small office network setup with Mac

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Smittles

Roylong is correct. Open Directory is pretty simple.

ASKER

Thanks guys. Well to a predominantly windows administrator, OD isn't that straight forward :)

I've managed to get a basic setup working.

I've got a really dumb question to ask...

In a windows environment, Id now add the workstations to the domain and log on with new network accounts..

What is the equivalent on Mac?
I've created network users with home directories on the server..

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ASKER

Ok, one last question before I close this one off. So far you're both getting accepted solutions.

I have now got 4 network users setup and I've got a much better handle on the setup.

My last issue is this; 1 of the 4 users can log on fine on both iMacs in the office. The rest all receive an error 'You are unable to log in to the user account USER at this time"

I've tried changing the AFP authentication from any to standard, I've tried deleting and recreating the home folders (using network home folders) and I've done a lot of googling...

Is there anything that stands out about this issue? It just seems bizzare that one user is fine and the other are not, I feel like I created them all in the same manner...

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ASKER

Unfortunately all of the network accounts have identical local accounts, including the one that works.

To test around this, I created two other accounts that didn't have matching local accounts. One works, one doesn't. I'm at hair pulling stage. But your answers assisted me in the beginning, so I'll leave it at that.

Thank you

They may have matching full names, but do the shortnames match the user folder names already on the computers? Do you get an error message?

Try logging in with those users to the server.

ASKER

- Logging directly into the server with all users works ok
- On the workstations, the short names are the same on both local and network accounts
(keeping in mind I'm using home folders on the server for the network, so there is only the local home folders on the machine)

you should try backing up a couple of local users, deleting them and the trying to log on again.. ..there is a local redirection to the server home folder which can have problems if there is a local user with that folder name already..

..this sometimes works if the password for the local user is the same as the password for the network user - which can mask the problem.