network home directory ?

[mac_shinobi]

on os x leopard 10.5.2 is it possible to use the server admin to point the users home directorys to a windows 2003 server so that os x server mounts the students home areas as there home directorys as a network home directory so that we dont have to duplicate or replicate all the students home areas from the 2003 server to the os x server ?

 

If so how, I have been looking at the following pdf :

 

http://download.info.apple.com/Apple_Support_Area/Manuals/software/UnderstandingUsingNetInfo.PDF

 

but just wanted to confirm that I am going about this the correct way.

 

Have got all clients and the os x server setup and joined to the ADUC domain and all clients setup with the OD domain.

[gaz350]

so you have student accounts duplicated in AD/ OD?

[gaz350]

Ok, just had a think about this. will need some more info, because if your talking about netinfo you must be running 10.3 server still?

 

If your going to attempt any integration with AD i really really would advise running at least 10.4.5+ or 10.5.3. Netinfo was in the process of being phased out in 10.4, now its gone in 10.5.

 

If you still have student user accounts in OD and AD then migrate to a full AD/OD integration. If you need any help there are plenty of people here who have it running.

 

Places to start:

http://www.edugeek.net/forums/mac/18340-new-od-ad-integration-paper.html

http://www.edugeek.net/forums/mac/15199-active-directory-authentication-how.html

http://www.edugeek.net/forums/mac/14349-integrating-os-x-ad.html

Bombich.com: Leveraging Active Directory on Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server (not updated for leopard)

[mac_shinobi]

we have an os x server 10.5.2 and os x clients 10.5.2

 

Have setup student groups and a staff group on the OD server and have dragged and dropped the ADUC users into the relevant groups on the OD server and applied the relevant settings for finder, the dock , etc for those groups.

 

The above works fine.

 

However when a user logs in and opens the finder window, there home directory that they have in the finder is a local one and I need a walk through to show me how to setup and get network home directorys working but would prefer if we could some how point the local os x clients to the windows server 2003 box that stores all the users home areas in the first place instead of setting up a file share on the os x server and re creating home areas for all the users as I DONT want to duplicate home areas.

 

Hope this makes sense

[gaz350]

ok what you need to do is change the advanced settings in AD Plugin in Directory Access. untick the force local home dir on startup disk and change from afp to smb. (cant remember how to get to it exactly not sitting on a leopard client atm)

 

http://a248.e.akamai.net/7/248/51/107943-de1166737592/www.info.apple.com/images/kbase/107943/107943_1.jpg

[mac_shinobi]

Do I need to do that on each client or on the server or what exactly ?

[saundersmatt]

You will need to do that on each client. (and probably the server too).

 

You may also need to ensure that "require SMB signing" on your windows file servers is set to disabled.

 

matt

[gaz350]

yes sorry this if for every client that needs access to home directories.

you can use the command line to setup the AD connection so this should all be scriptable saving you some time if you have Remote Desktop.

 

Cant find my old script though grrr

although there are some good examples at bombich.com

 

Bombich.com: Mac OS X Management Custom Shell Script Library