Apple Mac OS X Server Command-line Administration Manual
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K Apple Computer, Inc.
© 2006 Apple Computer, Inc. All rights reserved.
The owner or authorized user of a valid copy of
Mac OS X Server software may reproduce this
publication for the purpose of learning to use such
software. No part of this publication may be reproduced
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copies of this publication or for providing paid-for
support services.
Every effort has been made to ensure that the
information in this manual is accurate. Apple Computer,
Inc., is not responsible for printing or clerical errors.
Apple
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019-0635/2-15-2006
About This Guide
16
Using This Guide
16
Understanding Notation Conventions
16
Summary
16
Commands and Other Terminal Text
16
Command Parameters and Options
17
Default Settings
17
Commands Requiring Root Privileges
18
Getting Documentation Updates
18
Getting Additional Information
Chapter 1
21
Executing Commands
21
Opening Terminal
22
Specifying Files and Folders
23
Modifying Flow Control
23
Redirecting Input and Output
24
Using Environment Variables
25
Executing Commands and Running Tools
26
Correcting Typing Errors
26
Repeating Commands
26
Including Paths Using Drag and Drop
26
Searching for Text Within a File
26
Commands Requiring Root Privileges
27
Terminating Commands
27
Scheduling Tasks
28
Sending Commands to a Remote Computer
28
Viewing Command Information
Chapter 2
31
Connecting to Remote Computers
31
Understanding Secure Shell
31
How SSH Works
32
Password-Less Logins Using SSH Keys
33
Updating SSH Key Fingerprints
What is an SSH Man-in-the-Middle Attack?
34
Controlling Access to SSH Service
35
Connecting to a Remote Computer
35
Using SSH
36
Using Telnet
Chapter 3
37
Installing Server Software and Finishing Basic Setup
37
Installing Server Software
38
Locating Computers for Installation
39
Specifying the Target Computer Volume
39
Preparing the Target Volume for a Clean Installation
40
Installing from Multiple CDs
40
Restarting After Installation
40
Automating Server Setup
41
Creating a Configuration File
43
Working with an Encrypted Configuration File
43
Customizing a Configuration File
47
Storing a Configuration File in an Accessible Location
47
Configuring the Server Remotely from the Command Line
48
Changing Server Settings
48
Using the serversetup Tool
48
Using the serveradmin Tool
49
General and Network Preferences
49
Viewing, Validating, and Setting the Software Serial Number
50
Updating Server Software
51
Moving a Server
Chapter 4
53
Restarting or Shutting Down a Computer
53
Restarting a Computer
53
Automatic Restart
54
Changing a Remote Computer’s Startup Disk
54
Shutting Down a Computer
54
Manipulating Open Firmware NVRAM Variables
55
Monitoring and Restarting Critical Services
Chapter 5
57
Setting General System Preferences
57
Viewing or Changing the Computer Name
57
Viewing or Changing the Date and Time
58
Viewing or Changing the System Date
58
Viewing or Changing the System Time
58
Viewing or Changing the System Time Zone
58
Viewing or Changing Network Time Server Usage
59
Viewing or Changing the Energy Saver Settings
Viewing or Changing Sleep Settings
59
Viewing or Changing Automatic Restart Settings
60
Changing the Power Management Settings
60
Viewing or Changing the Startup Disk Settings
61
Viewing or Changing the Sharing Settings
61
Viewing or Changing Remote Login Settings
61
Viewing or Changing Apple Event Response
61
Viewing or Changing the International Settings
62
Viewing and Changing the Login Settings
Chapter 6
63
Setting Network Preferences
63
Configuring Network Interfaces
64
Managing Network Interface Information
64
Viewing Port Names and Hardware Addresses
64
Viewing or Changing MTU Values
65
Viewing or Changing Media Settings
65
Managing Network Port Configurations
65
Creating or Deleting Port Configurations
65
Activating Port Configurations
65
Changing Configuration Precedence
66
Managing TCP/IP Settings
66
Changing a Server’s IP Address
67
Viewing or Changing IP Address, Subnet Mask, or Router Address
69
Viewing or Changing DNS Servers
70
Enabling TCP/IP
70
Working with VLANs
70
IEEE 802.3ad Ethernet Link Aggregation
72
Managing AppleTalk Settings
72
Managing SNMP Settings
73
Installing SNMP
73
Starting SNMP
74
Configuring SNMP
75
Collecting SNMP Information from the Host
76
Managing Proxy Settings
76
Viewing or Changing FTP Proxy Settings
77
Viewing or Changing Web Proxy Settings
77
Viewing or Changing Secure Web Proxy Settings
77
Viewing or Changing Streaming Proxy Settings
77
Viewing or Changing Gopher Proxy Settings
78
Viewing or Changing SOCKS Firewall Proxy Settings
78
Viewing or Changing Proxy Bypass Domains
78
Managing AirPort Settings
79
Managing the Computer, Host, and Bonjour Names
Managing Preference Files and the Configuration Daemon
81
Changing Network Locations
Chapter 7
83
Working with Disks and Volumes
83
Understanding Disks, Partitions, and the File System
83
Mounting and Unmounting Volumes
84
Mounting Volumes
84
Unmounting Volumes
85
Displaying Disk Information
85
Monitoring Disk Space
86
Reclaiming Disk Space Using Log-Rolling Scripts
87
Erasing, Modifying, Verifying, and Repairing Disks
89
Partitioning and Formatting Disks
89
Partitioning a Disk
90
Labeling a Disk
90
Formatting a Disk
90
Checking for Disk Problems
91
Managing Disk Journaling
91
Checking to See If Journaling is Enabled
91
Enabling Journaling for an Existing Volume
92
Enabling Journaling When You Erase a Disk
92
Disabling Journaling
92
Understanding Spotlight Technology
92
Enabling and Disabling Spotlight
93
Performing Spotlight Searches
94
Controlling Spotlight Indexing
94
Managing RAID Volumes
95
Imaging and Cloning Volumes Using ASR
Chapter 8
97
Working with Users and Groups
97
Understanding Accounts
98
Administering and Creating Accounts
98
Creating a Local Administrator User Account for a Server
99
Creating a Domain Administrator User Account
100
Checking a User’s Administrator Privileges
100
Creating a Nonadministrator User Account
103
Retreiving a User’s GUID
103
Removing a User Account
104
Revoking a User’s Right to Access His or Her Account
106
Checking a Server User’s Name, UID, or Password
Modifying a User Account
108
Creating a Mobile User Account
109
Managing Home Folders
110
Administering Group Accounts
111
Creating a Group Account
112
Removing a Group Account
113
Adding a User to a Group
114
Removing a User from a Group
116
Creating and Deleting Nested Group
117
Editing Group Records
118
Creating a Group Folder
118
Viewing the Workgroup a User Selects at Login
119
Importing Users and Groups
120
Creating a Character-Delimited User Import File
123
Setting Permissions
123
Viewing Permissions
124
Setting the umask for Individual Users
125
Changing Permissions
126
Changing the Owner
126
Changing the Group
126
Securing System Accounts
126
Securing Initial System Accounts
127
Securing the Root Account
127
Restricting Use of the sudo Tool
128
Securing Single-User Boot
129
Setting Password Policy
131
Finding User Account Information
Chapter 9
133
Working with File Services
133
Managing Share Points
134
Listing Share Points
134
Creating a Share Point
135
Modifying a Share Point
136
Disabling a Share Point
136
Managing the AFP Service
136
Starting and Stopping AFP Service
136
Checking AFP Service Status
136
Viewing AFP Settings
137
Changing AFP Settings
137
List of AFP Settings
140
List of AFP serveradmin Commands
141
Listing Connected Users
142
Sending a Message to AFP Users
Disconnecting AFP Users
143
Canceling a User Disconnect
144
Listing AFP Service Statistics
145
Viewing AFP Log Files
146
Managing the NFS Service
146
Starting and Stopping NFS Service
146
Checking NFS Service Status
146
Viewing NFS Service Settings
146
Changing NFS Service Settings
147
Managing the FTP Service
147
Starting FTP Service
147
Stopping FTP Service
147
Checking FTP Service Status
147
Viewing FTP Service Settings
148
Changing FTP Service Settings
148
List of FTP Service Settings
150
List of FTP serveradmin Commands
150
Viewing the FTP Transfer Log
150
Checking for Connected FTP Users
151
Managing the SMB/CIFS Service
151
Starting and Stopping SMB/CIFS Service
151
Checking SMB/CIFS Service Status
151
Viewing SMB/CIFS Service Settings
152
Changing SMB/CIFS Service Settings
152
List of SMB/CIFS Service Settings
155
List of SMB/CIFS serveradmin Commands
155
Listing SMB/CIFS Users
156
Disconnecting SMB/CIFS Users
156
Listing SMB/CIFS Service Statistics
157
Updating Share Point Information
157
Viewing SMB/CIFS Service Logs
157
Managing ACLs
158
Using chmod to Modify ACLs
Chapter 10
161
Working with the Print Service
161
Understanding the Print Process
162
Performing Print Service Tasks
162
Starting and Stopping Print Service
163
Checking the Status of Print Service
