Setting up a Mac Lab

Peruse the archives at http://lists.apple.com/archives/system-imaging and the OS X Server forum for NetRestore. Here are some support sites for you to check out:
http://clc.its.psu.edu/Labs/Mac/Resources/blastimageconfig/
http://blog.macadmincorner.com/

C@fish wrote:
What computers settings that a new Mac user may not know about should be altered to ensure that the computers are secure but still accessible?

Welcome to Apple's discussion groups.

What type of account will those students be using? (The options are "Administrator", "Standard", and "Managed".) I hope you're not giving them an "Administrator" account, although there must be such an account on the machine to allow it to be updated. Depending on what those students are going to do, a "managed" account may cause more hassles than it's worth, although I'd spend a little time researching that option.

And what advice can you give to a new IT Administrator of a Mac lab?

If you search this discussion group for "lab" (without the quotes), among the debris you may find some advice given to previous requesters.

FYI - Mike Bombich laid NetRestore to rest a couple of years ago. It is no longer available. He recommends using DeployStudio for networked imaging and deployment.

If DeployStudio is more than you need, you can use CarbonCopyCloner to make a disk image of your master installation; then use the .dmg to install other machines so they all have identical installations. Deployment can be done via Target Disk Mode or by using an external bootable drive (preferably a FireWire drive).

Humbug. He sold or transferred it to Apple. It's part of OS X Server and that's why I recommended it. BTW, he has this to say about using CCC: http://help.bombich.com/discussions/questions/378-issues-with-ccc-s

C@fish wrote:
When you mention the difference between a Standard and Managed account, I'm confused. Are these default levels of access?

When you add an account in the Accounts panel of System Preferences, those are two of the three options in the "New Account" list. The full name of "Managed" is "Managed with Parental Controls".

My understanding of the main difference between a standard and an administrative account is that a standard account isn't able to authenticate to allow changes to system files.

Recall that C@tfish did not say he had OSX Server and Workgroup Manager available or that he was using them. SIU and Netrestore are features of OSX Server that to my knowledge aren't available as standalone utilities.

PS. I've had no problems so far using CCC to deploy a standard image to multiple identical Macs. But my requirements may be different from yours.

I don't deploy to multiple machines, but moderated the Bombich forums for over six years, so take what he says with a cup of salt, rather than just a grain. 😉 The point I was trying to make was that if this is a university lab, then they should be springing for OS X Server and doing the job the right way.

I'm in the same setting and could really use some how to's here as well, I have students showing up in a week and I can't get the computers tweaked the way I want them... they are OS X 10.6.4
I have my admin account and I created a student account and put them on a managed setting, all I want is for them not to be able to change or modify in any way any system settings, the dock, keyboards or times and I want them to access the microsoft word program I put on the computer.... none of these are happening for me.... for the managed profile all I clicked was "use simple finder" but they can still get to the settings folder in there and play with some stuff.... I can't get to the microsoft program at all as a student, and as admin it has me locked out of the student account so I can't put short cuts in any of their folders....I turn off setting for students so they are regular users and add the shortcuts to MS Office under their login but if I go back and turn them back on as manaaged the short cuts are gone.... getting very frustrated here... any help VERY appreciated....

JohnnyJ wrote:
I have my admin account and I created a student account and put them on a managed setting, all I want is for them not to be able to change or modify in any way any system settings, the dock, keyboards or times

You might try the option in the Security panel of System Preferences to "Require a password to unlock each System Preferences pane" to see if that locks down everything you want. If so, you may be able to configure those student accounts as "standard" accounts.

I can't get to the microsoft program at all as a student

What happens when you try? Have you enabled the Microsoft software in Parental Controls?

and as admin it has me locked out of the student account so I can't put short cuts in any of their folders.

That could be managed with the "mv" and "cp" commands in a Terminal session.

If each Mac only has one "student" account and the students have no expectation of their work being saved on the Mac between sessions, consider having them use "guest" accounts.

as a sstudent, microsoft office didn't show up in applications.... I unlocked the student account and found it under applications and added the short cuts to the dock and using the cmd t to put them on the tool bar but when I locked the student down again the short cuts weren't on the dock and the finder wouldn't open... and it still doesn't show up in the applications folder....

I'll try turning them into guest accounts or turning on the guest account 🙂 thanks 🙂

JohnnyJ wrote:
I unlocked the student account and found it under applications and added the short cuts to the dock and using the cmd t to put them on the tool bar but when I locked the student down again the short cuts weren't on the dock

That won't do any good. The things that appear in the "Dock" of a managed account are only those things that are enabled in the Parental Controls applications list. Did you enable the Microsoft Office components?