[machead10]

Darktide,

No, there is no command line tool for the cache on 10.4 that I know about. Unfortunately I haven’t tried using the 10.4 server admin tools with a 10.6 server, nor have I tried managing 10.4 clients with a 10.6 server. I suspect that using the admin tools is not possible given the huge amount of changes between 10.4 and 10.6 (server and client sides). Also, because of these changes, using a 10.6 server (with 10.6 client preference options) is not ideal for managing 10.4 clients. Your iMacs running 10.5 should have no problem being managed with the 10.6 server.

As far as managing your 10.4 iBooks, what are you looking to do? (i.e. Directory logins? User-based preferences? System-based preferences? etc.) Depending on your answer to this question, there are different ways you could go about doing it. For example, you could use Local Managed Preferences (MCX).

[machead10]

I don’t have a 10.6 ODM to try this with, but if you’re saying that the 10.4 server admin tools can’t control a 10.6 server, then you’re out of luck with this solution. I wonder if there’s a way, via the command line, to force a 10.4 client to cache its OD-based MCX preferences?

If you can’t get this to work, you might look into using Local MCX on the clients.

[machead10]

Okay, I thought about this a little more and did some testing. Apparently computer/computer group MCX preferences on a 10.5 server do not – by default – get cached to 10.4 clients. This is probably because the way that 10.4 handles MCX is very different from 10.5. (I assume you’re using computer – not user – based prefs since user/user group MCX seem to cache just fine).

Here is the solution I’ve found to use computer group MCX preferences from a 10.5 server on 10.4 clients.

1) In Workgroup Manager, create a computer group for the machines you want to manage, add the machines to it, and set the preferences.
2) Download the 10.4 Server Admin Tools (http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/apple/application_updates/serveradmintools10411.html) and install on a 10.4 client.
3) Use the 10.4 version of Workgroup Manager to connect to your 10.5 OD master.
4) Select the computer group you made in step 1 and then select “Cache”
5) You’ll see that it says 0 next to “Update the preferences cache every…” You want to change this to a number higher than zero, as well as select seconds/minutes/hours/days/weeks depending on how often you want the client to cache the group’s preferences. You can also manually update the cache by clicking “Update Cache.”
6) Restart and log in to one of your bound clients. Everything should be managed as you set it now….local and directory users.

Post with any questions!

[machead10]

Are you doing an authenticated bind? Are machine accounts automatically created upon binding? What type of users are logging in….local admin, local managed, OD, AD? Laptops or desktops? And, finally, what type of prefs are you trying to manage?

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