163
Viewing Print Service Settings
163
Changing Print Service Settings
166
Managing the Print Service
167
Listing Queues
Pausing a Queue
167
Listing Jobs and Job Information
168
Holding a Job
169
Viewing Print Service Log Files
169
Viewing Cover Pages
Chapter 11
171
Working with NetBoot Service and System Images
171
Understanding the NetBoot Service
171
Starting and Stopping NetBoot Service
172
Checking NetBoot Service Status
172
Viewing NetBoot Settings
172
Changing NetBoot Settings
173
Changing General Netboot Service Settings
173
Storage Record Array
174
Filters Record Array
174
Image Record Array
175
Port Record Array
176
Working with System Images
176
Updating an Image
176
Booting from an Image
176
Using hdiutil to Work with System Images
177
Using asr to Restore System Images
177
Imaging Multiple Clients Using Multicast asr
178
Choosing a Boot Device Using systemsetup
Chapter 12
179
Working with the Mail Service
179
Understanding the Mail Service
179
Postfix Agent
180
Cyrus
180
Mailman
181
Managing the Mail Service
181
Starting and Stopping Mail Service
181
Checking the Status of Mail Service
181
Viewing Mail Service Settings
181
Changing Mail Service Settings
182
Mail Service Settings
194
Mail serveradmin Commands
194
Listing Mail Service Statistics
195
Viewing the Mail Service Logs
196
Backing Up the Mail Files
197
Reconstructing the Mail Database
198
Setting Up SSL for Mail Service
198
Generating a CSR and Creating a Keychain
Obtaining an SSL Certificate
200
Importing an SSL Certificate into the Keychain
200
Accessing the Server Certificates
201
Creating a Password File
202
Configuring Mailboxes
202
Enabling Sieve Scripting
203
Enabling Sieve Support
Chapter 13
207
Working with Web Technologies
207
Understanding Web Technology
208
Managing the Web Service
208
Starting and Stopping Web Service
208
Checking Web Service Status
208
Viewing Web Settings
209
Changing Web Settings
209
serveradmin and Apache Settings
209
Changing Settings Using serveradmin
210
Web serveradmin Commands
210
Listing Hosted Sites
210
Viewing Service Logs
210
Viewing Service Statistics
212
Example Script for Adding a Website
213
Tuning the Server Performance
214
Working with Application Servers and Java
214
Apache Tomcat
214
JBoss Server
215
MySQL Database
Chapter 14
217
Working with Network Services
217
Managing Network Services
218
Managing the DHCP Service
218
Starting and Stopping DHCP Service
218
Checking the Status of DHCP Service
218
Viewing DHCP Service Settings
219
Changing DHCP Service Settings
219
DHCP Service Settings
220
DHCP Subnet Settings Array
222
Adding a DHCP Subnet
223
Adding a DHCP Static Map
224
List of DHCP serveradmin Commands
224
Viewing the DHCP Service Log
225
Managing the DNS Service
225
Starting and Stopping the DNS Service
Checking the Status of DNS Service
225
Viewing DNS Service Settings
226
Changing DNS Service Settings
226
DNS Service Settings
226
List of DNS serveradmin Commands
226
Viewing the DNS Service Log
226
Listing DNS Service Statistics
227
Configuring IP Forwarding
227
Managing the Firewall Service
228
Firewall Startup
228
Starting and Stopping Firewall Service
228
Checking the Status of Firewall Service
228
Viewing Firewall Service Settings
229
Changing Firewall Service Settings
229
Firewall Service Settings
230
Defining Firewall Rules
233
ipfilter Rules Array
233
Firewall serveradmin Commands
234
Viewing Firewall Service Log
234
Using Firewall Service to Simulate Network Activity
234
Managing the NAT Service
235
Starting and Stopping NAT Service
235
Checking the Status of NAT Service
235
Viewing NAT Service Settings
235
Changing NAT Service Settings
236
NAT Service Settings
236
NAT serveradmin Commands
237
Port Mapping
237
Viewing the NAT Service Log
238
Managing the VPN Service
238
Starting and Stopping VPN Service
238
Checking the Status of VPN Service
238
Viewing VPN Service Settings
239
Changing VPN Service Settings
239
List of VPN Service Settings
242
List of VPN serveradmin Commands
242
Viewing the VPN Service Log
243
Site-to-Site VPN
243
Configuring Site-to-Site VPN
244
Adding a VPN Keyagent User
245
Setting Up IP Failover
245
IP Failover Prerequisites
245
IP Failover Operation
Enabling IP Failover
247
Configuring IP Failover
248
Enabling PPP Dial-In
248
Restoring the Default Configuration for Server Services
Chapter 15
251
Working with Open Directory
251
Understanding Open Directory
251
Using General Directory Tools
251
Testing Your Open Directory Configuration
252
Modifying a Directory Domain
252
Testing Open Directory Plug-ins
252
Registering URLs with SLP
252
Changing Open Directory Service Settings
253
Managing OpenLDAP
253
Configuring LDAP
254
Configuring slapd and slurpd Daemons
255
Idle Rebinding Options
255
Searching the LDAP Server
258
Using LDIF Files
259
Additional Information About LDAP
259
Managing NetInfo
259
Configuring NetInfo
260
Managing Open Directory Passwords
260
Open Directory Password Server
261
Kerberos and Apple Single Sign-On
263
Using Directory Service Tools
263
Operating on Directory Service Directory Domains
264
Finding Network Information
264
Manipulating a Single Named Group Record
265
Adding or Removing LDAP Server Configurations
265
Configuring the Active Directory Plug-In
Chapter 16
267
Working with QuickTime Streaming Server
267
Understanding QuickTime Streaming Server
267
Performing QTSS Service Tasks
268
Starting and Stopping the QTSS Service
268
Checking QTSS Service Status
268
Viewing QTSS Settings
268
Changing QTSS Settings
269
QTSS Settings
272
Managing QTSS
272
Listing Current Connections
273
Viewing QTSS Service Statistics
Viewing Service Logs
274
Forcing QTSS to Reread its Preferences
275
Preparing Older Home Folders for User Streaming
275
Configuring Streaming Security
275
Resetting the Streaming Server Admin User Name and Password
276
Controlling Access to Streamed Media
276
Creating an Access File
278
Accessing Protected Media
278
Adding User Accounts and Passwords
278
Adding or Deleting Groups
278
Making Changes to the User or Group File
279
Manipulating QuickTime and MP4 Movies
279
Creating Reference Movies
Chapter 17
281
Configuring System Logging
281
Logging System Events
281
Configuring the Log File
281
Configuring Your System Logging
282
Local Logging
283
Remote Logging
Appendix
285
PCI RAID Card Command Reference
Glossary
289
Index
299
About This Guide
This guide describes Mac OS X Servers command-line
interface tools and commands, including the syntax, purpose,
and parameters, as well as examples of usage and any output
that they generate.
This guide is written for system administrators familiar with administering and
managing servers, storage, and networks.
Beneath the interface of Mac OS X is a core operating system commonly known as
Darwin. Darwin integrates a number of technologies, most importantly Mach 3.0,
operating-system services based on Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) release 4.4
high-performance networking facilities, and support for multiple integrated file
systems.
Darwin maintains most of the functionality of 4.4BSD commands. While some
commands are modified to function differently, most of the commands are either kept
as is, or their functionality has been extended to support Apple-specific technologies.
This guide focuses on commands developed by Apple to allow administrators to
perform funtions available in the graphical interface from the command line. The guide
also highlights BSD commands that have been modified or extended to support Apple-
specific functionality. Finally, the guide describes important commands commonly
used by UNIX system administrators.
Note: Because Apple frequently releases new versions and updates to its software,
images shown in this book may be different from what you see on your screen.
Preface About This Guide
Using This Guide
This guide describes commands that perform functions used to configure and manage
Mac OS X computers. Chapters in this guide describe sets of commands that work for
specific aspects of the operating system.
Use this guide to:
 Learn which commands are available for specific tasks
 Learn how the commands work, and how to execute them
 Review examples of command usage
Understanding Notation Conventions
The following conventions are used throughout this book.
Summary
Commands and Other Terminal Text
Commands or command parameters that you might enter, along with other text that
normally appears in a Terminal window, are shown in this font. For example:
You can use the doit command to get things done.
When a command is shown on a line by itself in this manual, it is preceded by a dollar
sign and a space that represent the shell prompt. For example:
$ doit
To use this command, enter it without the dollar sign and the space in a Terminal
window, and then press the Return key. (Terminal is found in /Applications/Utilities).
