Microsoft Active Directory in Mac OSX

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bilichs

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Hi was wondering if you could help me out. I work for a college as an IT Support Specialist and currently the only thing I have yet to find that I can use in mac OSX is Microsoft Active Directory. I use this to search for computer names as well as to remove and add computers to our college directory. Do you know of any way to use this in Mac OSX. As of right now I am running parallels on my machine but Active Directory is the ONLY thing that I use in Parallels and would like to find a way to use it in Mac OSX (Leopard). Thanks. If you need anymore info just let me know. I appreciate it.

Scott
 
Have you ever looked at the site that does nothing but getting lone Mac machines in Windows' domains, MacWindows.com? I asked because this ALL what this site does is report on the state of intergrading OS X into Windows domains or vise-versa.

Plus you will need the name, IP Address and an Active Directory account to bind OS X to a Windows domain. This is IMPORTANT!

Then take a look (in Leopard) at three places.

1. System Preferences->Network, the Advance button on you gateway interface (wired or wireless), WIN tab.

2. In /Applications/Utilities/ launch the application "Directory". Unlock it, click on the 'Services' tab and put a check mark in Active Directory.



Plus make sure you Macs are synced to the same Time as the Active Directory server! Also In system Preferences->Network, Advance button scroll over IPv6 and turn it off. Mirosoft Active directory HASTES IPv6, no matter what Microsoft says.
 
See this part I do know. I know how to integrate macs into Active Directory because we already do that here on campus. What I really needed though was to figure out I how I can view Window's machines on a mac. Using Active Directory on the "parallels side" of things I am able to search, remove, etc. windows machines from the Active Directory administrative tools. What I'm really wanting to do is find an Application that uses this Active Directory Tools so I can do these things in Mac OSX rather than having to boot up windows in order to do them. Thanks
 
bilichs said:
... I know how to integrate macs into Active Directory because we already do that here on campus. ...
Click to expand...
Viewing a Windows machine on a Mac does not require Active Directory. That said, can be used by Microsoft Entourage. It can also be used by Address Book.
 
Searching for a Windows machine on our college's domain (by computer name) can be done in Entourage and Address Book?? Can't say I would know how that is done.
 
I think the short answer is that while you can join Active Directory forests and view LDAP servers and what-not on a Mac OS X machine, there really is no "management" capabilities for AD from the Mac OS X machine.

As far as I know, you're stuck using a Windows machine and/or server to do "management" style things with Active Directory.

You can connect to Windows machine's shares using the "Go" command of the Finder, you can "ping" Windows machines using the Terminal, you can integrate LDAP directories and information into Address Book, but as far as utilities to search AD forests and what-not, I don't think much (if anything) exists for the Mac.
 
Now that's what I was look for :) I appreciate it. Sucks though.....somebody should be working on that lol.
 
Thursby Software does make ADmitMac software, which is a little more robust in terms of AD integration than what is built into OS X:

http://www.thursby.com/products/admitmac.html

While I don't think it makes management of AD any more robust or easier from the Mac side, it may make management of Mac OS X computers in the AD forest easier from the Windows side of things.

Edit: I just noticed that the software includes "AD Commander", which is described as:
AD Commander tool allows administrators to edit Active Directory users and groups as if you were using AD Administrator Tools.
Click to expand...

Maybe? Possibly? I dunno...
 
I am evaluating ADmitMac this week to see how it goes with this. I will post and let you guys know how it's going. Just waiting on the evaluation serial key :)
 
Hi Bilichs, were you able to find any application for the MAC and how helpful was the ADmitMAC for what you wanted to do. I have the same challenge currently and I need help!
 
@jrkjsyjsy - please note that this thread is well over 6 years old, and the OP has never posted back here since November 2008.
ADmitMAC is still an existing product, I don't have experience with that.
Maybe this link will help you decide about AD support options.
 
jrkjsyjsy said:
Hi Bilichs, were you able to find any application for the MAC and how helpful was the ADmitMAC for what you wanted to do. I have the same challenge currently and I need help!
Click to expand...

Thus was posted during the times OS X and Microsoft Server 2008 didn't want to admit OS X machines. However once Apple bought Microsoft sync in 2008. Microft started bounding Server 2008s2. In 2008s2 Domains on an OS X 10.9 and 10.10 all you have to do is set the OS X machine's Time sever to the Server IP. Plus on Server 2008 you have to manually start the NTP Time Server on the Domain Server. OS x then will be able to connect if you already made an entry in the the Mac machine name in the Domain Computer section.
 
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