Forum Discussion
Configuring AD with macOS mobile account
I'm needing to use Active Directory and file sharing to create functional macOS mobile accounts. I've created the user accounts in AD and assigned them to a Profile Path on a valid share. I success...
I believe that what I'm trying to do isn't supported by Apple anymore as Apple had stopped supporting "Portable Home Directories" several years ago. This would explain the behavior I'm seeing.
I am able to sign into a Mac with AD and the home directory just gets created locally on the user's machine. It isn't optimal, but it'll have to suffice.
Maybe there is a way to automatically mount shares on a Mac so that a user will at least see any network shares they have access to after logging in. I will investigate this approach.
Mike
Let me help clarify the Mac home directory and network share situation for you.
Home Directory Configuration for Macs with Active Directory:
- Apple deprecated Portable Home Directories (PHD) in macOS 10.13 (High Sierra)
- Modern approach is local home directory creation
- Home folder is now created locally on each Mac during first login
Network Share Access Options:
- Login Script Alternatives:
- Use managed preferences (MCX)
- Leverage Jamf Pro for automated share mounting
- Create a login script via shell script or AppleScript
- Manual Network Share Configuration:
- # Example mount command
mkdir /Users/username/Shares
mount -t smbfs //domain;username:password@server/sharename /Users/username/Shares