how to clear mcx cache on leopard?

Question

Level 1

130 points

how to clear mcx cache on leopard?

i set up a leopard client and server (Standard config), and let leopard client configure its ichat settings when i added the server to Directory Utility. now i want to delete that account for troubleshooting but it says it's managed by my System Administrator. can't find a way in Server Preferences to un-manage this account. i even went into Workgroup Admin and removed the managed pref from my account but hat didn't affect anything on my machine. when this sort of thing happened on tiger (managed prefs getting stuck even thought they were no longer managed on the server), i was able to use "mcxcacher.app -f" to flush the cache and prevent the settings from coming back when i logged out/in. mcxcacher.app doesn't exist in Leopard, so what's the new procedure?

thanks,

-mark

Message was edited by: mark12b

null

Posted on Nov 11, 2007 1:34 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Nov 12, 2007 5:53 AM in response to mark12b

the MCX settings are in the local users Library ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.mcx.manifests/

Delete this folder and you should be okay. Can you get back into Directory Access to remove the Server? Make sure that you don't have the User/Computer/Computer Group/Group managed.

Reply

Answer 2

Nov 22, 2007 7:36 PM in response to mark12b

I'd need more specifics on the rest of your problem, but I can help with this in general:

+managed prefs getting stuck+

There are two things to clear on the client in order to remove all cached managed preferences:

1. */Library/Managed Preferences* - Delete the whole folder. This is where the mcx compositor sends all managed preferences first, regardless of the mcx_domain (forced, set-often, set-once). If managed preferences still apply, this folder will be recreated automatically.

2. *The mcx_cache record in the Config record of the client's local directory* - To easily clear this, use dscl:

*sudo dscl . -delete /Config/mcx_cache*

This command will also work in Tiger. It clears the local cache from the client's /Local/Default LDAP domain (Leopard) or /NetInfo/root (Tiger).

--Gerrit

Reply

Answer 3

Nov 26, 2007 11:37 AM in response to Gerrit DeWitt

hi gerrit,

regarding your last command, "sudo dscl . -delete /Config/mcx_cache", i ge the following error:
delete: Invalid Path
<dscl_cmd> DS Error: -14009 (eDSUnknownNodeName)

i opened the dscl utility in interactive mode and navigated through those areas in the /Local folder that i hoped to find at least something at, but no luck...

of course still my old settings persist, eg. ichat opens with an account that i can't delete.

br,
günther

Reply

Answer 4

Nov 27, 2007 1:55 PM in response to NoComment

+delete: Invalid Path+

This just means that the record doesn't exist. You are using dscl on the CLIENT, not the server, right?

Either way, deleting /Library/Managed Preferences - again on the CLIENT should clear up any managed settings, but, as I said earlier, I think we'll need some more detail about what's going on.

--Gerrit

Reply

Answer 5

Nov 27, 2007 2:24 PM in response to Gerrit DeWitt

hi gerrit,

yes, used it on the client. have already deleted /Library/Managed Preferences, but this problem persists. the server is a clean install including formatting the hard drive, so there shouldn't come anything from the server containing this information. this is why i'm searching on the client all the time....

br,
günther

Reply

Answer 6

mark12b Author

Level 1

130 points

Nov 29, 2007 1:50 PM in response to NoComment

for me what worked to delete the unwanted ichat account was to (a) delete the server from directory utility, and (b) go into system prefs> accounts>my account and "unpair" the account from the server. if the account was "paired" with the server when you originally added it to directory utility then your account will have the "unpair" button below the ".Mac user name" setting. if you don't see tht button then the account isn't paired.

Reply

Answer 7

Feb 20, 2008 2:21 AM in response to Gerrit DeWitt

On the leopard clients / servers I have there is no entry in the Local domain at /Config/mcx_cache. Also in reply to the previous poster there is no directory at ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.mcx.manifest/ in either local or network home directories? Are you using Leopard Server? The local directory domain on Leopard works differently to previous versions of the OS. If you are using Leopard, which version and how did you install? I am also having problems with workgroup manager not being able to add computer groups or upgrade the existing lists to groups. I need to delete my computer lists so I can recreate them as the client machines are cacheing an old com.apple.SoftwareUpdate entry which I accidentally entered the wrong URL into...

Thanks for any help anyone can provide...
Will

Reply

Answer 8

Mar 18, 2008 10:50 AM in response to Gerrit DeWitt

From Gerrit:

"2. The mcx_cache record in the Config record of the client's local directory - To easily clear this, use dscl:

sudo dscl . -delete /Config/mcx_cache"

I dont see a local cache in /Local/Default/Config using dscl, but I DO see it here:

/LDAPv3/<my OD server>/Config/mcx_cache

I assume your command is incorrect? It should say:

"sudo dscl . -delete /LDAPv3/<server>/Config/mcx_cache"

Right?

Reply