NIS, Mac Manager, and OS X

O

Obormot

Registered
We in my school have the following network setup; and NIS server, with the Linux boxes authenticating logins through NIS and the Wintel boxes through Samba. We would like to have the Mac OS boxes do the same.

We have figured out how to make OS X authenticate logins via NIS. I believe it is also possible to make the older computers, running OS 7.6.1 through 8, also authenticate through Macintosh Manager. An OS X (non-server)-running machine would act as a Mac Manager server.

The only question is, how do we configure Macintosh Manager (running on OS X) to get its user database from NIS? The rest will be easy from there.

If anyone has any insights, please respond.
 
Hello -

My name is Gerrit DeWitt and I work part-time as an Apple Campus Representative. I also manage several labs that use Mac Manager.

Currently, Macintosh Manager can authenticate users across a TCP/IP or AppleTalk network with a Mac OS X SERVER or AppleShare IP 6 server only. There is a background process that runs in Mac OS X server called MacintoshManagementServer and an extension of similar name for the AppleShare IP 6 server.

I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I don't think that you can have Mac Manager (for Mac OS 7.6.1 through 9.0.4) pull database information from some kind of Net Info database. Here's why: Mac Manager is not just a login program. It's a management system derived from the At Ease software that Apple shipped years ago.

However, you may be able to pull user information from a Net Info database and export that to a Mac Manager database. You'll still need Mac OS X SERVER, not Mac OS X.

Hope this helps; if you find out anything, post it!
 
Originally posted by Obormot
Currently, Macintosh Manager can authenticate users across a TCP/IP or AppleTalk network with a Mac OS X SERVER or AppleShare IP 6 server only. There is a background process that runs in Mac OS X server called MacintoshManagementServer and an extension of similar name for the AppleShare IP 6 server.

I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I don't think that you can have Mac Manager (for Mac OS 7.6.1 through 9.0.4) pull database information from some kind of Net Info database. Here's why: Mac Manager is not just a login program. It's a management system derived from the At Ease software that Apple shipped years ago.

However, you may be able to pull user information from a Net Info database and export that to a Mac Manager database. You'll still need Mac OS X SERVER, not Mac OS X.

Click to expand...

I realize that Mac Manager is derived from At Ease. I was hoping to be able to do this with OS X, since we've already gotten it to authenticate logins through the NIS server, and X Server's been giving us trouble.

Seeing as OS X appears to have built-in Mac Manager server software (activating which requires only the change of one line in the hostconfig file), why would we not be able to do this with OS X? Export from the NIS database, that is.

One large problem we have with OS X now is the total lack of documentation for nay of its cool and powerful features... We may have to go with X server after all. This solution is the only thing that stands between us and the total rejection of all Macs by our school!
 
As a followup,. how the heck do we get Mac OS X Server to chnge System Disks? We installed it at school on our Mac OS X box and we haven't been able to startup into Mac OS X since! Obormot and I are going crazy! Save us!
 
Both Mac OS X and Mac OS X server have an application called System Disk. Here's how to use it:

Mac OS X <-> Mac OS 9: In Mac OS 9, use the System Disk control panel to select a Mac OS X boot volume. In Mac OS X, log in as root or otherwise authenticate yourself in the System Prefs app, click the System Disk pane, then select the Mac OS 9 System Folder to boot.

Mac OS X server <-> Mac OS 8/9: In Mac OS 8/9, startup from the server's restore CD (this boots you to Mac OS 8.6) by holding down the "C" key as the computer starts up. Open the System Disk utility (look in the Utilities folder of your Restore CD), and select the Mac OS X server boot volume. In Mac OS X server, log out, then click Restart at the login window. Insert your Restore CD and hold down the "C" key to boot into Mac OS 8.6 (as mentioned above). Then open the System Disk utility and select a Mac OS 8/9 System Folder to boot.

You could hold option as the computer starts up. This lets you select any valid bootable OS on open firmware Macs (blue & white G3, all G4).

Hope this helps!
 
Thanks. So X Server has no built-in System Disk utility? I guess it was meant to be started up once, and kept running; it is a server after all.

We actually have this running on a Beige Server G3. But anyway, our question remains; why can we not export/import the databses on OS X? It seems the procedure would be the same as X Server. Well, this can be tried, I suppose, on both systems...
 
We tried that, it didn't work. It just booted into OS X Server no matter what we choise as a System Disk.

Originally posted by dewittg

Mac OS X server <-> Mac OS 8/9: In Mac OS 8/9, startup from the server's restore CD (this boots you to Mac OS 8.6) by holding down the "C" key as the computer starts up. Open the System Disk utility (look in the Utilities folder of your Restore CD), and select the Mac OS X server boot volume. In Mac OS X server, log out, then click Restart at the login window. Insert your Restore CD and hold down the "C" key to boot into Mac OS 8.6 (as mentioned above). Then open the System Disk utility and select a Mac OS 8/9 System Folder to boot.

You could hold option as the computer starts up. This lets you select any valid bootable OS on open firmware Macs (blue & white G3, all G4).

Hope this helps! [/B]
Click to expand...
 
Are you starting up from the Mac OS X server restore CD? The version of System Disk on this CD is different from the one on the Mac OS X CD.

Are you picking a bootable volume - does the volume have a valid System Folder, version 8.6 or later? Is the disk picked a SCSI or ATA disk? If it's a SCSI disk, you must have it attached to a SCSI card which DOES NOT require a third-party driver.

Try opening the Startup Disk control panel after you've booted into Mac OS 8.6 and used the System Disk application. Select a Mac OS 8.6 or 9.x disk to boot from here, too.

Also may help: 1. Reset your PRAM and NVRAM - press command (open Apple), option, P and R right after the first startup chime, then release after you've heard another. 2. Turn OFF the computer then turn it back on; don't just restart it.
 
We were using the version of System Disk that OS X installed. I'll try the OS X Server system disk tomorrow.

By the way, we weren't trying to switch to an Classic OS 9 disk, that we can get to but holding Option at startup. (We have a beige G3.) We were trying to switch to our Mac OS X Public Beta partition and it only booted into Mac OS X Server.

Originally posted by dewittg
Are you starting up from the Mac OS X server restore CD? The version of System Disk on this CD is different from the one on the Mac OS X CD.

Are you picking a bootable volume - does the volume have a valid System Folder, version 8.6 or later? Is the disk picked a SCSI or ATA disk? If it's a SCSI disk, you must have it attached to a SCSI card which DOES NOT require a third-party driver.

Try opening the Startup Disk control panel after you've booted into Mac OS 8.6 and used the System Disk application. Select a Mac OS 8.6 or 9.x disk to boot from here, too.

Also may help: 1. Reset your PRAM and NVRAM - press command (open Apple), option, P and R right after the first startup chime, then release after you've heard another. 2. Turn OFF the computer then turn it back on; don't just restart it.
Click to expand...
 
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