Controlling Login/Logout and Background Sync

Question

Mac OS X Server 10.5.7
Mac OS X Client 10.5.7
Everything setup perfectly and by the book on both Server and Client.
Problem:
Why in God's name has Apple COMBINED the sync rules for both Login/Logout and Background Sync??? It's the most illogical thing and it does not work!!!
Question:
I know how to prevent Background items from Syncing at Login (through the preference manifest), but how to I get the Background sync NOT to sync LOGIN/LOGOUT items.
The problem is always and systematically been mostly with the LIBRARY folder giving all sorts of sync errors. I have tried every possible trick combination but nothing seems to work.
Is this STILL a bug even after a year?? If so, other than skipping the Library folder completely, mobile homes is utterly useless and unreliable. If I skip the Library folder, then mobile homes aren't really complete if a user moves to another machine.
Has anyone found a reliable solution to this mess?
PLEASE HELP.

Answer 1

Something is definitely breaking it. Its as if at some random point in time, the sync stops obeying the background rules. I can only conclude that there is still is a bug somewhere that is not fixed.
For example, I initially created the mobile home setting using the computer groups. When that started giving me errors, then I figured, let me try it by doing it via groups. So I created a new group and then, undid the settings for mobile homes that I had set for my computer group.
The first time I logged in, it was working perfectly. Then my laptop's battery died. When I plugged it back, it reconnected to my wireless network and THATS when the bug started showing up again. No matter how many times I restarted, if I have firefox or entourage open, I automatically see that exclamation point in the upper right hand corned (on the mobile homes icon) and its ALWAYS the library files pertaining to those apps that 'are in use'.
This is really frustrating and most non-apple like. This used to work perfectly under Tiger Server, I don't understand how Apple can mess this up THIS BAD and worse, not have a solid fix after a year.
This bug even occurred with a brand new installation of Leopard server on a Xserve and a Mac OS X 10.5.7 station. The instant the mobile user logged on, that exclamation point came on complaining about the entourage files being in use even though that entire folder is set to be SKIPPED during Background Syncing.
Not sure where to look anymore.
And one more thing; as soon as I encounter that exclamation point, the time/date stamp reporting the last sync stops working as well.
Could you provide screenshots of your setup? Could it be that Im missing one tiny detail somewhere? I just dont see where though.
This is an updated output after it breaks (maybe there's a clue in there somewhere)
excludedItems = (
comparison = fullPath;
value = "~/.SymAVQSFile";
comparison = fullPath;
value = "~/.Trash";
comparison = fullPath;
value = "~/.Trashes";
comparison = fullPath;
value = "~/Documents/Microsoft User Data";
comparison = fullPath;
value = "~/Library";
comparison = fullPath;
value = "~/NAVMac800QSFile";
excludedPrefItems = (
comparison = fullPath;
value = "~/.SymAVQSFile";
comparison = fullPath;
value = "~/.Trash";
comparison = fullPath;
value = "~/.Trashes";
comparison = fullPath;
value = "~/Library/Application Support/SyncServices";
comparison = fullPath;
value = "~/Library/Caches";
comparison = fullPath;
value = "~/Library/Logs";
comparison = fullPath;
value = "~/Library/Printers";
comparison = startsWith;
value = "IMAP-";
comparison = startsWith;
value = "Exchange-";
comparison = startsWith;
value = "Mac-";
homeSyncCompleted = 1;
homeSyncTime = 2009-05-25 21:09:29 -0400;
isNewMobileAccount = 0;
periodicSyncOn = 1;
syncPeriodSeconds = 0;
syncedFolders = (
path = "~";
syncedPrefFolders = (
path = "~/Library";
path = "~/Documents/Microsoft User Data";
}