Originally posted by srcleaves:
<STRONG>I really would love to see Apple support home users with multiple machines, because it isn't reasonable to expect home users to buy a copy of server. They could restrict their support to a 2 level hierarchy, one root domain, and multiple local domains. This would make it useful, but not a reasonable replacement for OS X Server for larger organizations.
Maybe with the help of some server owners, we could use this forum to figure out how to create and run domains under OS X?</STRONG>
Here is how I have done it, thanks in part to prior posts from forum member "MacTroll".
Disclaimer: I am no expert... following these directions has you modifying some delicate and critical files to OS X operation... make sure you've backed up your system and can tolerate and handle a re-install of OS X if something goes awry... I am an idiot... never take advice from an idiot. With that understanding...
Here's how to use OS X to set up a home network supporting remote user accounts...
1) Enable root user on your server machine.
(If you don't know how, I suggest you not continue.)
2) Backup netinfo database.
su root
cd /var/db/netinfo
cp -r local.nidb local.nidbak
3) Open Netinfo Manager and authenticate yourself.
4) Export the directory to contain your user directories.
Select root level of database.
Add subdirectory; name it 'exports' (assuming one doesn't exist).
Select 'exports' and add subdirectory.
Name it with the path that you want to export (i.e. /Users).
Add a 'clients' property with no value (to allow everyone).
Add an 'opts' property with no value, or with any options
you would like (esp. the 'alldirs' value to allow you to
mount any subdirectory of this export.
5) Mount the directory that will contain your user directories.
Select the '/mounts' directory.
Add subdirectory; name it "127.0.0.1:/Users", assuming that
is the directory where your network accounts are.
Add property 'dir' with value "/Network/Users".
Add property 'vfstype' with value "nfs".
Add property 'opts' with values "bg", "union", and "w".
For more info, see "http://www.burntchicken.com/rich/osxnfs.html".
6) Select '/machines/localhost' and Duplicate it.
Set the name to the name of your server.
Add an additional value to the 'serves' property: '../network'.
7) Select menu Domain->Manage Domain->Hierarchy and 'create a new
master server on this host', the last option in the list. You
can check to limit access to the data to the LAN.
If Netinfo Manager unexpectedly quits, just restart it.
Then do File->Open by Tag and fill in "127.0.0.1" and "network"
to open the new domain.
8) Select '/machines'. There should be one entry in there.
Select that entry.
Change the 'name' property's value to the name of your server.
The 'serves' property should have value './network'.
Add a value to the serves property: '<server-name>/local'.
For more info, go to Apple's website, Mac OS X, Server, and
view the "Understanding and Using Netinfo" paper.
9) Launch the program /Applications/Utilities/Directory Setup.
Deselect the first two options and select connect to a
particular server: "127.0.0.1" and "network" tag.
10) Restart Server
11) Launch Netinfo Manager. The 'local' domain will open.
Click on the globe icon to open parent domain.
The 'network' domain will open.
12) Create users.
Select '/users' in the 'network' domain.
Switch to 'local' domain and select a particular user
defined in '/users'.
Drag from the blue folder icon of 'local' over to the blue
folder icon of 'network' in order to copy a user.
If the users you want defined for the whole network are
already defined, you can continue copying them; if not,
just Duplicate entries as you go.
For each copied/duplicated user, you will need to change
all property values to have the desired name.
You will also need to change the home directory location
to /Network/Users.
13) Proceed to L1 below for one client machine, set up that client
machine, test... only if working should you finish cleaning
up the server.
14) [Skip this step until you've tested that all is working.
Then just delete one local user and test. Then delete rest.]
Delete local users that conflict with network users.
Select the 'local' domain, '/users' directory,
and then select each user you've copied over to 'network'
domain and delete it from the 'local' domain.
Make sure you leave a local admin account!
If you don't, and the network stuff fails, you will have
no way to login and fix things!!
You may want to rename it 'admin' to avoid conflicts if
your existing admin account is to be a network account.
15) Restart server.
FOR EACH CLIENT MACHINE...
L1) Open Netinfo Manager and authenticate yourself.
L2) Mount the directory that will contain your user directories.
Select the '/mounts' directory.
Add subdirectory; name it "<server-ip>:/Users", assuming that
is the directory where your network accounts are.
Add property 'dir' with value "/Network/Users".
Add property 'vfstype' with value "nfs".
Add property 'opts' with values "bg", "union", and "w".
L3) Open Directory Setup.
Deselect the first two options and select connect to a
particular server: "<server-ip>" and "network" tag.
L4) Restart client machine.
You should now be able to login with your remote served accounts.
Hope that helps!
P.S. If any of you OS X Server users read through that, please let us know whether that would be much easier (or at all easier) with OS X Server.
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