'Connect to server' vs Click on Finder

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'Connect to server' vs Click on Finder

hi, is there a difference between using Connect to server from the Go menu or clicking on the server in the finder.

Running a 10.63 server with around 25 users and they all reported problems accessing the server, after talking to them i noticed they where using the menu to get in ( afp://<server.ip> ) it took a good 30sec to 1min to show the shared folders on the server, I tried clicking on the server in the finder under 'Shared' and it was immediately there (no it wasn't already connected via the previous test)

For now they're happy with using the Finder I'm just following up on it to make sure that there's nothing wrong that's causing this.

Mac OS X (10.6.3), Mac Pro 2x2.8 GZz Quad-Core Intel Xeon 6GB 800 MHz DDR2 FB-DIM 128 GB SSD

Posted on May 21, 2010 4:05 PM

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Answer 1

May 21, 2010 4:41 PM in response to geerm

Do the paths differ by use of IP address or DNS name?
If accessed via DNS name, is your DNS server operational?

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Answer 2

geerm Author

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May 21, 2010 4:46 PM in response to MrHoffman

I tried it with IP address, how can i check if the paths match between them?

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Answer 3

May 21, 2010 5:17 PM in response to geerm

Mac OS X Server doesn't work at all well if DNS services aren't configured.
Launch Terminal.app and key in the following:


$ dig host.name
$ dig -x host.ip.address.value

Those are the forward and reverse DNS translations.
And confirm the host name and the DNS environment on the server:


$ sudo changeip -checkhostname

From that last command, you should get a message about a problem, or a message that the configuration is correct and no changes are required.

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Answer 4

geerm Author

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May 21, 2010 5:26 PM in response to MrHoffman

Ah god dam .local, I was pretty sure i wasn't using that, but guess i was wrong.

Yea Current Hostname and DNS Hostname doesn't match. I'll try to fix it and get back to you, thanks.

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Answer 5

geerm Author

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May 21, 2010 5:28 PM in response to geerm

k changed, only time will tell now?

Edit, sorry, thinking of different post, i'll test now.

Message was edited by: geerm

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Answer 6

geerm Author

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May 21, 2010 5:44 PM in response to geerm

k tested, unable to reset clients or server right now (if that's needed) but it's still taking a long time.

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Answer 7

May 22, 2010 9:25 AM in response to geerm

If it's not the DNS responses, then the next stop would be around delays with DNS and with authentication.

Do you have multiple DNS servers configured?

Any differences in the authentication?

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Answer 8

geerm Author

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May 22, 2010 1:02 PM in response to MrHoffman

It's the only server there, the user has it's login saved in the key chain, and at least when i click on the server in the finder it has no problems and doesn't ask for a user name, just shows the volumes.

Thanks btw, i think your suggestion of checking the DNS solved another problem i was having 🙂 ( http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=11558970#11558970 ) tho not sure yet.

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Answer 9

May 22, 2010 1:26 PM in response to geerm

To be clear about my previous slightly-foggy question, do you have multiple DNS servers referenced on the clients? Is your domain the default domain for the local network?

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Answer 10

geerm Author

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May 22, 2010 1:32 PM in response to MrHoffman

They all pointed to the router (yes, only 1).

I tested a couple of minutes ago adding the server at the top and the router in second place and got the same result.

Before i change it i did a traceroute to the server and it went straight there (no weird hops in the middle)

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Answer 11

May 22, 2010 1:52 PM in response to geerm

They all pointed to the router (yes, only 1).

Router? With local DNS services? I'd expect to have the DNS pointers for the LAN to aim at the DNS server on the LAN. Not at the router. Do you have local DNS services? If you're running a private LAN, I'd expect you'd have LAN-local DNS running. The only widget(s) that would normally have reference(s) out to external DNS services (at your ISP or otherwise) would be your LAN-based DNS server(s).

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Answer 12

geerm Author

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May 22, 2010 1:58 PM in response to MrHoffman

I could change the LAN clients to point to the server, but as i said, i tried it with one and got the same result.

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Answer 13

May 22, 2010 2:34 PM in response to geerm

I'd have the same source of DNS information for the Mac OS X Server box and for the LAN clients working with that server, and the only reference to external DNS would be from the DNS server(s) on the LAN out. The router would not be involved here (as anything other than a router), and I'd reboot the client or flush the DNS cache.

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Answer 14

geerm Author

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May 24, 2010 5:38 PM in response to MrHoffman

I tried to change the DNS on the client to make it the Mac Pro Server, not only did that not fix it, also the user was unable to get internet access. Tho starting to think i'm missing something from what your saying.

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Answer 15

May 24, 2010 5:56 PM in response to geerm

It seems you might well have issues with DNS services on your LAN. [Read this|http://labs.hoffmanlabs.com/node/1436], as a start. I'd get the local DNS server configuration sorted; I'd get DNS running on the LAN, and would not be looking for forward local host stuff off-LAN.

That Internet access difficulty, BTW, can be one of the signatures of DNS server issues. Or of no DNS. Which can certainly happen if the client was pointed at a box that didn't have DNS services running, for instance.

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