Using a network mount as user home in Mac OS X Server App (v5)

Question

We have an old Mavericks server with a Firewire drive running and about 200 Users (Mac OS Server v3.2.2). I would like to set up a new server with El Capitan running the latest v5.1.7 Mac OS Server application. For the test phase, I want to use the Firewire drive connected to the old server, so I can test with a few selected users the new server without copying/duplicating the data.

I added the Firewire drive to the shared folders and mounted it on the new El Capitan server, however I could not figure out how to add that to the Storage list 1, so I can select that as a home folder location 2 for the migrated users.

Is this even possible?

Answer 1

This should only be a matter of changing a simple option first, in Server.app.

1. Click on the left-hand pane where there is a section called "File Sharing."

You will then see, among the choices there, a checkbox by "Make available for home directories over [your choice of SMB and AFP]."

2. Check the box "Make available..." and chose SMB (or AFP).

   Here's an image of this checkbox:

   

I suggest using SMB since it is the default file-sharing protocol for OSX in the latest versions, unless users need the afp-added ability to change their passwords while working with the share point.

3. Now when you return to the "Users" section, like in your first image--make sure you have selected "Network Users" at the top, and authenticated into your Open Directory--you will have the share (in your case, the 1394 aka 'Firewire'-connected-share) as a choice for Home Directories, here now.

*You may need to restart the file-sharing service or other services for this change to take place.

*This may not be the ideal way to test your new server. I would suggest that you try and simulate the new setup completely, e.g. copy over the exact Users, Groups, etc. that you would like to use, even if it is just one of two Users, rather than using a Firewire drive.