Command Parameters and Options
Most commands require one or more parameters to specify command options or the
item to which the command is applied.
Notation
Indicates
monospaced font
A command or other text typed in a Terminal window
$
A shell prompt
[text_in_brackets]
An optional parameter
(one|other)
Alternative parameters (enter one or the other)
italicized
A parameter you must replace with a value
[...]
A parameter that may be repeated
A displayed value that depends on your server configuration
Preface About This Guide
17
Parameters You Must Enter as Shown
If you must enter a parameter as shown, it appears following the command in the
same font. For example:
$ doit -w later -t 12:30
To use the command in this example, enter the entire line as shown (without the $ and
space).
Parameter Values You Provide
If you must provide a value, its placeholder is italicized and has a name that indicates
what you need to provide. For example:
$ doit -w later -t hh:mm
In this example, you replace hh with the hour and mm with the minute, as shown in the
previous example.
Optional Parameters
If a parameter is not required, it appears in square brackets. For example:
$ doit [-w later]
To use the command in this example, enter either doit or doit -w later. The result
might vary, but the command will be performed either way.
Alternative Parameters
If you must enter one of a number of parameters, they’re separated by a vertical line
and grouped within parentheses (|). For example:
$ doit -w (now|later)
To perform this command, enter either doit -w now or doit -w later.
Default Settings
Descriptions of server settings usually include the default value for each setting. When
this default value depends on your configuration (such as the name or IP address of
your server), it’s enclosed in angle brackets.
For example, the default value for the IMAP mail server is the host name of your server.
This is indicated by mail:imap:servername = "".
Commands Requiring Root Privileges
Throughout this manual, commands that require root privileges begin with sudo. See
“Commands Requiring Root Privileges” on page 26.
Preface About This Guide
Getting Documentation Updates
Periodically, Apple posts revised guides and solution papers. To download the latest
guides and solution papers in PDF format, go to the Mac OS X Server documentation
webpage: www.apple.com/server/documentation.
Getting Additional Information
For more information, consult these resources:
Read Me documents—Important updates and special information. Look for them on the
server discs.
Man pages (developer.apple.com/documentation/Darwin/Reference/ManPages/)—The
Apple Developer Connection (ADC) Reference Library contains man pages for many
BSD and POSIX functions and applications included with Mac OS X.
Mac OS X Server website (www.apple.com/macosx/server/)—Gateway to extensive
product and technology information.
AppleCare Service & Support website (www.apple.com/support/)—Access to hundreds of
articles from Apple’s support organization.
Apple customer training (train.apple.com)—Instructor-led and self-paced courses for
honing your server administration skills.
Apple discussion groups (discussions.info.apple.com)—A way to share questions,
knowledge, and advice with other administrators.
Apple mailing list folder (www.lists.apple.com)—Subscribe to mailing lists so you can
communicate with other administrators using email.
The public source website (developer.apple.com/darwin/)—Access to Darwin source
code, developer information, and FAQs.
Mac OS X Server suite documentation (www.apple.com/server/documentation/)—The
Mac OS X Server documentation includes a suite of guides that explain the available
services and provide instructions for configuring, managing, and troubleshooting those
services.
This guide ...
tells you how to:
Mac OS X Server Getting Started
for Version 10.4 or Later
Install Mac OS X Server and set it up for the first time.
Mac OS X Server Upgrading and
Migrating to Version 10.4 or Later
Use data and service settings that are currently being used on
earlier versions of the server.
Mac OS X Server User
Management for Version 10.4 or
Later
Create and manage users, groups, and computer lists. Set up
managed preferences for Mac OS X clients.
Preface About This Guide
19
Mac OS X Server File Services
Administration for Version 10.4 or
Later
Share selected server volumes or folders among server clients
using these protocols: AFP, NFS, FTP, and SMB/CIFS.
Mac OS X Server Print Service
Administration for Version 10.4 or
Later
Host shared printers and manage their associated queues and print
jobs.
Mac OS X Server System Imaging
and Software Update
Administration for Version 10.4 or
Later
Use NetBoot and Network Install to create disk images from which
Macintosh computers can start up over the network. Set up a
software update server for updating client computers over the
network.
Mac OS X Server Mail Service
Administration for Version 10.4 or
Later
Set up, configure, and administer mail services on the server.
Mac OS X Server Web
Technologies Administration for
Version 10.4 or Later
Set up and manage a web server, including WebDAV, WebMail, and
web modules.
Mac OS X Server Network Services
Administration for Version 10.4 or
Later
Set up, configure, and administer DHCP, DNS, VPN, NTP, IP firewall,
and NAT services on the server.
Mac OS X Server Open Directory
Administration for Version 10.4 or
Later
Manage directory and authentication services.
Mac OS X Server QuickTime
Streaming Server Administration
for Version 10.4 or Later
Set up and manage QuickTime streaming services.
Mac OS X Server Windows
Services Administration for
Version 10.4 or Later
Set up and manage services including PDC, BDC, file, and print for
Windows computer users.
Mac OS X Server Migrating from
Windows NT for Version 10.4 or
Later
Move accounts, shared folders, and services from Windows NT
servers to Mac OS X Server.
Mac OS X Server Java Application
Server Administration For Version
10.4 or Later
Configure and administer a JBoss application server on Mac OS X
Server.
Mac OS X Server Command-Line
Administration for Version 10.4 or
Later
Use commands and configuration files to perform server
administration tasks in a UNIX command shell.
Mac OS X Server Collaboration
Services Administration for
Version 10.4 or Later
Set up and manage weblog, chat, and other services that facilitate
interactions among users.
Mac OS X Server High Availability
Administration for Version 10.4 or
Later
Manage IP failover, link aggregation, load balancing, and other
hardware and software configurations to ensure high availability of
Mac OS X Server services.
This guide ...
tells you how to:
Preface About This Guide
Mac OS X Server Xgrid
Administration for Version 10.4 or
Later
Manage computational Xserve clusters using the Xgrid application.
Mac OS X Server
Glossary: Includes Terminology for
Mac OS X Server, Xserve, Xserve
RAID, and Xsan
Interpret terms used for server and storage products.
This guide ...
tells you how to:
1 Executing Commands
In this chapter you will find out how to execute commands
and view online information about commands and tools.
A command-line interface is a way for you to manipulate your computer in situations
where a graphical approach is not available. The Terminal application is the Mac OS X
gateway to the BSD command-line interface (UNIX shell command prompt). Each
window in Terminal contains a complete execution context, called a shell, that is
separate from all other execution contexts. The shell itself is an interactive
programming language interpreter, with a specialized syntax for executing commands
and writing structured programs, called shell scripts.
Different shells feature slightly different capabilities and programming syntax. Although
you can use any shell of your choice, the examples in this book assume that you are
using bash, the standard Mac OS X shell.
Opening Terminal
To enter shell commands or run server command-line tools, you need access to a UNIX
shell prompt. Both Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server include Terminal, an application you
can use to start a UNIX shell command-line session on the local server or on a remote
server.
To open Terminal, click the Terminal icon in the dock or double-click the application
icon in the Finder (located in /Applications/Utilities/).
Terminal presents a prompt when it is ready to accept a command. The prompt you see
depends on your Terminal and shell preferences, but often includes the name of the
host you’re logged in to, your current working folder, your user name, and a prompt
symbol.
Chapter 1 Executing Commands
For example, if you’re using the default bash shell and the prompt displays as:
server1:~ anne$
Where you are logged in to a computer named “server1” as the user named “anne,” and
your current folder is anne’s home folder (~).
Throughout this manual, wherever a command is shown as you might enter it, the
prompt is abbreviated as $.
Specifying Files and Folders
Most commands operate on files and folders, the locations of which are identified
by paths. The folder names that make up a path are separated by slash characters.
For example, the path to the Terminal application is
/Applications/Utilities/Terminal.app.
Some of the standard shortcuts used to represent specific folders in the computer are
shown in the following table. Because they are relative to the current folder, these
shortcuts eliminate the need to enter full paths in many situations.
File and folder names traditionally include only letters, numbers, a period, or the
underscore character. Most other characters, including space characters, should be
avoided. Although some Mac OS X file systems permit the use of these other
characters, including spaces, you may have to add single or double quotation marks
around any pathnames that contain them. For individual characters, you can also
“escape” the character—that is, put a backslash character immediately before the
character in your string. For example, the pathname My Disk would become either
“My Disk” or My\ Disk.
Path string
Description
.
A single period represents the current folder. This value is often used as a shortcut to
eliminate the need to enter in a full path. For example, the string “./Test.c” represents
the Test.c file in the current folder.
..
Two periods represents the parent folder of the current folder. This string is used
for navigating up one level from the current folder through the folder hierarchy.
For example, the string “../Test” represents a sibling folder (named Test) of the current
folder.
~
The tilde character represents the home folder of the user currently logged in.
