Subject: [netatalk-admins] Mac Manager for Linux - Explained

From: Jared Benedict <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 8 Dec 1999 09:24:43 -0500

For those who haven't had a chance to see Mac Manager I'd thought I try to
explain myself a bit better.

Mac Manager has two parts.  A central database of users.  Each user has
their own password, preferences, folder for storage etc.

Then there is a client side which is built right into Mac OS 9.

You start up the Mac client and a screen comes up asking you to sign on.
You can't start using the mac until you have been authenticated.

You type in your user name and password and log in.  During this process,
all YOUR preferences are loaded, (Netscape bookmarks, stickies, background
image, etc)  (Basically everyone has a Preferences folder of their own.)
You own folder is mounted on the desktop for you to save files to.  You
don't have access to anyone else's files and it is all stored on the server.

I would be happy with those features alone.

Mac Manager also has the ability to have disk quotas and Print quotas.  You
can make different groups of users.  You can specify if the user has the
ability to use removable media, you can determine which applications the
users are allowed to run.  And more cool stuff.

I unfortunately couldn't find a lot of good info on the web but here are a
few links.

ftp://manuals.info.apple.com/Apple_Support_Area/Manuals/software/IntroToMacintos
hManager1.0.pdf
http://til.info.apple.com/techinfo.nsf/artnum/n31060
Can also do a search for "macintosh mangager" in apple's tech info library.

Some people told me about other apps that do this.  But all the ones that
were mentioned and that I know about cost quite a bit of money.  It sounds
like Mac Administrator has the ability to automount a netatalk server based
on the username entered.  I've looked at Mac Administrator but haven't used
it myself.

Thanks
_jared

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From: Howard Schultens <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 09 Dec 1999 10:27:35 +0100

Jared Benedict wrote:
>..........

Is there any way to use Macintosh Manager in conjunction with a
Linux (netatalk) server?  Has anyone out there done this?

-- Howard
 
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From: eirvine <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 10 Dec 1999 08:29:00 +1100

Unfortunately, it seems to store a user's files and preferences
in its own Mac Manager folder on the server - this is a similar
set up to At Ease for Networks. Thus a user's files are *not* 
stored in their OS X "home directory". Nor a are passwords sync'd
with the /etc/passwd.

This is likely to be a major setback for people like me who wanted to
use SAMBA as well.

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From: Jared Benedict <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 9 Dec 1999 17:45:06 -0500

Do you know if this is the way it does it for the new version of Mac Manager?

I'm curious because with Mac OS 9 Multiple users feature, each user gets
their own folder in the Users folder.  In their folder it contains a
preferences folder, a desktop folder, apple menu items, start up items, etc.

My fingers are crossed but I haven't had time to set up a ASIP 6.3 server
to test it out.

_jared