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Franz · Jul 6, 2006, 09:25 PM

Step 1: Navigate to here: Macintosh HD > System > Library > CoreServices > Menu Extras
Step 2: Then click on HomeSync.menu

Here is what you will see:

Clicking OK takes you to the accounts preferences. But there is no way to create a mobile account yet. I assume this will be for Leopard.

I think this is a feature that will keep your home directory on an iPod.

voodoo · Jul 6, 2006, 09:35 PM

Hmm.. I wonder if this is left over from the 'your home on an iPod' thing that was quitely dropped?

V

Chuckit · Jul 6, 2006, 09:38 PM

Yeah, that's a feature that was dropped from Panther fairly late, if I recall.

rickey939 · Jul 6, 2006, 09:41 PM

This has been around since v10.4 was released and needs a correctly configured OS X v10.4 Server to work.

memory-minus · Jul 6, 2006, 09:58 PM

OMG I Am Freaking Out Great Find Do It People I Tested It Confirmed!!!

slugslugslug · Jul 6, 2006, 11:11 PM

Well, while we're talking about it, does anyone use this feature? I keep thinking that if I get around to getting a new laptop, I might want to try some kind of portable home thingy. But what happens when you use it away from your primary network?

jay3ld · Jul 6, 2006, 11:40 PM

cool.. but you need a server to make it work

Would be nice just to have it so I can sync all my stuff from my 2 macs across my network.

JLL · Jul 7, 2006, 04:28 AM

Originally Posted by Franz

Clicking OK takes you to the accounts preferences. But there is no way to create a mobile account yet. I assume this will be for Leopard.

No, it is (as stated) a feature used in combination with Mac OS X Server and workgroup management.

The user has a network home folder which is synced with the portable home folder on a laptop (or another Mac).

siMac · Jul 7, 2006, 06:13 AM

Originally Posted by jay3ld

cool.. but you need a server to make it work

Would be nice just to have it so I can sync all my stuff from my 2 macs across my network.

That's what I want too, for me and the missus to be able to use our accounts from any of my three Macs around the house.

Franz · Jul 7, 2006, 06:33 AM

This is a mirror of the page that was pulled BTW:

Home away from home
Ever thought you could carry your home in the palm of your hands or in your pocket? You can. Panther's Home on iPod feature lets you store your home directory — files, folders, apps — on your iPod (or any FireWire hard drive) and take it with you wherever you go. When you find yourself near a Panther-equipped Mac, just plug in the iPod, log in, and you’re “home,” no matter where you happen to be. And when you return to your home computer, you can synchronize any changes you’ve made to your files by using File Sync, which automatically updates offline changes to your home directory.

http://www.macrumors.com/downloads/applemobility.html

Sounds really awesome...

cms · Jul 7, 2006, 10:11 AM

Originally Posted by rickey939

This has been around since v10.4 was released and needs a correctly configured OS X v10.4 Server to work.

It also works from a 10.4 client of a 10.3 (Panther) server. A very useful feaure indeed, and great for mobile professionals who take their laptops home at night.

hemant · Jul 8, 2006, 09:11 PM

Ok I tried this and now I have the "Home Sync" icon in my menu bar how do I get rid of it?

Originally Posted by Franz

Step 1: Navigate to here: Macintosh HD > System > Library > CoreServices > Menu Extras
Step 2: Then click on HomeSync.menu

Here is what you will see:

Clicking OK takes you to the accounts preferences. But there is no way to create a mobile account yet. I assume this will be for Leopard.

I think this is a feature that will keep your home directory on an iPod.

msuper69 · Jul 8, 2006, 11:46 PM

Originally Posted by hemant

Ok I tried this and now I have the "Home Sync" icon in my menu bar how do I get rid of it?

Command-Drag it off.

angelmb · Jul 9, 2006, 03:35 AM

Just curious… what is the purpose of the Verizon Menu Extra?, 3G wireless internet access?, if so, how fast is it?, thanks.

kick52 · 03:21 AM

Originally Posted by memory-minus

OMG I Am Freaking Out Great Find Do It People I Tested It Confirmed!!!

do you know how anoying that is?
grammar, please.

cms · Jul 9, 2006, 06:40 AM

Originally Posted by kick52

do you no how anoying that is?
grammar, please.

Pots and kettles spring to mind. Spelling, please!

larkost · Jul 9, 2006, 09:45 AM

Just a minor note: the only real requirement is that your user account is coming from a directory server. At work I use this feature with an Active Directory server (Microsoft's version), and it works quite well. But for regular users it still needs a bit of work.

slugslugslug · Jul 9, 2006, 10:49 AM

So wait a minute: if you have your laptop set up to use a mobile account on, say, your home network, what happens when you go to the coffeeshop? Is there an entire copy of the home folder on the laptop that gets synced back to the server when you go home? If that's the case, what happens if you leave yourself logged in to a desktop computer at home, and it does various automatic stuff (mail checking, feed refreshing)? Does the sync mechanism automagically deal with everything?

Westfoto · Jul 9, 2006, 04:23 PM

Originally Posted by slugslugslug

So wait a minute: if you have your laptop set up to use a mobile account on, say, your home network, what happens when you go to the coffeeshop? Is there an entire copy of the home folder on the laptop that gets synced back to the server when you go home? If that's the case, what happens if you leave yourself logged in to a desktop computer at home, and it does various automatic stuff (mail checking, feed refreshing)? Does the sync mechanism automagically deal with everything?