In Mac OS X, this folder resides either in the local /Users folder or on a network server.
For example, to specify the Documents folder of the current user, you would specify ~/
Documents.
Chapter 1 Executing Commands
23
Modifying Flow Control
Many commands are capable of receiving text input from the user and printing text
out to the console. They do so using standard pipes, which are created by the shell and
passed to the command automatically.
The standard pipes include:
 stdin—The standard input pipe is the means through which data enters a
command. By default, this is data entered by the user from the command-line
interface. You can also redirect the output from files or other commands to stdin.
 stdout—The standard output pipe is where the command output is sent. By default,
command output is sent back to the command line. You can also redirect the output
from the command to other commands and tools.
 stderr—The standard error pipe is where error messages are sent. By default, errors
are displayed on the command line like standard output.
Redirecting Input and Output
From the command line, you may redirect input and output from a command to a file
or another command. Redirecting output lets you capture the results of running the
command and store it in a file for later use. Similarly, providing an input file lets you
provide a command with preset input data, instead of having to enter that data.
In addition to using file redirection, you can also redirect the output of one command
to the input of another using the vertical bar character, or pipe. You can combine
commands in this manner to implement more sophisticated versions of the same
commands. For example, the command man bash | grep “commands” passes the
formatted contents of the bash man page to the grep tool, which searches those
contents for any lines containing the word “commands.” The result is a listing of only
those lines with the specified text, instead of the entire man page.
See the bash man page for more information about redirection.
Redirect
Description
>
Use the greater-than character to redirect command output to a file.
<
Use the less-than character to use the contents of a file as input to the command.
>>
Use a double greater-than to append output from a command to a file.
Chapter 1 Executing Commands
Using Environment Variables
Some commands require the use of environment variables for their execution.
Environment variables are variables inherited by all commands executed in the shell’s
context. The shell itself uses environment variables to store information, such as the
name of the current user, the name of the host computer, and the paths to any
commands. You can also create environment variables and use them to control the
behavior of your command without modifying the command itself. For example, you
might use an environment variable to tell your command to print debug information to
the console.
To set the value of an environment variable, you use the appropriate shell command to
associate a variable name with a value. For example, to set the variable PATH to the
value /bin:/sbin:/user/bin:/user/sbin:/system/Library/, you would enter the
following command in a Terminal window:
$ PATH=/bin:/sbin:/user/bin:/user/sbin:/system/Library/ export PATH
This will modify the environment variable PATH with the value assigned. To view all of
the environment variables, enter the following:
$ env
When you launch an application from a shell, the application inherits much of the
shell’s environment, including any exported environment variables. This form of
inheritance can be a useful way to configure the application dynamically. For example,
your application can check for the presence (or value) of an environment variable and
change its behavior accordingly. Different shells support different semantics for
exporting environment variables, so see the man page for your preferred shell for
further information.
Although child processes of a shell inherit the environment of that shell, shells are
separate execution contexts that do not share environment information with one
another. Thus, variables you set in one Terminal window are not set in other Terminal
windows. Once you close a Terminal window, any variables you set in that window are
gone. If you want the value of a variable to persist between sessions and in all Terminal
windows, you must set it in a shell startup script.
Another way to set environment variables in Mac OS X is with a special property list in
your home folder. At login, the computer looks for the ~/.MacOSX/environment.plist
file. If the file is present, the computer registers the environment variables in the
property-list file.
Chapter 1 Executing Commands
25
Executing Commands and Running Tools
To execute a command in the shell, you must enter the complete pathname of the
tool’s executable file, followed by any arguments, and then press the Return key. If a
command is located in one of the shell’s known folders, you can omit any path
information and just enter the command name. The list of known folders is stored in
the shell’s PATH environment variable and includes the folders containing most of the
command-line tools.
For example, to run the ls command in the current user’s home folder, you could
simply enter it at the command line and press the Return key.
host:~ anne$ ls
To run a command in the current user’s home folder, you would precede it with the
folder specifier. For example, to run MyCommandLineProg, you would use something
like the following:
host:~ anne$ ./MyCommandLineProg
To launch a tool package, you can either use the open command (open MyProg.app) or
launch the tool by typing the pathname of the executable file inside the package,
usually something like ./MyProg.app/Contents/MacOS/MyProg.
When entering commands, if you get the message command not found, check your
spelling.
server:/ anne$ serversetup -getAllPort
serversetup: Command not found.
If the error recurs, the command you’re trying to run might not be in your default
search path. You can add the path before the command name, for example:
server:/ anne$ /System/Library/ServerSetup/serversetup -getAllPort
1
Built-in Ethernet
or change your working folder to the folder that contains the tool. For example:
server:/ anne$ cd /System/Library/ServerSetup
server:/System/Library/ServerSetup anne$ ./serversetup -getAllPort
1
Built-in Ethernet
or
server:/System/Library/ServerSetup anne$ cd /
server:/ anne$ PATH="$PATH:/System/Library/ServerSetup"
server:/ anne$ serversetup -getAllPort
1
Built-in Ethernet
Chapter 1 Executing Commands
Correcting Typing Errors
To correct a typing error before you press Return to execute the command, press Left
Arrow or Right Arrow to skip over parts of the command you don’t want to change,
press the Delete key to remove characters, enter regular characters to insert them, and
finally press Return to execute the command.
To ignore what you have entered and start again, press Control–U.
Repeating Commands
To repeat a command, press Up Arrow until you see the command, make any
modifications, and then press Return.
Including Paths Using Drag and Drop
To include a fully qualified filename or folder path in a command, you can drag and
drop the folder or file from a Finder window into the Terminal window.
Searching for Text Within a File
To locate a unique string within a file, use the grep tool. The grep tool searches the
named input files for lines containing a match to the given pattern. By default, grep
prints the matching lines.
To search for a unique string in a file:
$ grep sunshine filename
where filename is the name of the file you wish to search through and sunshine is the
unique string.
Commands Requiring Root Privileges
Many commands used to manage a server must be executed by the root user. If you
get a message such as permission denied, the command probably requires root
privileges.
To execute a single command as the root user, begin the command with sudo (short for
super user do). For example:
$ sudo serveradmin list
You’re prompted for the root password if you haven’t used sudo recently. The root user
password is set to the administrator user password when you install Mac OS X Server.
To switch to the root user so you don’t have to repeatedly enter sudo, use the su
command:
$su root
You’re prompted for the root user password and then are logged in as the root user
until you log out or use the su command to switch to another user.
Chapter 1 Executing Commands
27
Important: As the root user, you have sufficient privileges to do things that can cause
your server to stop working properly. Don’t execute commands as the root user unless
you know what you’re doing. Logging in as an administrator user and using sudo
selectively might prevent you from making unintended changes.
Terminating Commands
To terminate the currently running command, enter Control-C. This keyboard shortcut
sends an abort signal to the command. In most cases this causes the command to
terminate, although commands may install signal handlers to trap this signal and
respond differently.
Scheduling Tasks
You can create scheduled tasks using the cron tool. cron is a daemon that executes
scheduled commands from a crontab file. The cron tool searches the /var/cron/tabs
folder for crontab files that are named after accounts in /etc/passwd, and loads the files
into memory. cron also searches for crontab files in the /etc/crontab folder, which are in
a different format. cron then cycles every minute, examining all stored crontab files and
checking each command to see if it should be run in the current minute.
When commands execute, any output is mailed to the owner of the crontab file or to
the user named in the MAILTO environment variable in the crontab file, if such exists.
When a crontab file has been modified, cron needs to be restarted. crontab is the
program used to install, deinstall, or list the tables used to drive the cron daemon.
Each user can have their own crontab file.
To configure your crontab file, use the crontab -e command. This displays an empty
crontab file.
An example of a configured crontab file:
SHELL=/bin/sh
PATH=/bin:/sbin:/usr/bin:/usr/sbin
HOME=/var/log
#min hour mday month wday
command
30
18
*
*
1-5
/usr/local/vscanx folder-name
50
23
*
*
0
/usr/local/vscanx --summary folder-name
15
10
*
*
6
/usr/local/vscanx --load /usr/local/conf1 /uz
45
8
*
*
1
/usr/local/vscanx --f /usr/local/biglist
Listed below is an explanation of the crontab structure shown above.
The following crontab entry schedules a scan operation to run and produce a summary
at 18:30 every day, Monday through Friday:
30 18 * * 1-5 /usr/local/vscanx folder-name
Chapter 1 Executing Commands
The following crontab entry schedules a scan operation to run and produce a summary
at 23:50 every Sunday:
50 23 * * 0 /usr/local/vscanx --summary folder-name
The following crontab entry schedules a scan operation to run on the uz folder at 10:15
a.m. every Saturday in accordance with options specified in a configuration file conf1:
15 10 * * 6 /usr/local/vscanx --load /usr/local/conf1 /uz
The following crontab entry schedules a scan operation to run at 8:45 a.m. every
Monday on the files specified in the file biglist:
45 8 * * 1 /usr/local/vscanx --f /usr/local/biglist
Sending Commands to a Remote Computer
You must connect to a remote computer before you can execute commands on it.
