Change location of temporary files for network users

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Level 1

39 points

Change location of temporary files for network users

Hi, I've searched for this in the past and found a script to help, but I've lost it (not my mind) and can't find it with google or here anywhere...

I've got networked clients logging in and occasionally having problems, especially with shared logons. I bet changing the location of temporary files from the home folder (on the server) to the local machine would fix a lot of issues.

Can someone point me in the right direction?

Thanks!

iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.8), i5 with Thunderbolt

Posted on Jun 8, 2012 12:03 AM

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Answer 1

capaho

Level 4

3,677 points

Jun 8, 2012 4:41 AM in response to AppleJason

The default /tmp directory should be working for all users. What problem are you having that you think would be solved be changing the location of the temporary files?

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Answer 2

AppleJason Author

Level 1

39 points

Jun 12, 2012 1:49 AM in response to capaho

So, you're saying the temp files are already local to the machine being used, and not on the server??

well, one problem is whenever the server is rebooted, ALL - every single client on the network, freezes until it comes back up. All my clients are wired, so it's not the wireless networked issue. All clients have the apps local to the machine as well. No networked apps.

Also apps like Chrome, Safari and Word get tripped up when multiple users are using the same login at the same time. I believe these to be temporary files issues. Even users with their own account (1 user to 1 account) will have issues within these apps when the server reboots. I believe the local apps store their temp files on the server -- What else does the local app need when the server is down if everything is local to the machine? And multiple apps this happens to, so I think the common thread is temp files.

Also, iMovie is giving me a problem: it won't allow anyone to take movies with photobooth, and import them - and those users are 1-to1 (they have their own accounts, so it's not a multipe users on one account problem). And from my research, that's a "local temp file" problem. And that's where I think I saw a network user script once to switch the temp files to the local machine, but I can't remember for sure.

Therefore, I believe that moving the temp files to the local machine, instead of the server, will potentially fix these issues.

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Answer 3

capaho

Level 4

3,677 points

Jun 12, 2012 3:04 AM in response to AppleJason

The local machine is the server. If an application makes a call to the system's temporary folder, it will always be the /tmp directory in OS X.

The problem you're describing is probably more basic, like a file ownership or permissions problem. If the clients are connecting remotely, they or the group their user account belongs to need to have read and write access to the folders they are working in.

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Answer 4

AppleJason Author

Level 1

39 points

Jun 12, 2012 5:32 PM in response to capaho

I'm sorry, but I still don't know where you are saying the /tmp folder is.....on the Server or the Client?

(not local, I used the wrong term there! and besides, all Servers and Clients are LOCAL in our network....by local, I meant "local" to the machine being used, ie, the CLIENT. I don't know of any clients that log on to the server console. Everyone uses CLIENT machines to log on, and validate against the SERVER.)

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Answer 5

capaho

Level 4

3,677 points

Jun 12, 2012 8:00 PM in response to AppleJason

Local applies to everything occuring within the machine itself. Even if your clients are connecting from the same subnet, they are remote clients in relation to the local machine. The /tmp directory on the local machine is the default temporary folder for all local processes that call for the temporary folder. By all local processes, I mean all processes that are actually running on the machine itself. The client temporary folders are on the client machines, therefore your server has no direct control over them.

Another thing to keep in mind is that files written into the temporary directory are given unique file names, so apps being used by multiple users shouldn't get their temporary files mixed up due to unique file names and session numbers. However, applications that are not designed for simultaneous access by multiple users may not be able to keep track of their temporary files under such a condition. You may run into trouble if you're trying to use single-user desktop apps as multi-user server apps.

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Answer 6

AppleJason Author

Level 1

39 points

Jun 18, 2012 5:22 AM in response to capaho

Ok, you've give me good info, but I'm still not sure what the problem could be, if not temp files being written to the server. Permissions? Really? Apple Workgroup manager is all I used to setup the domain, and no third party utils, so I bet the permissions are fine. But just in case, maybe you can point me into how to check? I really don't know where all the places to check. I just used wgm, created user, then created home directory with wgm - that's it. Permissions on the Home dirs (on the server) seem ok when I check manually with Finder.

This is a standard, apple-only 10.6.8 network, single subnet, dns/dhcp is on the router (not the server) -- nothing complex. All the server is supposed to do is validate the clients, store the home dirs, and the other stuff related to OD.

the clients stop dead when the server reboots, and the clients are doing simple things, like browsing on safari, or working in kidpix (running on the client), even chess.app!

So what else is the client trying to get from the server when it is down, and why does it freeze the client until the server is back up.

any suggestions, anyone?

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Answer 7

Jun 18, 2012 6:17 AM in response to AppleJason

Hi

Everything you're describing should work as intended although it does sound as if there may be an obscure problem with the network itself? Structured cabling, patches, switches and termination points possibly? I would not rule out an obscure hardware issue with the server itself. However this statement:

"dns/dhcp is on the router (not the server)"

is cause for possible concern? Although not directly involved with the described problem, it may be contributing to it? What Router do you have exactly and what DNS is it serving?

It's easy enough to tail the system.log on an affected client(s) (via ssh) and see what comes up. If there's a problem it will be in the log.

HTH?

Tony

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Answer 8

capaho

Level 4

3,677 points

Jun 21, 2012 7:04 AM in response to AppleJason

Your clients may freeze (or simply be waiting for a response from the server) if the server is down because there are obviously no services available on the server if it is down. If the client's are freezing, the problem would have to be on the client machines. A remote server should not cause a client to freeze when the server is down. That could only be caused by a problem with the client configuration or a bug in the client software.

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Answer 9

AppleJason Author

Level 1

39 points

Jun 21, 2012 7:43 PM in response to capaho

@capaho, my server is not "Remote" according to what Tony as said... having said that, though, I agree with what you say that when the server is down, the services are not available.

However, the two most important services, DHCP and DNS are on a different box. (and therefore, are always available even when the server is down)

Besides that, what other services are clients looking for when browsing the internet?

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