<>With Mac OS X Server 10.2 or later, you can use the Workgroup Manager application to set preference settings and restrictions for managed Mac OS X 10.2 or later computers. This document provides a brief overview of how the settings work.
In order for Mac OS X Server 10.2 or later to properly manage Mac OS 10.2 client computers, you must set up computer accounts to be managed. This is done in the Accounts area of Workgroup Manager, in the Computers sub-pane. Refer to the Server Admin Guide for complete instructions on setup.
In a situation where settings are managed by Workgroup Manager, the order in which managed settings override other managed settings is:
- Users override Computers, and
- Computers override Workgroups
All managed preferences override a user's personal settings (or the computer's default settings).
If you do not manage a particular preference, the basic user and system preferences are used. For example, if you do not set any managed preferences for Dock placement, then the Dock will use the default location at the bottom of the screen.
In a common setup, most preferences should be set up in Workgroups. Only exceptional cases should be stored in Computers or Users. An example setting would be to set application access to Workgroups, and only set a Printing setting for the Computers.
Preferences can be "Never", "Once", or "Always". Never really means "Don't Manage". In an override calculation a Never is just skipped (ignored) for the calculation.
When you override preferences, the Once or Always setting will be overridden by a higher authority.
For example, suppose Dock Settings is set to display on Left and is Always for a workgroup. But suppose the user is set for Once. The user gets the Once settings (where they can change the settings).
Certain preferences are combined. In 10.2 or later these are:
- Dock Items
- Login Items
- Printers
- Application Items
For combined preferences, the user gets the combination of the managed settings for the Workgroup, Computer, and User. Always settings are available to the user but may not be changed. Once settings are combined with the user's personal settings and may be changed by the user.
Note that both Dock Items and Login Items contain checkboxes that allow Always settings and the user's personal preferences to be displayed at the same time.