network accounts are unavailable mac OS 10.7

Unlike Windows, OS X does NOT automatically cache network user credentials. When you set up the Mac to join the domain, there is an advanced binding options area and one item there is to create a mobile user account upon the user logging in. If you set this when he logs in next on the network, it will create this "mobile" account. The mobile account is similar to cached credentials and will allow him to log into the Mac with his network credentials without being on the network.

And  yes, that message, means that the OS can't see the domain and won't accept network account logins...so you can only use mobile account ones or local ones.

Am i kidding myself then by trying to allow him the same user expierence of logging in like he used to on a PC with this mobile account that's a networked account and it not working often time and should just make a local account on the Mac and tie that into the network?

No, the mobile account thing works really well. I have it set up on a Macbook that I have and when I am here, I log in to the network and I see my desktop, etc. If I take that same device somewhere I have no network connection, I can still log in with the same account, because OS X recognizes that it's a "mobile" version of my account and I still get my desktop and documents, etc.

The whole this is based on the assumption that you have joined the Mac to the network just as you would a Windows machine.

What, if anythign would it hurt to just convert the login to a local admin account? It looks like all of his programs and setting came over (I named the user account the same as the domain account on the Mac). Login options didn't change and I made sure it was a Mobile account too. Is that okay? (sorry, major Mac noob here).