Mac users documents folder to Windows Server

[Alphadog7]

I’m pretty sure this has been documented somewhere but I can’t find it. We are running a happy little AD-OD setup here at our school. But not using network homes. The Windows users documents folder is synced to their AD-specified network home. I have been able to mount that network home on the desktop of the Mac users, but how would I make the documents folder on the OS X machines point to that network path that Windows uses?

Thanks!

[Alphadog7]

The 1st option, (using portable home to sync the documents folder) requires that you are using Network homes, no?

The 2nd option (redirect the local Documents folder to the server) is there an article on how this is done?

Thanks again…

[Alphadog7]

Can anyone point me to some documentation on how to sync users’ Documents folder to their AD home?

[arekdreyer]

I’ve had success with a three step process.
I assume your client is bound to both OD and AD.

Executive Summary:
Assign the home directory
Set AD plugin options
Use WGM to force synchronization

Details:
Step 1
In Active Directory Users & Computers, assign a user an SMB Home Directory like X: and \\server\share\username.

Step 2
In Directory Acess -> Active Directory -> Show Advanced Options,
enable “Create mobile account at login”, “Force home directory on startup disk” [This is ignored if the user elects NOT to create a mobile account], and “Use UNC path from Active Directory to derive network home location”. [Note that the AD plugin uses the \\server\share\username you set in step 1].

Step 3
Workgroup Manager -> Accounts -> Computers -> Guest Computers -> “Define Guest Computer preferences here”
Preferences -> Mobility -> Synchronization
Enable “Synchronize account for offline use”
[Of course, you can have much more granular control, but this gets all bound Mac clients. Careful!]

Step 4
Are you using ExtremeZ-IP to share out these files via AFP? SMB home direcrtories have some, er, limitations.

[Alphadog7]

Step one and two are in place already, the path to the home directory can already be seen in WGM. We are not using ExtremeZ-IP but we do have MS Services for Mac installed on the network home server (a Win Box), the problem is, they are getting an SMB path specified from AD.

[arekdreyer]

Wow, you’ve ducked a bullet! There is a pull-down menu in Directory Access on how the home directory should be translated: SMB or AFP. I would venture to say that Services For Macintosh will make you very sad, and you’d be better off using SMB. Some might say SFM is evil. Seriously, check out ExtremeZ-IP; it is the only way I would serve AFP from a Windows server.

[Alphadog7]

Thanks, I was looking at it today. Might be worth consideration if I can talk the evil misers into spending the $. 🙂

Thanks for your help.

[Author]

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