We've noticed some oddities where some applications don't work properly for users with existing network accounts [but, see the "User Comparison" section, as they do work with a test network account].
Application Issues
Adobe Bridge CS3
For example, when I run Adobe Bridge CS3 as an existing network account user, it pops up dialog boxes that say:
The operation could not be completed.
A file or directory already exists with the same name.
followed by one that says:
The operation could not be completed.
It doesn't put anything useful in the system log (like which 'file or directory already exists with the same name'). I compared the log results with running it as a local admin and a test network user, and it is doing some funny copying:
Jul 20 08:55:23 Master-2009-07-54 [0x0-0x45045].com.adobe.bridge2[1457]: mv: rename /Applications/Adobe Bridge CS3/Bridge CS3.app/Contents/Resources/de.lproj/Adobe Bridge Opener Preferences.xml to /Applications/Adobe Bridge CS3/Bridge CS3.app/Contents/Resources/de.lproj/Adobe Bridge Opener Preferences_de.xml: Permission denied
Jul 20 08:55:23 Master-2009-07-54 [0x0-0x45045].com.adobe.bridge2[1457]: cp: /Applications/Adobe Bridge CS3/Bridge CS3.app/Contents/Resources/de.lproj/Adobe Bridge Opener Preferences.xml: Permission denied
that is best described as inexplicable.
Adobe Photoshop Elements (6)
When run as an existing network account user, it pops up a dialog that says,
Could not synchronize the color settings because of a program error.
Google Earth
Could not create directory: /Network/Servers/ces.wwsd.net/Volumes/DataHD/CESstudents/CES_Grade_03/------wild-/Library Earth
[presumably there is supposed to be some more text that wrapped off the side of the dialog, between 'Library' and 'Earth'.]
The next time I tried running it, I got this:
Google Earth could not write to the current cache or myplaces file location. The values will be set as follows:
My Places Path: "/Network/Servers/ces.wwsd.net/Volumes/DataHD/CESstudents/CES_Grade_03/--- Cache Path: "/Network/Servers/ces.wwsd.net/Volumes/DataHD/CESstudents/CES_Grade_03/------w
[again, the text went past the end of the dialog]
Google Earth has this to say in the system log:
Jul 21 10:25:40 LeopardMaster-2009-07-20 [0x0-0xfa0fa].com.Google.GoogleEarthPlus[6606]: Intrinsic Alchemy v3.2 Beta-0303 (Dynamic/Release)
Jul 21 10:25:40 LeopardMaster-2009-07-20 [0x0-0xfa0fa].com.Google.GoogleEarthPlus[6606]: Built by google on Tue Mar 3 17:33:00 PST 2009
Jul 21 10:25:40 LeopardMaster-2009-07-20 [0x0-0xfa0fa].com.Google.GoogleEarthPlus[6606]: Can't save ticket store (permissions problem?)
Jul 21 10:25:40 LeopardMaster-2009-07-20 [0x0-0xfa0fa].com.Google.GoogleEarthPlus[6606]: INFO: Using igOglVisualContext.
Jul 21 10:25:43 LeopardMaster-2009-07-20 com.apple.launchd[5838] ([0x0-0xfa0fa].com.Google.GoogleEarthPlus[6606]): Exited with exit code: 1
User Comparison
I was testing with two user accounts. One was a student, herein referred to as ------wild- or Wild332, and the other is called 'cesteststudent'. The first was created by a script nearly a year ago, and the second was created manually in Workgroup Manager this morning.
Running the id
command for both users yields:
uid=8222(Wild332) gid=620450(CES_Students) groups=620450(CES_Students),620403(CES_Grade_03)
uid=1093(cesteststudent) gid=620450(CES_Students) groups=620450(CES_Students),620403(CES_Grade_03)
The two look equivalent. What is curious, though, is that when I run the applications listed above with the test user, I do not run into any problems. Likewise, I have no trouble with the applications when running as a local user, with or without administrator privileges.
I ran the 'mount' command as the existing user, and it included these two entries:
trigger on /Network/Servers/ces.wwsd.net/Volumes/DataHD/CESstudents (autofs, automounted)
afp_0SU2uk0006ow0000oM0000VU-1.2e000012 on /Network/Servers/ces.wwsd.net/Volumes/DataHD/CESstudents (afpfs, nodev, nosuid, automounted, mounted by Wild332)
When I ran
touch /Network/Servers/ces.wwsd.net/Volumes/DataHD/CESstudents/CES_Grade_03/------wild-/Library/touched
ls -l /Network/Servers/ces.wwsd.net/Volumes/DataHD/CESstudents/CES_Grade_03/------wild-/Library/touched
-rw-r--r-- 1 Wild332 CES_Students 0 Jul 21 10:36
The results are as expected. For good measure, I ran:
ls -l `which touch`
-r-xr-xr-x 1 root wheel 43056 Feb 6 20:45 /usr/bin/touch
ls -l /Applications/Google\ Earth.app/Contents/MacOS/Google\ Earth
-rwxr-xr-x 1 sysadmin admin 32132912 May 5 02:37 /Applications/Google Earth.app/Contents/MacOS/Google Earth
Question
Well, I'm confused. The user appears to have read/write access to their files. Application's run as the user (don't they?). The applications seem to be upset because they do not have read/write access to the users files. [And they haven't told me exactly which file(s) they are trying to access.]
Does anyone know what is wrong, or in which direction I should probe?
Thank you.