Have you tried to run diskutil in single user mode only to be shot down by a ‘lazy carbon values’ error message?

Read on to find out how to get diskutil to run in SUM on Mac OS X 10.3.x!

Kanaka – a plugin for OS X clients to better use eDirectory

Not that you couldn’t do this before with just using the LDAPv3 plugin, but this tool should make things quicker and easier.

Join the beta program to try this out.

Find out everything about any process on your box.

Use ktrace to trace kernel activity for any process.

Backing up and restore can be a problem but I have recently found that xtar (free from Helios) is a wonderful solution to this problem.

I’ve learned almost everything I know about UNIX on my own, and even when I’ve been shown how to do something from the command line, troubleshooting often puts me on the path of self-instructed discovery. Here are some tools I use a lot (specifically in OS X), when mapping uncharted territory.

MacTroll has been very good about posting helpful tutorials for the installation of various unix-type tools and plugins for OSX Server. However, many of you might find (as I have) that attempted unix installs sometimes just don’t work (usually with a returned error like "no c-compiler found" or the like). This is because Apple has kindly left out a bunch of unix stuff from the base install, including the all-important gcc compiler for installing/compiling unix software. For those of us lucky enough to have physical access to the problematic server, it’s easy to pop in the Developer Tools CD and install Developer Tools.mpkg by double-clicking. However, I recently found myself needing to install some unix stuff, and had neither Developer Tools nor physical access to the server. So here’s what I did.

Need to take a peek into your LDAP schema structure and hunt down some OUs? Take a look at LDAP Browser.

Use the “net” command to create Admin users on your windows machines.

Notes of the install process for the new AFP548 Xserve

A discussion of some best practices for installing servers. Specifically those bound for co-locations facilities, but good ideas for any install.

A script to back up your OD Server

This will dump your LDAP, Password Server and Kerberos KDC databases to a backup folder. Get it in the downloads section here.