Redirect
| Redirect is a package installer to assist you with Desktop and Documents redirects. This is for a Mac OS X managed client scenario using Open Directory management preferences. With the "mobile accounts" preferences and "Login" preferences configured as described below, this login hook script will redirect users local Desktop folder and local Documents folder to their network home folder. The advantage is that you don't have to worry about syncronization, and you don't have to worry about network preference delays, yet your users can still save their documents to their server-based home folder by default. Redirect will configure a LoginHook - or script that runs at login - on each machine to which you install it. This script first checks to see if the current user is a server based user with a local and network home structure. If so, it redirects Desktop and Documents to /Volumes/HomeShare/Path/username/ using symbolic links. In doing so, it moves any previous *local* Desktop or Documents folder for the current user to /tmp/username. Should you need to recover those, do so prior to restart or they will be deleted. NOTE: If you already have a LoginHook this will overwrite it, in such cases do not install this package, instead download the redirect-loginhook.sh stand alone script. Then, you will need to configure your existing LoginHook script to call redirect-loginhook.sh. |
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Server Side Configuration: You must configure the user(s), group(s), and/or machine list(s) preferences correctly for each user, group, or machine list on which you will be using mobile accounts.. These preferences will look slightly different depending on wether your server is 10.3.x or 10.4.x.
Enable and Configure mobile accounts. Under 10.3.x that's really all you can do. however under 10.4.x you need to configure the Synchronization Rules as well. You will need to add "~/Desktop" and "~/Documents" to the "Skip items that match any of the following" table. Under the match column, select "Full Path". Do this for the "Login & Logout Sync" as well as the "Background Sync".
Enable and Configure Login Preferences. Select the checkbox for "Add network home share point".
Note: As with all apps on this site, test before implimenting and use according to the license agreement (ie. - at your own risk).
WGM Addendum
| Workgroup Manager Addendum is an application for 10.4 servers (it may work on 10.3, but this has not been tested). It is designed to perform three major functions that Workgroup Manager doesn't, but that many System Administrators need. Repair - Repairs permissions on user homes. This is based on RUP (below), but has some additional options. Distribute - this will copy preferences or other items to designated folders within each user's home directory. This is excellent for copying preference files that aren't manageable by WGM. *NEW in version 0.5 - will now distribute items to the System's User Template so that they will be posted to new users as well. Delete - this will delete cache files, empty trash, or delete files of your choosing for each user. WGM Addendum is designed to work on sharepoints that are configured as Network Mounts (automounts), that is Home folders that automatically mount at login. These are generally set up in all Open Directory deployments. If you are using Active Directory or some other Directory Service that doesn't employ automounts, but you would like to have the features of WGM Addendum available to you, drop me an email (wgma@twomblys.com). |
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RUP
| RUP (Repair User Permisions v0.001) is an application for 10.4 servers -only-! It will reset the permissions on user home directories to default. Simply run the application on the server where you're home directories are stored, and they will be repaired. If you have multiple home directory servers, you will need to run this on each of them. |
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appleldapupdate.sh
| This is a script that will update user records in Mac OS X Server 10.3 (using LDAP) to work with Address Book(s).
By default, Apple places '99' in the sn entry, rather than the actual last name. This script fixes that, and adds givenName and email entries, based on the contents of the cn entry (Name field in WGM), and the uid (Short Name in WGM). |
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!Warning: This script will change your user database. I recommend that you make sure to have a full backup before running it. Also, it requires some customization to work with your system. Please read through it and make sure you understand what changes need to be made.
Take a look at it.
Download it.
fixhomedirperm.sh:
| This is a script that will reset home directory permissions. See RUP above for a more elegant solution when dealing with Network Home directories on 10.4 Server.
Drop it in the folder where your home folders reside. Open Terminal and cd to the same folder. Make it executable by typing chmod +x ./fixhomedirperm.sh in the terminal. Then run it: sudo ./fixhomedirperm.sh. |
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You will see some errors as it trys to change permissions on files such as .DS_Store. Don't worry about these as they won't cause any harm.
Click here to download it.
HomeSync:
| I wrote this application for a customer, and from what I've heard it worked well, but I stopped development all together when I heard that Tiger was going to implement "Portable Home Directories". PHDs accomplish pretty much the same thing as HomeSync, but are integrated with the OS and are much more elegant.
HomeSync is a backup tool for users who have local home folders, but would like to backup to a server-based home folder (especially useful with Apple's mobile clients setting). It's in an early beta form, so don't expect to much. |
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Click here if you want to try it out.
You will also need to download and install RsyncX for it to work properly
To view an applescript that does the same thing using only dialog boxes, click here.
To download the same applescript click here.
If you have recommendations or questions, email me at homesync@twomblys.com
Notice: None of the documentation or software provided on this site comes with any kind of warranty whatsoever. Nor, does it come with any kind of endorsement from my employer.