I can access/connect to my MBP from my 27" iMac, but when I try to connect to my iMac from the MBP it asks me for my iMac.local server password. I don't recall setting a server password, and it doesn't accept the password I use to log in to my computer. How can I log on to my server from my MBP?
MacBook Pro, OS X Yosemite (10.10.5)
I'll here assume there is only one network path active, with either an all-wired network or one Wi-Fi device in use (but not both), and that all computers here are configured in the same IP subnet, and that you're on a private network using NAT and a private IP address block.
Are you running OS X Server and Server.app here? Because if you're not (and you're seeing some comment about a server password in some error message or dialog box), then the password involved is either your shortname or your full name as the username on the iMac, and whatever password is used to log into the iMac directly. (I'd expect OS X Server to be running local DNS, and the .local domain isn't something that would be expected with typical OS X Server DNS configuration.)
On the iMac, launch Console.app from Applications > Utilities folder, and then try the login from the MacBook Pro, and see if there are any relevant error messages logged on the iMac. (If you should decide to post Console log output here, please do not post more than one block of any repeating messages, please don't post more than maybe a hundred lines max, and please check for sensitive or confidential data before posting it.)
Some folks have used odd-ball software widgets and text completion tools and other such, and some of those sometimes either supply a password or alter a supplied password. If you have any of those, please disable those and try again. If you have any anti-virus, anti-malware, system optimizers or accelerators, performance-enhancements, or cache cleaners or other such add-on tools, please disable all of those per the vendor-specific sequences, and then repeat your tests.
Here is what the Console says when I try to connect to my iMac:
Does this help?
This DNS server configuration appears to be incorrect; the host specified here has no domain name.
The following example domain name would be expected:
host.example.com
and it appears this host has the name
host
Usual would be to register a domain name and use that, or to use a subdomain of a domain that you have registered or have permission to use — making up a top-level domain is still possible, but is getting much more difficult due to the explosion of new top-level domains coming online.
Unfortunately, DNS misconfigurations can sometimes cascade through the OS X Server configuration and cause problems with other network services, too.
That use of the "example.com" domain is officially reserved for examples. .local is reserved for Bonjour/mDNS/zeroconf. Pretty much any .com domain anybody can think of — that's short enough to bother typing — has already been reserved. Etc.
Server Password? I don't recall setting one.
