


Mac OS X can search multiple directory configurations in a specified path when a user attempts to log in.ĭynamic UID generation is much easier and requires no action on the part of the systems administrator. You will also need to configure the search path of available directories to include Active Directory using the Authentication tab in the Directory Access tool. You’ll need an Active Directory account with permission to join the computer to the domain if the account was not created in advance, you’ll need authority to create it. The process of using the plug-in to join a Mac to an Active Directory domain is straightforward, and is similar to joining a Windows computer to a domain. You can also enable mobile accounts for portable computers and designate a preferred domain controller if needed.

It can also grant users administrator access to a Mac workstation based on their Active Directory group membership. It supports forests with multiple domains, domain controller fail-over and can automount a user’s home directory. The Active Directory plug-in works fairly well. Apple’s Active Directory plug-in uses LDAP to query Active Directory. Beginning in Mac OS X Panther (10.3), Apple introduced a plug-in to its Directory Access utility that allows you to configure authentication against Active Directory. The lowest-cost solution is to use Apple’s built-in Active Directory support.
