Hi everybody,

I have to install a 10.5 server setup.

We run a linux mail and http server, also have about 20 mac workstations in the office and a couple of pcs.

I now have to setup a 10.5 server so users can login on any machine and have their user folder and preferences follow them around.

What is the best way to set this up with 10.5 server?

UPDATE:

I have found a good quickstart guide that works!

Leopard Server Quickstart Guide.pdf (application/pdf Object)

So now I have the server going with LDAP and network homes.

cheers

macpunc

can you use 10.4 server?

It's all pretty easy, you just create accounts on the server and set it up to use persistent home directories

Can't remember the specific way of doing it, all I remember is doing it and finding it crazily easy.

I could use 10.4, as I have it as well as 10.5.

i would use 10.4 server.

Why? Surely anything you can do in 10.4 you can do in 10.5?

I would stick with 10.5. Update to 10.5.3 before doing any major setup and use the following as resources to help you out.

AFP548 - Changing the world one server at a time.
Apple - Mac OS X Server - Resources

My biggest concern is that I don't want to use mail/web/dns services on os x server (duplication of what the linux box does), so how do I setup os x server to preserve users mail and other settings when they login on different machines.

I am going to be using 10.5 server

cheers

vecsty is recommending 10.4 Server because 10.5 Server was sent out the door with some SERIOUS bugs which made it far from production-ready. Imagine Open Directory crashing and nobody being able to log in, at all, requiring a hard reset of the server. I believe they've fixed that bug in 10.5.3, but it doesn't really make anyone who's used it want to ever recommend it.

You would create clients with settings pointing to those services.

10.5.3 still has a few issues, my vote is for 10.4.11... sorry for short post can elaborate more later.

Could not have said it better myself

I'm still having dramas....finally looks like a DHCP bug I had may be fixed now in 10.5.3

I'm using portable home directories and man...<whinge>I don't know what the hell is going sometimes. People are only logged on to one machine at a time yet they get told their home *may* be in use and do they want to syc then they have to sync everytime they log on or off...can't get it to fix a default so they don't see it syncing at logon and off. It's a bit of a dog's b/fast really</whinge>

It sounds as though tiger server is more stable.

While you're welcome to use it, you don't need OS X Server in order to do what you want if you're already running (and comfortably familiar with) Linux servers.

Firstly, you can use Open LDAP on Linux for user authentication, and configure the Mac clients to point to that server for user authentication. This will take care of the login. The Open LDAP can also store user home directory information.

In order to create the same environment from machine to machine you will want to use network mounted home folders. This can be done via NFS as well as AFP. (I'm not sure about SMB). You would configure the clients to mount the share at boot, and in such a way that by going to the user's LDAP home directory entry, you will hit that user's folder on the network drive.

You could also setup Samba to allow the Windows users to login to a domain there (authenticated to the open ldap server too, so that password management between the macs and the windows clients are all centrally stored at one location) as well as mount home folders that are the same ones as used by the macs. You could setup roaming profiles if you want to ensure a like experience from PC to PC.

I'm not saying this is an easier solution for a Mac Admin, and almost certainly not for someone who has neither Linux nor Mac admin skills. But if you (or one of your employees) is already a Linux guru type, then it might be better to harness the existing skills and infrastructure rather than adding new technology into the mix.

Or you could just use 10.4 Server and it would work..

One thing that Linux guys who roll their own should look at is Darwin. Its almost the full OSX OS and you dont get the UI.