You can send commands to a remote computer using:
 Secure Shell (SSH), a tool for logging in to a remote computer and for executing
commands on a remote computer.
 Telnet, a tool for communicating with another computer using the TELNET protocol.
See Chapter 2, “Connecting to Remote Computers,” on page 31 for information about
sending commands to remote computers.
Viewing Command Information
Most command-line documentation comes in the form of man pages. These are
formatted pages that provide reference information for shell commands, tools, and
high-level concepts. You can also access command information using the help
command, and sometimes information is displayed if you enter the command without
any parameters or options.
To access a man page:
$ man command
where command is the topic you want to find information about. The man page contains
detailed information about the command, its options, parameters, and proper use. For
help using the man command, enter:
$ man man
If the man pages are so long that they do not fit on your screen, you can use the more
or less command to automatically paginate the file. This allows you to view the file
faster by loading full screens of the man page at a time, rather than the entire file.
$ man serveradmin | less
Chapter 1 Executing Commands
29
When you use more or less, an information bar appears at the bottom of the screen.
When you see the bar, you can press the Space bar to go to the next page, the B key to
go back a page, or the Return key to scroll the file forward one line at a time. When you
get to the end of a file, more will return you to the prompt and less will wait for you
to press the Q key to quit.
Several third-party Mac OS X applications are available for viewing formatted man
pages in scrollable windows. You can find one by choosing Mac OS X Software from the
Apple menu, and then seraching for “man page.”
Note: Not all commands and tools have man pages. For a list of available man pages,
look in /usr/share/man.
To access command help, enter the command followed by the -help, -h, --help,
or help parameter:
$ hdiutil help
$ dig -h
$ diff --help
To view a pop-up list of options and parameters you can use with the command,
enter the command without any options or parameters:
$ sudo serveradmin
Note: Not all techniques work for all commands, and some commands don’t have
onscreen help.
2 Connecting to Remote Computers
In this chapter you will find commands you can use to
connect to remote computers.
Connecting to remote computers helps you manage and configure resources
efficiently. This chapter covers using SSH and Telnet to connect to remote computers.
Understanding Secure Shell
Secure Shell (SSH) lets you send secure, encrypted commands to a computer remotely,
as if you were sitting at the computer. You use the ssh tool in Terminal to open a
command-line connection to a remote computer. While the connection is open,
commands you enter are performed on the remote computer.
Note: You can use any application that supports SSH to connect to a computer running
Mac OS X or Mac OS X Server.
How SSH Works
SSH works by setting up encrypted tunnels using public and private keys. Here is a
description of an SSH session:
 The local and remote computers exchange their public keys. If the local computer
has never encountered a given public key before, both SSH and a web browser will
prompt you whether to accept the unknown key.
 The two computers use the public keys to negotiate a session key that is used to
encrypt all subsequent session data.
 The remote computer attempts to authenticate the local computer using RSA or DSA
certificates. If this is not possible, the local computer is prompted for a standard user-
name/password combination. See “Password-Less Logins Using SSH Keys” on
page 32 for information about setting up certificate authentication.
 After successful authentication, the session begins. Either a remote shell, a secure file
transfer, a remote command, or so on, is begun through the encrypted tunnel.
Chapter 2 Connecting to Remote Computers
You should be aware of the following SSH tools:
 sshd—Daemon that acts as a server to all other commands
 ssh—Primary user tool: remote shell, remote command, and port-forwarding
sessions
 scp—Secure copy, a tool for automated file transfers
 sftp—Secure FTP, a replacement for FTP
Password-Less Logins Using SSH Keys
The standard method of SSH authentication is supplying login credentials in the form
of a user name and password. Identity key pair authentication enables you to log in to
the server without having to supply a password. This process works by:
 Generating a private and public key associated with a user name to establish that
user’s authenticity. When you attempt to log in as that user, the user name is sent to
the remote computer.
 The remote computer looks in the user’s .ssh/ folder for the user’s public key. This
folder is created after using SSH the first time.
 A challenge is then sent to the user based on his or her public key.
 The user verifies his or her identity by using the private portion of the key pair to
decode the challenge.
 Once decoded, the user is logged in without the need for a password. This is
especially useful when automating remote scripts.
To generate the identity key pair, use the following command on the local computer:
$ ssh-keygen -t dsa
When prompted, enter a filename in which to save the keys in the user’s folder. Then
enter a password followed by password verification (empty for no password). For
example:
Generating public/private dsa key pair.
Enter file in which to save the key (/Users/anne/.ssh/id_dsa): frog
Enter passphrase (empty for no passphrase):
Enter same passphrase again:
Your identification has been saved in frog.
Your public key has been saved in frog.pub.
The key fingerprint is:
4a:5c:6e:9f:3e:35:8b:e5:c9:5a:ac:00:e6:b8:d7:96 [email protected]
This creates two files. Your identification or private key is saved in one file (frog in our
example) and your public key is saved in the other (frog.pub in our example). The key
fingerprint, which is derived cryptographically from the public key value, is also
displayed. This secures the public key, making it computationally infeasible for
duplication.
Chapter 2 Connecting to Remote Computers
33
Copy the resultant public file, which contains the local computer’s public key to the
user’s home folder in .ssh/ on the remote computer. The next time you log in to the
remote computer from the local computer you won’t need to enter a password.
Note: If you are using an Open Directory user account and have already logged in
using the account, you do not have to supply a pasword for SSH login. On Mac OS X
Server computers, SSH uses Kerberos for single sign-on authentication with any user
account that has an Open Directory password (Kerberos must be running on the Open
Directory server). See the Open Directory administration guide for more information.
Updating SSH Key Fingerprints
The first time you connect to a remote computer using SSH, the local computer
prompts for permission to add the remote computer’s fingerprint (or encrypted public
key) to a list of known remote computers. You might see a message like this:
The authenticity of host "server1.example.com" can’t be established.
RSA key fingerprint is a8:0d:27:63:74:f1:ad:bd:6a:e4:0d:a3:47:a8:f7.
Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)?
The first time you connect, you have no way of knowing whether this is the correct
host key. Most people respond “yes.” The host key is then inserted into the ~/.ssh/
known_hosts file so it can be compared against in later sessions. Be sure this is the
correct key before accepting it. If at all possible, provide your users with the encryption
key either through FTP, email, or a download from the web, so they can be sure of the
identity of the server.
If you later see a warning message about a man-in-the-middle attack when you try to
connect, it might be because the key on the remote computer no longer matches the
key stored on the local computer. This can happen if you:
 Change your SSH configuration on either the local or remote computer.
 Perform a clean installation of the server software on the computer you are
attempting to log in to using SSH.
 Start up from a Mac OS X Server CD on the computer you are attempting to log in to
using SSH.
 Are attempting to SSH in to a computer that has the same IP address as a computer
that you previously used SSH with on another network.
To connect again, delete the entries corresponding to the remote computer (which can
be stored by both name and IP address) in the file ~/.ssh/known_hosts.
Chapter 2 Connecting to Remote Computers
What is an SSH Man-in-the-Middle Attack?
An attacker may be able to get access to your network and compromise proper
routing information, such that packets intended for a remote computer are instead
routed to the attacker who impersonates the remote computer to the local computer
and the local computer to the remote computer. Here’s a typical scenario: A user
connects to the remote computer using SSH. By means of spoofing techniques, the
attacker poses as the remote computer and receives the information from the local
computer. The attacker then relays the information to the intended remote computer,
receives a response, and then relays the remote computer’s response to the local
computer. Throughout the process, the attacker is privy to all the information that goes
back and forth, and can modify it.
A sign that may indicate a man-in-the-middle attack is the following message when
connecting to the remote computer using SSH.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
@ WARNING: REMOTE HOST IDENTIFICATION HAS CHANGED! @
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Protect against this type of attack by verifying that the host key sent back is the correct
host key for the computer you are trying to reach. Be watchful for the warning
message, and alert your users to its meaning.
Important: Removing an entry from the known_hosts file bypasses a security
mechanism that would help you avoid imposters and man-in-the-middle attacks.
Be sure you understand why the key on the remote computer has changed before you
delete its entry from the known_hosts file.
Controlling Access to SSH Service
You can use Server Admin to control which users can open a command-line
connection using the ssh tool in Terminal. Users with administrator privileges are
always allowed to open a connection using SSH. The ssh tool uses the SSH service.
For information about controlling access to the SSH service, see the Open Directory
administration guide.
Chapter 2 Connecting to Remote Computers
35
Connecting to a Remote Computer
You can connect to a remote computer using SSH (secure) or Telnet (non-secure).
