It has been working for the last year or so, up until very recently.

I'm now having other issues with older OD users not being able to log in any more, which I've been posting in a separate thread - I don't know if it is all linked...

[aarongulley]

Hi,

 

Can you go into Terminal and run command "nslookup [server ip]" and tell me what comes back?.

 

Thank you

 

Aaron.

[jbutlin]

If I do it with the IP address (10.83.79.20) I get:

 

server: 10.83.79.9 (which is the IP address of the Windows DC...)

address: 10.83.79.9#53

 

20.79.83.10.in-addr.arpa name= server.orchard.lan

[jbutlin]

Interesting, I just tried logging onto the server with the user's account that inspired this post, and it logged on fine, but when I log off - I get the same error:

 

There was a problem connecting to the server “server.orchard.lan” The server may not exist or it is unavailable at this time.

 

Strange considering that I'm actually on the server.

[aarongulley]

Hi,

 

Is server.orchard.lan pointing to WDC? If so the macbook cannot find open directory and finish the sync.

 

Thanks

 

Aaron.

[jbutlin]

Hi Aaron, in the DNS section of Mac Server, I've put the Windows DC down as a forwarder.

It's strange because all macs in the school are configured the same way, most teachers aren't affected by this problem. They pick up DHCP from the Windows server, but I've put the Mac server (as well as the Windows server) into the DNS section of their network settings.

All macs are bound to Open Directory and Active Directory. Windows users occasionally log onto macs.

[jbutlin]

A quick update for anyone watching this thread: the StaffHomes folder was only being shared using AFP for some reason, where all our other shared folders on the mac server were using both. Last night I ticked SMB on the StaffHomes so that both SMB and AFP were being used.

This morning the user reported that everything was suddenly working again!

[jbutlin]

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7252103?start=15&tstart=0

[jbutlin]

Just a quick update, after I enabled SMB on one of the shared home folders, all my mac problems suddenly went away!! I wonder if the latest updates of either OS or Server itself breaks AFP... Anyone had an experience similar?

[aarongulley]

Thank you for bringing this to our attention, i'm glad all problems are now fixed.