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Dealing with Mac OS X and NetInfo Problems?

Posted by Cliff on from the losing-the-keys-to-your-iBook dept.

newkid would like some assistance getting to the core of this issue: "Apple likes to refer to its server software as an industrial-strength server based on Apple's modern OS. However, there are serious flaws in the authentication system (netinfo): I am locked out of four of my remote servers (even root has been disabled, and that is unacceptable), and the instability is well documented here, here and here. I have successfully reinstalled one server and replaced another one with FreeBSD, but I have not decided what to do in the long run. What is your experience? Should I completely forget OS X for my servers and switch to something else? Or should I move to Panther (it uses LDAP instead of NetInfo to control user accounts)? I would like to know about your experience with OS X Server and if your have made the switch to something else." What experiences have you had with NetInfo on your Mac OS X boxes, and do you have any other hints and tips on recovering the NetInfo database in the event that it does develops amnesia?

7 of 89 comments (clear)

  1. Root access disabled by default is a flaw? by tiktokfx · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I don't consider it flawed that root is locked down for anyone who doesn't have direct, real-life access to the machine.

  2. don't use netinfo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    wow, complaining about netinfo??? let me tell you my woes with farallon phonenet...

    Seriously, netinfo is OBSOLETE the only reason apple held on to it so long is because they were working on bigger, more user-visible things.

    Go with LDAP. Ditch Netinfo.

    and log in as root when you're at the machine, NOT remotely.

  3. One of the best features about the Netinfo system by gsdali · · Score: 3, Insightful

    is that the Root account is disabled by default and you are encouraged to keep it that way. I can't shed much light on your problem except to say that Panther moving to LDAP is a good thing from the point of view of admin, maybe that is the way to go.

  4. is this a troll? by KH · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I don't want to be overtly critical, but the question does not make much sense.

    Several questions:

    What are those remote servers? Why does one need to have access to four servers? Are they X serve or just regular Macs that share files? If the former was the case, they should be running OS X Server, which I am not very familiar, but I doubt that four of them got Netinfo database corrupted.

    Regardless of X-Serve or regular Mac, it does not seem very likely that one can install FreeBSD on them. Is there a FreeBSD distribution for PowerMacs? The last time I checked, OpenBSD was available, but not FreeBSD.

    Also, if the problem was Netinfo, why he didn't just restore the corrupted Netinfo database, as described in the linked documents?

    Why is root being disabled a problem? If one has a physical access to the machines, (s)he can always cmd+s to boot into the single user mode. sudo sh should work, too.

    Overall, the post does not make much sense, does it? At least I'm a bit confused.

    1. Re:is this a troll? by Elwood+P+Dowd · · Score: 2, Insightful

      If he's replaced it with FreeBSD, he was probably running Darwin on x86, not Mac OS X Server.

      --

      There are no trails. There are no trees out here.
  5. Boot from CD to change root access by Kalak · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If you've locked yourself out of root, you can boot from the System install CD. In the menu, IIRC, as son as you start the install process, you can select "Reset Password" utility. This is assuming that your NetInfo database is not corrupted. If it *is* corrupted, you can still get to data on the drives via single user mode (Command-S) on startup, to backup your data.

    You can also re-install with the option of creating a new NetInfo database, or follow the instructions indicated in the linked articles you cite for similar results.

    The fact that you have options already cited makes me think this article sounds more like a troll than anything else. If this were Windows and the Registry was gone, you'd be FUBAR as well. If your /etc/ directory was gone in *nix, you'd be FUBAR. The possibility for recovering from such a corruption is a matter of good backups and system administration and not the fault of the OS in this case. A corrupted NetInfo database is merely the way that Darwin shows this as a problem that you keep backups to avoid.

    Also, there is a manner (I forget what it is now) to get Jaguar (and I assume Panther) to read the /etc flat files instead of NetInfo. It was implimented as a complaint who preferr flat files to NetInfo (I'm one of them).

    Poor backups is not a reason for you to examine if this is a OS up to par. If there were no way to backup the NetInfo database, then you'd have a great case for this argument. There is, and you should be restoring from that database if you need it for server info.

    --
    I am, and always will be, an idiot. Karma: Coma (mostly effected by .hack)
  6. Maybe Apple knows? by Bastian · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Have you asked Apple yet?

    Slashdot probably isn't really the best forum for questions about OS X Server. It's not something people really need to buy for home use. Few businesses I know of run OS X servers. And most importantly, it is quite definitely not GNU/Linux.

    Also, are you sure having remote root access is a bug and not a feature? It's a huge huge security risk, esp. for a business setting.