Using PHD on Server?

Question

I'm hoping to create a portable home directory to synchronize files between my laptop and server. I've done a quick test to confirm my setup, but I'm confused as to making use of the home directory locally on the server.
Ideally, the server has the "master copy" of my home directory, and I'd like it to just manipulate the files directly, instead of making a local-cached copy of data already elsewhere on the server -- is this possible? In 10.5, there appears to be the possibility of specifying a local path (ie /Users) instead of an AFP path for your home directory, but its difficult to tell if this applies to all logins.
Thanks for the insight.

Answer 1

I'm doing this same thing myself, caveat though, I'm still using a 10.4 server with a 10.5 laptop client. I'm not familiar with the what you are referring to here:
...In 10.5, there appears to be the possibility of specifying a local path (ie /Users) instead of an AFP path for your home directory...
However, in concept the way I do it on 10.4 should apply to 10.5. This is one way to do it, but there might be others as well.
Putting aside the religious arguments of whether you should allow "end users" to login to the server directly, I'm assuming your the server admin
The general concept is that the server becomes and AFP client of itself and when you log into the server you login as a networked user, not a PHD user. I.e. you say "no" to creating a PHD the first time you log into the server as the user, whom on the laptop, has the PHD account.
So when you are logged into the afp server your home directory will look something like this:
/Network/Servers/<afp server name>/Users/<PHD user>
This means that the AFP server has to be able to automount itself. I can't remember off hand how I set that up anymore, but it might be nothing more than using the Directory Utility to make sure the server authenticates against itself, which, at least in 10.4, you'd have to do anyway so that you can login as the OD user.
That's how I did it at least, maybe other people have a different way.
-Rich