Michael Cucka wrote:
I have used a relocated home directory since Monterey. I wouldn't say the configuration is unsupported since Apple provides the means to accomplish the relocation simply in the user settings.
Oh, it's totally unsupported. 😄
But certainly it has run into issues with some updates, such as Ventura and 13.3.
And Sonoma.
First the basics, transferring a relocated home directory may simply not be possible. As I said, it's not supported. Just because Apple documented something, or even provided a way to do something, at one point in the past (or present) doesn't mean anything. The Mac has been dead for some time now. We are all using iPhones with big displays and hard-wired keyboards. Well, I guess if you're using a Mini then you essentially have an iPhone with AC power instead of a battery. But you get the idea. The "macOS" we are all using is just iOS with a few of the old macOS parts hacked in. Apple is going to try to ensure that the system works with the most common configurations. So people who've done funky things like move home directories, setup alternate boot drives, etc. are going to be SOL.
In theory, I don't see why this should fail. But you have to remember that it's already hacked, you can't do any kind of standard system configuration on it. What you will have to do is setup the system from scratch. Then, just swap out the location of the new home directory for the old, external one. If you had multiple accounts, then you may need to create one or more burner accounts on the new system until you get to the same UID as the old external user. Don't try fancy things like migration. That's never going to work. But you shouldn't have to change any permissions on any files.
You will have to make sure that the external still has ownership enabled. This is critical. There are some low-level operations like cloud services that require this. Unfortunately, it also buggy. I've heard that externals tend to regularly and repeatedly lose their ownership enabled settings lately.
And finally, this simply isn't a good idea anyway. Apple has been making significant file system and permission changes under the hood since people started trying these kinds of hacks. I just don't know if any of these funky new Apple artifacts like Data Vaults would survive this kind of hack. Home directories should be on the boot volume. If you need more storage, external drives still work just like they always did. In that fashion, they are still supported. They are where you can archive and store big files that you don't need on the boot volume.
But you have to consider material conditions. Apple has all the customers it needs - more than it needs really. Apple would rather not be in this new legal "gatekeeper" regulatory position that it finds itself it. So it seems reasonable that Apple is going to want to "curate" its customer base - separate the wheat from the chaff, keep the whales, throw back the minnows. Those users who don't do funky things with home directories, who buy big hard drive upgrades at times of purchase, will find themselves well-supported - other people, not so much. If you really depend on Apple products, purchase wisely.
