Mixing 10.4 and 10.5 clients with 10.5 Server

Question

This is the question of a neophite, but in looking through documentation and these boards I do not see a definitive answer to the following:
I am starting the process of installing a 10.5 server in an office environment that to date has consisted of standalone desktop clients. Some of these machines are running 10.5, others are still running 10.4. This is a low-budget operation, so we'd like to keep it that way unless absolutely necessary. I am trying to understand how the issue of preferences, etc. will work once users are logging into a server with centralized home directories. In particular, if a single user sometimes logs in from a 10.4 based client and sometimes logs in from a 10.5 based client, is there a version conflict between preferences saved in ~/Library, or any other files stored there? Is there inherent backwards and forwards compatibility so it is not an issue? Or, are these preferences separated somehow within the home directory tree? Or, does it blow up in the user's face?

Answer 1

Silvester wrote:
Yes you want to setup an Open Directory.
Server Admin -> Open Directory currently says the Role is Standalone Directory. Is that OK or should it be an Open Directory Master?
Try these things Open Terminal on the Server and type "sudo changeip -checkhostname" without the quotes
If that all comes back good then DNS should be fine
It was fine.
On the client machine in a local administrator account open terminal and type "host yourserver.dnsname"
the name you type there is the one that got returned from the changeip -checkhostname command
the ip address that it give you back should be the IP address of the server (either a 10.x.x.x or 192.168.x.x) iff all is good jump down 1 step to the Directory Utility step below
Reported an error.
if it is not then
Open system preferences on the client and select network then in the Ethernet or Airport whatever one you use in the DNS Sever section type the servers IP address (10.x.x.x or 192.168.x.x)
Done. Now the "host yourserver.dnsname reports the correct IP address.
Open Directory Utility and delete whatever server is in the list and add a new one using the DNS name ie. yourcomany.private not an ip address
RESTART the machine
Here's where it fails, same as before. I get the error:
There was no response from server.stpeterspress.private. Please check that the address you entered is correct.