Snow Leopard Server (MiniServer) discussion

gordguide

I'm in the midst of putting a Mini Server up for my own use.
I've already asked a few questions I had before it arrived and had great responses.

At one time I would have had a fairly easy time setting up a Linux home server, but that was about 6 versions of OSX ago. Today everything has changed, all I can tell you is Snow Leopard Server is a pretty neat OS, and I'm more than half lost more than half the time. Lots to learn.

Right now I'm wondering if anyone has any hints for storing user home folders on a partition separate from the OS partition. On OSX I would probably just make a symlink but with Server, I'm definitely getting the feeling there's a way it "should be done" to avoid problems in the future.

I have a "ordinary" user account set up on the Server. The home folder is at:
/[server]/Users/[username]/

I intend to run some security software on the Server via that user (video monitoring). I would like to move the home directory to another partition. OSX Server creates the user at the same partition the OS is installed on.
The partition at:
/[client]/[Username]
... is already set up as the directory to mount for a client machine (and it mounts fine). Does anyone have any pointers as to the best way to move the home directory for the non-privledged user created on the Server OS itself? I think I can use a symlink but anyone with experience feel free to point out if that's a bad idea or won't work.

Also, there is a shared volume at /[server]/Users/Shared
... which also seems to be created by default by Snow Leopard Server. I'd like to move that to the /[client] partition as well.

__________________
"Being an artist doesn't take much, just everything you got. Which means, of course, that as the process is giving you life, it is also bringing you closer to death. But it's no big deal. They are one and the same and cannot be avoided or denied. So when I totally embrace this process, this life/death, and abandon myself to it, I transcend all this gibberish and hang out with the gods. It seems to me that that is worth the price of admission." —Hubert Selby, Jr.

gordguide

I've figured it out myself.

If anyone's interested, you use Workgroup Manager, not Server Admin.

__________________
"Being an artist doesn't take much, just everything you got. Which means, of course, that as the process is giving you life, it is also bringing you closer to death. But it's no big deal. They are one and the same and cannot be avoided or denied. So when I totally embrace this process, this life/death, and abandon myself to it, I transcend all this gibberish and hang out with the gods. It seems to me that that is worth the price of admission." —Hubert Selby, Jr.

gordguide

So far, I'm loving Snow Leopard Server.

However, this is not "Your Grandfather's OSX".

My first advice is "Be A Good Boy Scout", aka "Be Prepared". You must make absolutely sure that DNS is working properly, and a lot that is configured upon installation has to be right or it's not going to work and it's going to be very difficult to fix later.

My Second Advice? Test, and reinstall if necessary. The 40 minutes or so it takes to reinstall is nothing compared to the issues you will have if it's not configured properly upon first boot after installation. Document everything, on pen and paper. You'll be glad you did.

Coolest Feature So Far: Permissions, and more specifically, Access Control Lists (ACLs).

Neat Surprise: I did a custom install, without any Printer support. My Brother Laser was connected via USB, and Snow Leopard Server asked me if I wanted to download the latest driver for just that printer the very first time I tried to print.

Support from Apple is excellent. Some Help screens offer a link to One-On-One support. Cool.

Also, the documentation from Apple is very, very good. Extremely easy to understand, and very thorough. The best stuff is a little hard to find, but I'll save you the trouble; go to this page and go straight to the stuff at: Advanced Administration Guides.

Download and print them, because they are essential reference material, as each configuration aspect becomes the next task for you ... if you know how to configure two-sided printing with your printer, or you know how to load the paper in the tray to effectively pull that off, you'll be glad. If not, figure that out.

Under the "May Or May Not Be A Hot Tip" department, I used Refurb Me and Growl notification to watch for a Mini Server to become available in the Refurb Store. You save a hundred bucks, which is great right there.

__________________
"Being an artist doesn't take much, just everything you got. Which means, of course, that as the process is giving you life, it is also bringing you closer to death. But it's no big deal. They are one and the same and cannot be avoided or denied. So when I totally embrace this process, this life/death, and abandon myself to it, I transcend all this gibberish and hang out with the gods. It seems to me that that is worth the price of admission." —Hubert Selby, Jr.

mguertin

Yes the DNS tip is crucial. With previous versions of OSX server (10.5 and back) you could usually recover from not setting up properly at first setup, with snow leopard server you really can't. You MUST get it setup right the first time. You can try to get things hacked back to normality if you mess it up first shot but it's really not worth it -- OpenDirectory just wont come around (specifically kerberos).

I'll also second the usage of the guides provided. They give you some crucial information that you will need depending on what you're trying to setup (like the iCal stuff) -- without the guide you will NOT be able to get it setup 100%

__________________
Toronto Pug Rescue Group www.pugalug.com
Online Music Collaboration: www.musicianscollaboration.com