Active Directory? Can't get it to work.

Active Directory (AD) is a Microsoft Windows product.

Yes, lost you are. You realize that AD is Active Directory which runs on Windows Server products. Do you have a Windows server in the environment? Is it running Active Directory? If you do not, you can not join an AD domain.

Apple's server product provides a collection of services known as Open Directory. In many ways, OD parallels the services offered in Active Directory. You have users, groups, password management, group policy, replication, device binding and some levels of scaling. If you have an all Mac environment, you can use Open Directory to power the core of your network much like AD does on Windows networks. If you already have AD running, you likely don't need OD as you will simply be duplicating the existing setup. Yes, OD can run on top of an AD bind, but this is a specific configuration that can be avoided in many small shops.

Now, if you do have an AD server in the environment, then your requirements are DNS and time. You must ensure that the Macs are using the DNS of the AD server (or a DNS that has the proper SRV records in place). Then, you should point your Macs at the AD server for time information also. Use ntpq -p on your Macs to ensure they are receiving time packets from the AD server.

R-

Apple Consultants Network

Apple Professional Services

Author "Mavericks Server – Foundation Services" :: Exclusively available in Apple's iBooks Store

You are mixing your technologies and envisioning a world in which platforms coexist and share technologies. This world does not exist. Windows can not use configuration profiles. That is an Apple technology. Windows uses group policy objects which require a Windows server to generate and distribute.

You can not bind a Windows machine to OS X using Apple's built in solutions. You could use Samba (http://www.samba.org) to achieve this but that may be far more technical than you want to get involved. In the world of mixed platform, the general breakdown is:

• Windows server will support Windows and Macs very effectively as long as you are not looking to manage the Macs.

• Windows server with an Mac Server as a subordinate will completely support Windows and Macs

• Mac Server alone will fully support the Macs but Windows integration is difficult to impossible depending on skill and risk aversion.

When you state "I want to achieve 2 logins that both automount the shared drive. One a restricted access user account and an administrator level account. " I believe you are talking about file services logins. This is done on your server when you define your share points.

OS X Server can run AFP and SMB file services protocols. This allows both Macs and Windows machines to connect to your shared folders.

I will take the opportunity to point out that there is a global group of Apple professionals who can assist with your project. http://consultants.apple.com/index.php Even if you use this as a learning opportunity, it sounds like you could use a little professional help to get you moving in the right direction and get a better understanding of the technology pieces and how they interact.

R-

Apple Consultants Network

Apple Professional Services

Author "Mavericks Server – Foundation Services" :: Exclusively available in Apple's iBooks Store

You may want to try this:

http://www.7tutorials.com/how-share-os-x-folders-windows-7

Nope. It is not correct to say that OD can be bound to AD. The directories are pretty much seperate products from competing vendors. Both are more complex than it frankly sounds like you are yet ready for.

It IS possible to bind Macs to both AD and OD at the same time. This is often done in large organizations so that users can login to Macs with AD credentials and also receive desktop preferences from a departmental Mac server. However, I don't think this is a good path to a solution for your problem.

Yes. Windows and Macs can share storage volumes simultaneously. You can do this with Workgroup style computing. You do not actually need either AD or OD just to share some files in a small workgroup. Even if your small workgroup has lots of large files. You do not necessarily need a server product and/or a directory for that. You just need a file server box that can reliably publish SMB shares.

If current problems with Maverick SMB are a worry you might want to consider using an older version of OSX or maybe a NAS box.

Sure. But its a solution to a different problem than the one you originally asked about.

If you disagree - go ahead and try it. Let us know how it turns out.

Cheers

We use magic (aka golden) triangle. It is complex to set up but it works fine.

All our storage is on a Windows file server. No experience with OSX hosted thunderbolt attached storage together with same.

Our Mac clients work fine with Windows hosted SMB. No significant experience with OS X hosted shares.

Message was edited by: piperspace

I can't answer that. It sounds unlikely.

I believe a constructive use of your time would be to try sharing folders on a Mac with SMB. See if it works in your environment. Can both your Mac and Windows clients access files OK hosted by a Mac?

Perhaps someone else can help you better with AD/OD integration.