If this would work the way we think it would then I would not have to sync my Portable computer with my Desktop. Right now I sync my Documents folder when I get to the office and then before I leave the office so that work done on either compter then is on both. I am currently using ChronoSync to do this function and it works very well.

lookmark · Jul 9, 2006, 04:27 PM

Hmm, I wonder if this feature was put on ice because it didn't work well, or it was too geeky... or until there's a fullscreen iPod where you could access documents from your home folder on the go.

rickey939 · Jul 9, 2006, 05:31 PM

Originally Posted by lookmark

Hmm, I wonder if this feature was put on ice because it didn't work well, or it was too geeky... or until there's a fullscreen iPod where you could access documents from your home folder on the go.

The feature wasn't put on hold, read above.

Busemann · Jul 9, 2006, 07:42 PM

Originally Posted by rickey939

The feature wasn't put on hold, read above.

The home on iPod feature was put on hold, but not portable syncing.

rickey939 · Jul 9, 2006, 11:50 PM

Originally Posted by Busemann

The home on iPod feature was put on hold, but not portable syncing.

Correct.

CatOne · Jul 10, 2006, 01:19 PM

See, this is why people often think Mac users are idiots.

"OMG what is this I don't know it must be a leopard feature!"

Portable Home Directories are a feature of Tiger and Tiger Server. They enable you to keep your home directory on a server, and have it automatically synchronized with any number of machines (laptops, desktops, whatever) that you use in conjunction with that server.

They are documented in the OS X Server "use management" guide:

http://images.apple.com/server/pdfs/...min_v10.4B.pdf

Start at page 116 and read for about 10 pages.

The reason you never saw that menu extra in your toolbar is... because you are not authenticating to a server. You need to log on via an Open Directory or Active Directory account for it to be an option. This feature is used about 99% of the time by business users, and it works quite well.

Drizzt · Jul 10, 2006, 06:43 PM

This feature can be enabled as soon as you are authenticating via a directory server. I've set up OpenLDAP on my Linux server to host the necessary informations for it to work, and the NFS shares. It can work with NFS, SMB and AFP.

If you leave a computer loggued on and go on a laptop, it is going to work right. i.e. newest files on both after a couple of sync. It's working like a charm, I really like it! (it's about 15/20 sec syncing my whole home directory, including 1.3GB of pictures).

slugslugslug · Jul 10, 2006, 07:58 PM

Originally Posted by Drizzt

This feature can be enabled as soon as you are authenticating via a directory server. I've set up OpenLDAP on my Linux server to host the necessary informations for it to work, and the NFS shares. It can work with NFS, SMB and AFP.

Ooh, I wonder if anyone's done a Darwin port of OpenLDAP. This project becomes far more appealing if I don't have to buy a copy of OS X Server (especially at this point where a new version is kinda right around the corner, but kinda far away).

kick52 · Jul 11, 2006, 08:29 AM

Originally Posted by cms

Pots and kettles spring to mind. Spelling, please!

moderaters!

I wrote the correct spelling!

bborofka · Jul 11, 2006, 09:51 AM

Originally Posted by slugslugslug

Ooh, I wonder if anyone's done a Darwin port of OpenLDAP. This project becomes far more appealing if I don't have to buy a copy of OS X Server (especially at this point where a new version is kinda right around the corner, but kinda far away).

Apple's Open Directory (as part of Mac OS X Server) is based on OpenLDAP.

msuper69 · Jul 11, 2006, 09:54 AM

Originally Posted by kick52

moderaters!

I wrote the correct spelling!

1. annoying
2. moderators

You're welcome.

Moose · Jul 11, 2006, 11:20 AM

Originally Posted by bborofka

Apple's Open Directory (as part of Mac OS X Server) is based on OpenLDAP.

He didn't want to have to buy Mac OS X Server.

Art Vandelay · Jul 11, 2006, 01:18 PM

I think what he meant is that there is a Darwin port of OpenLDAP since OS X Server uses OpenLDAP for Open Directory.

CatOne · Jul 11, 2006, 02:07 PM

Originally Posted by Art Vandelay

I think what he meant is that there is a Darwin port of OpenLDAP since OS X Server uses OpenLDAP for Open Directory.

Correct. All the parts of Open Directory (mainly, OpenLDAP + Kerberos) exist in OpenDarwin. Just not the nice GUI parts -- Server Admin and Workgroup Manager.

slugslugslug · Jul 11, 2006, 02:11 PM

I meant: Is there some way to get the server-side software required for this Mobile Home Sync feature working the the non-(capital-S)-Server version of OS X? Seems like there oughtta be, if it's doable on Linux.

Maybe I'll go see if anyone actually reads the UNIX forum..

Jellytussle · Jul 11, 2006, 02:12 PM

Originally Posted by CatOne

Correct. All the parts of Open Directory (mainly, OpenLDAP + Kerberos) exist in OpenDarwin. Just not the nice GUI parts -- Server Admin and Workgroup Manager.

Or Password Server.

slugslugslug · Jul 11, 2006, 02:13 PM

Originally Posted by CatOne

Correct. All the parts of Open Directory (mainly, OpenLDAP + Kerberos) exist in OpenDarwin. Just not the nice GUI parts -- Server Admin and Workgroup Manager.

Do you mean the binaries are actually there and all I have to do is figure out a bunch of config-file nonsense to get 'em running at boot time and such? Or do I have to download and compile them from somewhere first, because Apple only gives you binaries with OS X Server?

kick52 · Jul 11, 2006, 02:33 PM

Originally Posted by msuper69

1. annoying
2. moderators

You're welcome.

****! i'm having a bad day!

I guess that i'll have to add something to the real topic... so...

hmm... lets see....

ah! i know!

this function seems a great idea. especially in education. (eg. hand out work assignments to a netwrok of macs) it would be good if you could sync many macs over a network...