I will not depress you by telling you all of the network issues I have had over the past three years. My Apple products are all compromised by whatever I can't figure out. Maybe this network account server is the issue. I need help please.
MacBook Pro (M2, 2022)
Without describing "network issues I have had over the past three years," it is impossible to provide guidance.
However, the default UI interface for System Settings > Users & Groups on both Ventura and Sonoma is the Edit... button. Please note, the Network Account settings are for legacy Active Directory, Open Directory, or LDAP directory binds. This is rarely used today as Apple's Server.app is dead and along with it Open Directory. On the Windows AD side, most organizations have moved to Azure/Entra or are in a hybrid cloud state. On the LDAP side, I haven't run into an OpenLDAP server in at least a decade. Compound this with the changes to app sandboxes and preference DBs (how preferences are stored), the prevalence of laptops that leave the LAN or may be on edge wireless, and the slow march to support native SSO, and you likely should not be using network accounts. For some of our EDU customers with AD still entrenched and the need to support student login mobility, it still makes sense. But for business and SMB customers, we have not performed directory binding in years.
If you are a retail user and this is a personal device, there is not need to use this feature. Assuming that when you press the Edit... button there is nothing configured, then this feature is not setup or in use on your Mac.
If this is a corporate asset and managed by an MDM, reach out to your MDM admin as ask about any profiles that may be in place enforcing directory binding. Your screen shot shows your account as a local admin, not a mobile account. It is possible that an old profile is still being delivered but not being used.
Hope this helps regarding understanding the provided screenshot. If there are other issues that you are having, please properly structure the post to (1) clearly define the issue and the infrastructure (do not disclose personal or environment details), (2) detail troubleshooting steps taken, and (3) clearly define the expected behavior.
R-
Without describing "network issues I have had over the past three years," it is impossible to provide guidance.
However, the default UI interface for System Settings > Users & Groups on both Ventura and Sonoma is the Edit... button. Please note, the Network Account settings are for legacy Active Directory, Open Directory, or LDAP directory binds. This is rarely used today as Apple's Server.app is dead and along with it Open Directory. On the Windows AD side, most organizations have moved to Azure/Entra or are in a hybrid cloud state. On the LDAP side, I haven't run into an OpenLDAP server in at least a decade. Compound this with the changes to app sandboxes and preference DBs (how preferences are stored), the prevalence of laptops that leave the LAN or may be on edge wireless, and the slow march to support native SSO, and you likely should not be using network accounts. For some of our EDU customers with AD still entrenched and the need to support student login mobility, it still makes sense. But for business and SMB customers, we have not performed directory binding in years.
If you are a retail user and this is a personal device, there is not need to use this feature. Assuming that when you press the Edit... button there is nothing configured, then this feature is not setup or in use on your Mac.
If this is a corporate asset and managed by an MDM, reach out to your MDM admin as ask about any profiles that may be in place enforcing directory binding. Your screen shot shows your account as a local admin, not a mobile account. It is possible that an old profile is still being delivered but not being used.
Hope this helps regarding understanding the provided screenshot. If there are other issues that you are having, please properly structure the post to (1) clearly define the issue and the infrastructure (do not disclose personal or environment details), (2) detail troubleshooting steps taken, and (3) clearly define the expected behavior.
R-
Network account server says "edit" instead of "join" after erase and fresh install.