Using SSH
Use the ssh tool to create a secure shell connection to a remote computer.
To access a remote computer using ssh:
1 Open Terminal.
2 Enter the following command to log in to the remote computer, and then press Return:
$ ssh -l username server
where username is the name of an administrator user on the remote computer and
server is the name or IP address of the remote computer. For example:
$ ssh -l anne 10.0.1.2
3 If this is the first time you’ve connected to the remote computer, you’re prompted to
continue connecting after the remote computer’s RSA fingerprint is displayed. Enter
yes and press Return.
4 When prompted, enter the user’s password (the user’s password on the remote
computer) and press Return.
The command prompt changes to show that you’re now connected to the remote
computer. In the case of the previous example, the prompt might look like:
10.0.1.2:~ anne$
5 To send a command to the remote computer, enter the command and press Return.
To close a remote connection, enter logout and press Return.
To authenticate and send a command using a single line, append the command you
want to execute to the basic ssh tool. For example, to delete a file:
$ ssh -l anne server1.example.com rm /Users/anne/Documents/report
or
$ ssh -l [email protected] "rm /Users/anne/Documents/report"
You’re prompted for the user’s password.
Chapter 2 Connecting to Remote Computers
Using Telnet
Use the telnet tool to create a Telnet connection to a remote computer. Because it isn’t
as secure as SSH, Telnet access is disabled by default.
To enable Telnet access:
$ service telnet start
To disable Telnet access:
$ service telnet stop
You are strongly advised not to enable Telnet. When you log in using Telnet, your
login information, user name, and password are passed along the Internet in clear text.
In fact, your entire Telnet session is also passed along the Internet in clear text.
Any person on the network running tcpdump, ethereal, or similar applications can
effortlessly sniff the network and take possession of your user name and password.
If you run something as root during your Telnet session, your root user account will be
compromised as well.
To access a remote computer using telnet:
$ telnet -l username server
where username is the name of an administrator user on the remote computer and
server is the name or IP address of the remote computer. For example:
$ telnet -l anne 10.0.1.2
Once connected, the remote computer will prompt for a login name, and then the
password. Depending on the type of computer you are accessing, you may see a
message of the form:
TERM = (vt100)
Press Enter to accept this default setting. You may see a series of messages on the
screen, followed by the remote computer’s prompt. You are now completely logged in.
When you are finished working, log out from the remote computer by typing logout or
exit at the remote computer’s prompt. The telnet client will automatically exit when
you log out from the remote computer.
See the telnet man page for more information.
3 Installing Server Software and
Finishing Basic Setup
In this chapter you will find commands you can use to install,
set up, and update Mac OS X Server software on local or
remote computers.
Some computers come with Mac OS X Server software already installed. However,
you might want to upgrade from a previous version, change a computer configuration,
automate software installation, or completely refresh your server environment. This
chapter covers the commands needed to perform a variety of software setup and
installation tasks.
Installing Server Software
You can use the /usr/sbin/installer tool to install Mac OS X Server or other software
on a computer. You can use the installer tool locally or remotely. The installer tool
requires at least two arguments: the installation package, and the destination of the
installation package. For a standard installation, your target would be the root drive.
Here is an example installation command:
$ installer -pkg OSInstall.mpkg -target /
Other useful options include:
 lang—The operating system package requires that you choose a language. This flag
allows you to do so from the command line. The argument is a two-character ISO
language code. For English, it’s en.
 verbose—Prints out the details of the installation. It’s useful for monitoring progress.
See the installer man page for detailed information.
To use installer to install Mac OS X Server software:
1 Start the target computer from the first installation CD or the installation DVD.
The procedure you use depends on the target computer hardware.
If the target computer has a keyboard and an optical drive, insert the first installation
disc into the optical drive. Then hold down the C key on the keyboard while restarting
the computer.
Chapter 3 Installing Server Software and Finishing Basic Setup
If the target computer is an Xserve with a built-in optical drive, start the computer
using the first installation disc by following the instructions for starting from a system
disc in the Xserve User’s Guide.
If the target computer is an Xserve with no built-in optical drive, you can start it in
target disk mode and insert the installation disc into the optical drive on your
administrator computer. You can also use an external FireWire optical drive or an
optical drive from another Xserve system to start the computer from the installation
disc. Instructions for using target disk mode and external optical drives are in the Quick
Start guide or Xserve User’s Guide that came with your Xserve system.
2 If you’re installing on a local computer, when Installer opens choose Utilities > Open
Terminal to open the Terminal application.
If you’re installing on a remote computer, from Terminal on an administrator computer
or from a UNIX workstation, establish an SSH session as the root user with the target
computer, substituting the target computer’s actual IP address for :
$ ssh root@
If you don’t know the IP address, you can use the sa_srchr tool to identify computers
on the local subnet on which you can install server software:
$ /System/Library/Serversetup/sa_srchr 224.0.0.1
mycomputer.example.com#PowerMac4,4###Mac OS X
Server 10.4#RDY4PkgInstall#2.0#512
You can also use Server Assistant to generate information for computers on the local
subnet. Open Server Assistant, select “Install software on a remote computer,” and click
Continue to access the Destination pane and generate a list of computers awaiting
installation.
3 When prompted for a password, enter the first eight digits of the computer’s built-in
hardware serial number. To find a computer’s serial number, look for a label on the
computer. If the target computer had been set up as a server, you’ll also find the
hardware serial number in /System/Library/ServerSetup/SerialNumber.
If you’re installing on an older computer that has no built-in hardware serial number,
use 12345678 for the password.
Locating Computers for Installation
If you are installing software on a remote computer from Terminal, you will first want to
establish an SSH session as the root user with the remote computer. To do so, you need
the remote computer’s IP address and serial number. You can find the serial number on
a label on the computer. Enter the serial number as the password when establishing
the SSH session. If you are installing on an older computer that has no built-in
hardware serial number, use 12345678 for the password. You can use the sa_srchr tool
to identify the IP address of each computer that’s ready for installation on your subnet.
Chapter 3 Installing Server Software and Finishing Basic Setup
39
Note: To locate computers, you must have booted the computer from the installation
CD.
To list computers on the local network:
$ /System/Library/ServerSetup/sa_srchr 224.0.0.1
The sa_srchr tool uses the broadcast address 224.0.0.1 to request a response (via
sa_rspndr) from all computers ready for installation or setup. The response from a
ready computer would come from sa_rspndr running on a computer started up from
the Mac OS X Server installation CD. The computer will respond with output similar to
the following:
localhost#unknown###Mac OS X Server
10.3#RDY4PkgInstall#2.0#512
where is the working IP address and is the unique MAC
address of the network interface on a computer that is ready for installation.
Specifying the Target Computer Volume
Use the installer tool to specify the target computer volume onto which you want to
install the server software.
To list volumes available for server software:
$ /usr/sbin/installer -volinfo -pkg /System/Installation/Packages/
OSInstall.mpkg
To choose a network installation image you’ve created and mounted:
$ /usr/sbin/installer -volinfo -pkg /Volumes/ServerNetworkImage10.4/System/
Installation/Packages/OSInstall.mpkg
The list displayed reflects your particular environment, but here’s an example showing
three available volumes:
/Volumes/Mount 01
/Volumes/Mount1
/Volumes/Mount02
Preparing the Target Volume for a Clean Installation
If the target volume has Mac OS X Server version 10.3 or version 10.2.8 installed, when
you run installer, it will upgrade the server to version 10.4 and preserve user files.
If you’re not upgrading but performing a clean installation, back up the user files you
want to preserve, then use diskutil to erase the volume, format it, and enable
journaling:
$ /usr/sbin/diskutil eraseVolume HFS+ "Mount 01" "/Volumes/Mount 01"
$ /usr/sbin/diskutil enableJournal "/Volumes/Mount 01"
Chapter 3 Installing Server Software and Finishing Basic Setup
You can also use diskutil to partition the volume and to set up mirroring. For more
information, see the diskutil man page or Chapter 7, “Working with Disks and
Volumes,” on page 83.
Important: Don’t store data on the hard disk partition where the operating system is
installed. If you must store additional software or data on the system partition, consider
mirroring the drive. With this approach, you won’t risk losing data if you need to
reinstall or upgrade system software.
Installing from Multiple CDs
If you’re using CDs for server installation, use the sa_srchr tool to install the remaining
software from the remaining installation CDs. Server Assistant opens automatically
when installation is complete.
