Need advice on how to run macs under a windows domain

[BarriedaleNick]

Ok I am a Mac dummy but I have to integrate our Art and Music depts who use them, into our windows setup.

We had a project a few years ago and we effectively managed to spoof it somewhat using Acronis and Centrify but I didn't run the project and the guy who did has long since gone.

What we have managed to do is to make the Windows home directory, on our servers, the mac home directory as well. The idea was that a user should be able to see all their docs in one place - a simple enough idea in theory but it has caused lots and lots of issues. Mainly having mac homes on the server causes massive amount of I/O and effects the overall performance of the server in general. As some of our macs are aged as well this has impacted on their performance as well so no one is happy.

I am hoping to have a budget to replace the macs - around 50 of them and in effect we need to start again. So what approach to take - I have been hearing things from some mac mates that you cant\shouldn't even have Apple home folders on any server and that they always need to be local.

What we are doing is the usual stuff - in Art they are doing mainly iPhoto and Photoshop work (with no regard to file sizing or resolution obviously), most of the macs in music are using logic and there are some admin macs used for day to day office stuff.

I am not after specific technical help here - just looking for a roadmap. What I want is for our mac users to login and have access to their Windows homes and shares and for them to be able to "roam" with their Apple homes/docs. Apparently this is next to impossible. Basically I have annoyed our mac users and it seems now that any solutions I offer them is going to be a bit awkward..

Happy to provide more details if needed but I am struggling to get get to grips to with this..

Thanks

Edited January 30, 2018 by elsiegee40
Edited for lamguage

[dhicks]

What I want is for our mac users to login and have access to their Windows homes and shares and for them to be able to "roam" with their Apple homes/docs.

 

My previous thread about this:

 

http://www.edugeek.net/forums/mac/173154-mac-os-network-login-script.html

 

Redirecting user documents and desktop folder should be fine, traffic and disk I/O wise, but if you want to redirect the settings folders for trhings like iMovie you might want to consider a dedicated file server.

[BarriedaleNick]

Thanks - Yes I was figuring on getting some sort of mac storage or sticking the settings folder on a dedicated bit of storage..

The guy I got in to look at all this is basically saying that redirection of settings is not supported any more so I am, to say the least, confused!

[dhicks]

The guy I got in to look at all this is basically saying that redirection of settings is not supported any more so I am, to say the least, confused!

 

I need to take a look at our setup and check that all is okay, I hope to be able to do this in the next few days, at which point I'll try and update this thread (or the original) with a few more details.