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Superchicken · Apr 12, 2005, 04:31 PM

Hey I just got a great idea... and I'm wondering if it's gota a chance of being workable... I can't think of how I'd do it... because I've never figured out a way to have a user account on a different partition than the boot one... but hear me out. Without booting from a Mac in Target mode (which if I understand the feature list a Mac can now have Target mode turned on through system prefs!) can anyone think of a way to log in from that Mac's user account? IE

I have my user David on a G5 or something (I don't own one, but after I get more money this could certainly push me toward one) and I have my 12 inch PB beside it connected via Firewire. Is there a way I could while still using the OS X files on my G5, to use the User account specifically it's library on my G5?

I came up with the after trying to figure out how I'd keep iCal in sync on both a desktop and a laptop... I really wish Apple would come add a utility that would allow you to keep at least the libraries and specific folders on more than 1 computer the same.

I think I'll send feedback... hope I don't have to wait for X.5 though... or beyond...

CharlesS · Apr 12, 2005, 04:35 PM

Originally posted by Superchicken:
Hey I just got a great idea... and I'm wondering if it's gota a chance of being workable... I can't think of how I'd do it... because I've never figured out a way to have a user account on a different partition than the boot one...

All you have to do is either replace your user folder with a symlink to a folder on the other partition or change the path to your home folder in NetInfo Manager.

Superchicken · Apr 12, 2005, 04:44 PM

... SERIOUSLY!?

It's doable? Wow... I think I might have to get that G5 after all... I'll have to test it out one of the guy's PowerBooks in dorm...

Ok so wait... could I do like, have a user folder that is native to the Mac doing the loading of the other Mac's user, or would all of the users have to be stored on the other Mac's HD?

larkost · Apr 12, 2005, 06:50 PM

You really don't want to be doing this. It then requires that the client computer always be able to see the host computer. The moment you get a disconnect things go pear shaped fast.

What you really are looking for is a way of syncing the two environments. Tools for this exist, and they are mostly based around either unison or rsync (man rsync). And for bonus points you can even use login and logout hooks to make things look nice.

Right now I am prepping to work up a solution for a lab at a job I hope I am just about to get (tomorrow I hope). It will be ActiveDirectory + unison + a login hook + a little magic to not kill the server.

*hint* there are a few programs that do some of this on MacUpdate, you might want to check there first.

Superchicken · Apr 12, 2005, 08:53 PM

Originally posted by larkost:
You really don't want to be doing this. It then requires that the client computer always be able to see the host computer. The moment you get a disconnect things go pear shaped fast.

What you really are looking for is a way of syncing the two environments. Tools for this exist, and they are mostly based around either unison or rsync (man rsync). And for bonus points you can even use login and logout hooks to make things look nice.

Right now I am prepping to work up a solution for a lab at a job I hope I am just about to get (tomorrow I hope). It will be ActiveDirectory + unison + a login hook + a little magic to not kill the server.

*hint* there are a few programs that do some of this on MacUpdate, you might want to check there first.

Sweet, Unison sounds great... from the sounds of it, if I read the site right, I'd be able to do something like even define certain parts of my library to sync, IE, have keychains, mail boxes and bookmarks sync but not have dock prefs, monitor settings, desktop backgrounds and stuff like that syncing. Am I correct?

Is it pretty simple to have regularly happen? Can you leave it on to auto do this?

I think I'd really love to try and get this working... and IP over Firewire should make it pretty zippy I'd imagine. To bad my PowerBook doesn't have FW800. This'd be freaking sweet though! I think now once I get the money that's coming to me (inheritence) I might have to go out and buy a Dual low end G5... with a possibility of 20 inch Cinema...

Mithras · Apr 12, 2005, 09:09 PM

unison is a great tool. You'll probably have to go through the rigmarole of compiling the latest beta to have full resource-fork support, but it's worth it. (I haven't updated to the latest version, but I don't need resource forks...)

Usually it's a manual process -- never a bad idea when your synchronizing, to make sure you don't lose anything -- but it can be made automatic as well. It's very fast, either way.

Superchicken · Apr 12, 2005, 09:17 PM

Originally posted by Mithras:
unison is a great tool. You'll probably have to go through the rigmarole of compiling the latest beta to have full resource-fork support, but it's worth it. (I haven't updated to the latest version, but I don't need resource forks...)

Usually it's a manual process -- never a bad idea when your synchronizing, to make sure you don't lose anything -- but it can be made automatic as well. It's very fast, either way.

Sweet! But you think I'd need to recompile because it won't be updated for Tiger? I probably wouldn't have the money for a new system until June at the earliest. Besides I'd wait for the next revision of the Power Mac