Active Directory / Domains

Question

I just setup an iMac G5 on a network with a Windows 2003 domain controller. Is there a way to setup the login screen to check the username/password against the domain rather than local users?

Answer 1

Yes, this is certainly possible.
The basic steps/requirements are:
* do not create any local user account with the same name as a domain based account. I keep one local admin account with a name not used in the domain environment for true local administration. I use the same username on all systems for this local account.
* Use "Directory Access" in Utilities folder to establish the domain connection. Configure the AD area with as many valid settings as possible, and then Bind the computer to the domain. The bind step requires entering a domain admin (or Account Operator) username and password. This tells AD that this computer is allowed use domain resources, and lets AD become an authentication resource for logging into the mac. I recommend setting the preferred server if you know the server name.
* Once bound to the domain, the Mac loginwindow will present "Other" as an entry. Click it, enter an account and password that's valid in the domain and it should let you in. You need to disable the "auto logon to this account" option in Preferences -> Accounts -> Login Options.