Apple Mac OS X Server (Administrator’s Guide) - Manual (Page 422)

422 Chapter 10
Although the users, groups, and computers databases are not part of a larger relational
database, each refers to information stored in the other databases. For example, the users
database contains a list of workgroups to which a user belongs. To maintain consistency
between databases, Macintosh Manager checks references from one database to another and
updates the databases as needed.
How Macintosh Manager Works With Home Directories
You can set up home directory locations when you create user accounts. If a user doesn’t
have a home directory, he or she will not be able to log in. Mac OS 9 and Mac OS 8 managed
clients mount the user’s home directory automatically when a user logs in. The user is the
owner of his or her own home directory and has full access to its contents. Macintosh
Manager prevents access to other users’ home directories, even if the folder’s permissions
have been set to allow access.
For more information about creating user accounts and home directories, see Chapter 3,
“Users and Groups.”
How Macintosh Manager Works With Preferences
In addition to controlling certain privileges, Macintosh Manager allows you to control
application preferences and System Preferences. You can define these preferences using
folders inside a user’s Managed Preferences folder.
m Preferences in the Initial Preferences folder are set only once for a user.
m Preferences in the Forced Preferences folder are set every time a user logs in.
m To control preferences for Mac OS 8 users, you can use the Preserved Preferences folder.
For more information about how to use these folders to control user preferences, see
“Managing Preferences” on page 466.
Where Macintosh Manager Preferences Are Stored
This section describes how user-specific preferences (such as Web browser “favorites” and
desktop backgrounds) are stored in a Macintosh Manager environment. There are some
differences in how preferences are handled on Mac OS 9 and Mac OS 8 computers.
Macintosh Manager stores and accesses preferences this way:
m When a user is not logged in: Most of a user’s individual preferences are stored on the
server, for both Mac OS 9 and Mac OS 8 client computers.
m When a user logs in to Macintosh Manager: The individual preferences for that user
are located by Macintosh Manager and put in effect for as long as the user is logged in.
Where the preferences are stored while the user is logged in varies depending on which
operating system is used:
For Mac OS 9 clients: Preferences are stored in the /Library/Classic/Preferences folder in
the user’s home directory.