1 To use the next installation disc, use the sa_srchr command to locate the computer
that’s waiting. For , specify the address you used in step 2:
$ /System/Library/Serversetup/sa_srchr
2 When the sa_srchr response includes the string “#InstallInProgress”, insert the next
installation disc:
$ mycomputer.example.com#PowerMac4,4## #Mac OS X
Server 10.4#InstallInProgress#2.0#2080
Restarting After Installation
When installation from the disc is complete, restart the computer. Enter:
$ /sbin/reboot
or
$ /sbin/shutdown -r
Automating Server Setup
Normally when you install Mac OS X Server on a computer and restart, Server Assistant
opens and prompts you for the basic information necessary to get the server up and
running. This includes the user name and password of the administrator, the TCP/IP
configuration information for the computer’s network interfaces, and how the
computer uses directory services. You can automate this initial setup task by providing
a configuration file that contains these settings.
Servers that have previously had Mac OS X Server version 10.4 installed automatically
detect the presence of the saved setup information and use it to complete initial server
setup without user interaction.
Chapter 3 Installing Server Software and Finishing Basic Setup
41
You can define generic setup data that can be used to set up any computer.
For example, you might want to define generic setup data for a computer that’s on
order, or to configure 50 Xserve computers you want to be identically configured.
You can also save setup data that’s specifically tailored for a particular computer.
Important: When you perform an upgrade installation, saved setup data is used and
overwrites existing server settings. If you do not want saved server setup data to be
used after an upgrade, rename the saved setup configuration file.
Creating a Configuration File
An easy way to prepare configuration files to automate the setup of a group of
computers is to start with a file saved using Server Assistant. You can save the file as
the last step when you use Server Assistant to set up the first computer, or you can run
Server Assistant later to create the file. You can then use that configuration file as a
template for creating configuration files for other computers. You can edit the file
directly, or write scripts to create customized configuration files for any number of
computers that use similar hardware.
Note: If you intend to create a generic configuration file because you want to use the
file to set up more than one computer, don’t specify network names (computer name
and local hostname), and make sure that each network interface (port) is set to be
configured using DHCP or using BootP.
To save a configuration file during server setup:
1 In the final pane of Server Assistant, after you review the settings, click Save As.
2 In the dialog that appears, choose Configuration File next to “Save As” and click OK.
 If encryption is not required, don’t select “Save in Encrypted Format.”
 To encrypt the file, select “Save in Encrypted Format” and then enter and verify a
passphrase. You must supply the passphrase before an encrypted setup file can be
used by a target computer.
3 Navigate to the location where you want to save the configuration file, name the file
using one of the following options, and click Save; when searching for setup files,
target computers search for names in the order listed:
 MAC-address-of-server.plist (include any leading zeros but omit colons)—For example,
0030654dbcef.plist.
 IP-address-of-server.plist—For example, 10.0.0.4.plist.
 partial-DNS-name-of-server.plist—For example, myserver.plist.
 built-in-hardware-serial-number-of-server.plist (first 8 characters only)—For example,
ABCD1234.plist.
 fully-qualified-DNS-name-of-server.plist—For example, myserver.example.com.plist.
Chapter 3 Installing Server Software and Finishing Basic Setup
 partial-IP-address-of-server.plist—For example, 10.0.plist (matches 10.0.0.4 and
10.0.1.2).
 generic.plist—A file that any server will recognize, used to set up servers that need
the same setup values.
Server Assistant uses the file to set up the computer with the matching address, name,
or serial number. If Server Assistant cannot find a file named for a particular computer,
it will use the file named generic.plist.
To create a configuration file at any time after initial setup:
1 Open Server Assistant (located in /Applications/Server/).
2 In the Welcome pane, select “Save setup information in a file or folder record” and click
Continue.
3 Enter settings in the remaining panes, then, after you review the settings in the final
pane, click Save As.
4 In the dialog that appears, choose Configuration File next to “Save As” and click OK.
 If encryption is not required, don’t select “Save in Encrypted Format.”
 To encrypt the file, select “Save in Encrypted Format” then enter and verify a
passphrase. You must supply the passphrase before an encrypted setup file can be
used by a target computer.
5 Navigate to the location where you want to save the configuration file, name the file
using one of the following options, and click Save; when searching for setup files,
target computers search for names in the order listed here:
 MAC-address-of-server.plist (include any leading zeros but omit colons)—For example,
0030654dbcef.plist.
 IP-address-of-server.plist—For example, 10.0.0.4.plist.
 partial-DNS-name-of-server.plist—For example, myserver.plist.
 built-in-hardware-serial-number-of-server.plist (first 8 characters only)—For example,
ABCD1234.plist.
 fully-qualified-DNS-name-of-server.plist—For example, myserver.example.com.plist.
 partial-IP-address-of-server.plist—For example, 10.0.plist (matches 10.0.0.4 and
10.0.1.2).
 generic.plist—A file that any computer will recognize, used to set up computers that
need the same setup values.
Server Assistant uses the file to set up the computer with the matching address, name,
or serial number. If Server Assistant cannot find a file named for a particular computer,
it will use the file named generic.plist.
Chapter 3 Installing Server Software and Finishing Basic Setup
43
Working with an Encrypted Configuration File
If the setup data in the configuration file is encrypted, make the passphrase available to
the target computer or computers. You can supply the passphrase interactively using
Server Assistant, or you can provide it in a text file.
To provide a passphrase in a file:
1 Create a new text file and enter the passphrase for the saved setup file on the first line.
2 Save the file using one of the following names. Target computers search for names in
the order listed here:
 MAC-address-of-server.pass (include any leading zeros but omit colons)—For example,
0030654dbcef.pass.
 IP-address-of-server.pass—For example, 10.0.0.4.pass.
 partial-DNS-name-of-server.pass—For example, myserver.pass.
 built-in-hardware-serial-number-of-server.pass (first 8 characters only)—For example,
ABCD1234.pass.
 fully-qualified-DNS-name-of-server.pass—For example, myserver.example.com.pass.
 partial-IP-address-of-server.pass—For example, 10.0.pass (matches 10.0.0.4 and
10.0.1.2).
 generic.pass—A file that any computer will recognize.
3 Put the passphrase file on a volume mounted locally on the target computer in
/Volumes/*/Auto Server Setup/, where * is any device mounted
under /Volumes.
To provide a passphrase interactively:
1 Use Server Assistant on an administrator computer that can connect to the target
computer.
2 In the Welcome or Destination pane, choose File > Supply Passphrase.
3 In the dialog box, enter the target computer’s IP address, password, and the
passphrase. Click Send.
Customizing a Configuration File
After you create a configuration file, you can modify it directly using a text editor,
or write a script to automatically generate custom configuration files for a group of
computers.
The file uses XML format to encode the setup information. The name of an XML key
indicates the setup parameter it contains.
Chapter 3 Installing Server Software and Finishing Basic Setup
The following example shows the basic structure and contents of a configuration file
for a computer with the following configuration:
 An administrator user named “Administrator” (short name “admin”) with a user ID of
501 and the password “secret”
 A computer name and host name of “server1.example.com”
 A single Ethernet network interface set to get its address from DHCP
 No server services set to start automatically
Note: Angle brackets used in XML format do not have the same usage as angle
brackets used in Mac OS X Server commands.
Sample Configuration File
AdminUser
exists
name
admin
password
secret
realname
Administrator
uid
501
ComputerName
server1.example.com
DS
DSClientInfo
2 - NetInfo client - broadcast dhcp static -192.168.42.250
network
DSClientType
2
DSType
2 - directory client
HostName
server1.example.com
InstallLanguage
English
Keyboard
DefaultFormat
Chapter 3 Installing Server Software and Finishing Basic Setup
45
0
DefaultScript
0
ResID
0
ResName
U.S.
ScriptID
0
NetworkInterfaces
ActiveAT
ActiveTCPIP
DNSDomains
example.com
DNSServers
192.168.100.10
DeviceName
en0
EthernetAddress
00:0a:93:bc:6d:1a
PortName
Built-in Ethernet
Settings
DHCPClientID
Type
DHCP Configuration
PrimaryLanguage
English
Bonjour
BonjourEnabled
BonjourName
beasbe3
SerialNumber
XSVR-123-456-A-BCD-7EF-GHI-89J-1KL-MNO-2
Chapter 3 Installing Server Software and Finishing Basic Setup
Chapter 3 Installing Server Software and Finishing Basic Setup
47
Storing a Configuration File in an Accessible Location
Server Assistant looks for configuration files in the following location:
/Volumes/vol/Auto Server Setup/
where vol is any device volume mounted in /Volumes.
Devices you can use to provide configuration files include:
 A partition on one of the computer’s hard disks
 An iPod
 An optical (CD or DVD) drive
 A USB or FireWire drive
 Any other portable storage device that mounts in the /Volumes folder
Configuring the Server Remotely from the Command Line
It’s possible to configure the server remotely from the command line. Performing this
task requires the following tools:
 dscl—Directory service command line is a general purpose tool that allows you to
create, read, and manage directory service data. If invoked without any commands,
dscl runs interactively, reading commands from standard input. See Chapter 8,
“Working with Users and Groups,” for more information about the usage of this
command.
 systemsetup—Use systemsetup to set a number of system-wide preferences. If you
were going through Server Assistant, you would have to select the proper keyboard
and time zone. The systemsetup tool can configure both these preferences, and
more. See Chapter 5, “Setting General System Preferences,” for mor information on
the usage of this command.
 networksetup—Anything that you can configure in the Network pane of System
Preferences can also be configured using networksetup. See Chapter 6, “Setting
Network Preferences,” for more information about the usage of this command.
