Open Directory - Adding Services to Exisiting OS X 10.4 Server

[MrCompTech]

The goal: to setup a unified Windows/Mac login for all users.

The need: to add Open Directory service to the Mac OS X 10.4.11 server.

I work for a K-12 school district with over 2000 user logins. Have several Windows server and on Mac server.

According to the research that has been done so far we need to use Open Directory service on the Mac and point it to the Windows Active Directory server. However, when trying to configure Open Directroy on the Mac server through the Server Admin all options are dimmed including the 'Start' service button. This would seem indicate that the service needs to be installed.

Typically I can find answers to such questions within only a few minutes of Googling, this topic is turning out to be rather illusive. All articles on setting up and using Open Directory leave out the small detail of adding the service to the Mac server.

Thanks in advance for any help you provide.

[Go3iverson]

The real question is what do you want to use the Open Directory for? You can have single sign on and unified logins by just using Active Directory and binding all of your Macs to the AD domain. You'd add in the Open Directory if you were looking to adding MCX (client management) to the OS X machines.

If that's your goal, you would have to create your Open Directory Master, which you'd do in Server Admin. Creating the Master will start the service for you. Keep in mind, you may want to suppress the Open Directory's Kerberos KDC, since you'll probably be using the KDC supplied by your Active Directory. This is the case in most AD/OD installations. You'd then bind your clients to the AD and the OD; the AD will provide your user accounts and the OD can provide your MCX to OD groups that have AD users in them.

Hope this helps give you some ideas of where to look!

Michael