Mac OS X Server 1.x: Accessing Local Files From NetInfo Account

Note: This article pertains to Mac OS X Server versions 1.x, which were released prior to May 2001.

Question:

Why can't I modify system and private files on my local computer while logged into my NetInfo accounts?

Answer:

This is the way Mac OS X Server security works by default. If you are logged onto your NetInfo account, which you can do from any computer on the network, you only have privileges to write to the home directory on the NetInfo server's drive(s). If you are logged onto a Mac OS X Server locally, you cannot write to your NetInfo account's home directory; the two sets of directories belong to different accounts. The two user accounts are not the same, and should not logically have the same default privileges.

The situation is easily resolved if you have root access to the local computer:

1. While logged in as a local user, or as root, open /System/Administration/NetworkManager.app, and click on the 'groups of users' tab near the top of the window.

2. Double-click on 'wheel', and you will see displayed the list of those users who have this group's access privileges in addition to root.

3. Click the 'Add User' button at the bottom of the window, and after a pause, the entire list of NetInfo users in your domain will be displayed.

4. Enter the account name in the 'search' field, or select the desired account by scrolling, and click 'OK'; the window will close.

5. Save changes in the 'wheel' Groups of Users window. You will be warned that the ID of this group is outside the normal range (wheel ID=0); click 'continue'.

6. You will be prompted for the root password. You must enter the root password to authorize the change.

After completing these steps, a user logged onto this computer with the changed NetInfo ID will have complete access to the local drive system without having to su, telnet, or log out and in with a different account.