See the man pages related to these tools for more information. The man pages for
systemsetup and networksetup are only available on Mac OS X Server.
Chapter 3 Installing Server Software and Finishing Basic Setup
Changing Server Settings
After initial setup, you can use a variety of commands to view or change Mac OS X
Server configuration settings and services.
Using the serversetup Tool
The serversetup tool is located in /System/Library/ServerSetup. To run it, you can enter
the full path:
$ /System/Library/ServerSetup/serversetup -getAllPort
If you want to use the tool to perform several commands, you can change your
working folder and enter a shorter command:
$ cd /System/Library/ServerSetup
$ ./serversetup -getAllPort
$ ./serversetup -getDefaultInfo
Or, add the folder to your search path for this session and enter an even shorter
command:
$ PATH="$PATH:/System/Library/ServerSetup"
$ serversetup -getAllPort
To permanently add the folder to your search path, add the path to the file
/etc/profile.
Using the serveradmin Tool
The serveradmin tool is used for administering service-related tasks. Some services
need to be restarted after you change certain settings. If you make a change using a
service’s writeSettings tool that requires you to restart the service, the output from
the command includes the setting :needsRecycleOrRestart with a value of yes.
Important: The needsRecycleOrRestart setting is displayed only if you use the
serveradmin svc:command = writeSettings command to change settings. You won’t
see it if you use the serveradmin settings command.
Other chapters in this guide have information about using the serveradmin tool to
administer specific services.
Notes on Communication Security and the servermgrd Tool
When you run the serveradmin tool, you’re communicating with a local or remote
servermgrd process.
 servermgrd uses SSL for encryption and client authentication, but not for user
authentication. User authentication uses Open Directory services.
 servermgrd uses a self-signed (test) SSL certificate installed by default, located in
/etc/servermgrd/ssl.crt/. You can replace this with an actual certificate. You can use
the Certificate Manager in Server Admin to create and manage certificates. See the
mail service administration guide for more information.
Chapter 3 Installing Server Software and Finishing Basic Setup
49
 The default certificate format for SSLeay/OpenSSL is PEM. PEM format can contain
private keys (RSA and DSA), public keys (RSA and DSA), and (x509) certificates. It
stores data in Base64-encoded DER format with ASCII header and footer lines which
makes it suitable for text-made transfers between computers. For some tools, you
need the certificate in plain DER format. You can convert a PEM file (cert.pem) into
the corresponding DER file (cert.der) with the following command:
$ openssl x509 -in cert.pem -out cert.der -outform DER
 servermgrd checks the validity of the SSL certificate only if the “Require valid digital
signature” option is selected in Server Admin preferences. This option uses an SSL
certificate installed on a remote server to ensure that the remote server is a valid
server. If this option is enabled, the certificate must be valid and not expired, or
Server Admin will refuse to connect. Before enabling this option, use the instructions
in the Mail Service administration guide for generating a Certificate Signing Request
(CSR), obtaining an SSL certificate from an issuing authority, and installing the
certificate on each remote server. Instead of placing files in /etc/httpd/, place them in
/etc/servermgrd/. You can also generate a self-signed certificate and install it on the
remote server.
 The servermgrd SSL encryption options can be changed at any time by editing the
com.apple.servermgrd.plist configuration file located in /Library/Preferences/.
Your SSL certificate (ssl.crt/server.crt) and keyfile (ssl.key/server.key) are located in /
private/etc/servermgrd/.
General and Network Preferences
See the following for information about changing general system preferences and
network settings:
 Chapter 5, “Setting General System Preferences,” on page 57
 Chapter 6, “Setting Network Preferences,” on page 63
Viewing, Validating, and Setting the Software Serial Number
You can use the serversetup tool to view or set the server’s software serial number or
to validate a server software serial number. The serversetup tool is located in /System/
Library/ServerSetup.
To display the server’s software serial number:
$ sudo serversetup -getServerSerialNumber
To set the server software serial number:
$ sudo serversetup -setserverSerialNumber serialnumber watermarkinformation
where serialnumber is a valid Mac OS X Server software serial number, as found on the
software packaging that comes with the software.
Chapter 3 Installing Server Software and Finishing Basic Setup
To validate a server software serial number:
$ sudo serversetup -verifyServerSerialNumber serialnumber
watermarkinformation
Displays 0 if the serial number is valid, or 1 if the serial number is invalid.
Serial numbers generated for the server can be generated with watermarks so that
they can be tracked to a specific company, group, or individual. If a serial number has
watermarking strings associated with it, then it is necessary to supply the watermark
information when setting or validating the serial number.
To check whether a serial number is site licensed:
$ sudo serversetup -issitelicensedserialnumber
Updating Server Software
You can use the softwareupdate tool to check for and install software updates over the
Internet from Apple’s website.
To check for available updates:
$ sudo softwareupdate --list
The output will be similar to the following:
Software Update Tool
Copyright 2002-2005 Apple
Software Update found the following new or updated software:
- WebObjects5.3.1ServerUpdate-5.3.1
WebObjects5.3.1 Server Update (5.3.1), 29110K [recommmended] [restart]
* J2SE50Release3-3.0
**PRERELEASE** J2SE 5.0 Release 3 (8M318) (3.0), 44020K [recommmended]
- AirPort-1.0
AirPort Update 2005-001 (1.0), 1440K [restart]
To install an update:
$ sudo softwareupdate --install update-version
Some updates require that you agree to a license agreement. To work around this in an
automated command-line environment, execute the following command before
running softwareupdate:
$ command_line_install=1 export command_line_install
Parameter
Description
update-version
The hyphenated product version string that appears in the list of
updates when you use the --list option.
Chapter 3 Installing Server Software and Finishing Basic Setup
51
This creates an environment variable named command_line_install that automates
the update responses. See the softwareupdate man page for more information about
the command.
Moving a Server
Try to place a server in its final network location (subnet) before setting it up for the
first time. If you’re concerned about unauthorized or premature access, you can set up
a firewall to protect the server while you’re finishing its configuration.
If you must move a server after initial setup, you need to change settings that are
sensitive to network location before the server can be used. For example, the server’s IP
address and host name—stored in both folders and configuration files that reside on
the server—must be updated.
When you move a server, consider these guidelines:
 Minimize the time the server is in its temporary location so the information you need
to change is limited.
 Don’t configure services that depend on network settings until the server is in its
final location. Such services include Open Directory replication, Apache settings
(such as virtual hosts), DHCP, and other network infrastructure settings on which
other computers depend.
 Wait to import final user accounts. Limit accounts to test accounts so you minimize
the user-specific network information (such as home folder location) that will need to
change after the move.
 After you move the server, use the changeip tool to change IP addresses, host names,
and other data stored in Open Directory, NetInfo, and LDAP folders on the server.
See “Changing a Server’s IP Address” on page 66. You may need to manually adjust
some network configurations, such as the local DNS database, after using the tool.
 Reconfigure the search policy of computers (such as user computers and DHCP
servers) that have been configured to use the server in its original location.
For information about configuring a computer’s search policy, see the Open
Directory administration guide.
4 Restarting or Shutting Down a
Computer
In this chapter you will find commands you can use to shut
down or restart a local or remote computer.
Computers often must be shut down or restarted, whether locally or remotely, when
installing new tools or making computer repairs. This chapter covers the commands
needed to shut down or restart a local or remote computer.
Restarting a Computer
You can use the reboot or shutdown -r command to restart a computer at a specific
time. See the relevant man pages for more information.
To restart the local computer:
$ shutdown -r now
To restart a remote computer immediately:
$ ssh -l root computer shutdown -r now
To restart a remote computer at a specific time:
$ ssh -l root computer shutdown -r hhmm
Automatic Restart
You can also use the systemsetup tool to set up the computer to start automatically
after a power failure or system freeze. See “Viewing or Changing Automatic Restart
Settings” on page 59.
Parameter
Description
computer
The IP address or DNS name of the computer.
hhmm
The hour and minute when the computer restarts.
Chapter 4 Restarting or Shutting Down a Computer
Changing a Remote Computer’s Startup Disk
You can change a remote computer’s startup disk using SSH.
To change the startup disk:
Log in to the remote computer using SSH and enter:
$ bless -folder "/Volumes/disk/System/Library/CoreServices" -setBoot
For information about using SSH to log in to a remote computer, see “Sending
Commands to a Remote Computer” on page 28.
Shutting Down a Computer
You can use the shutdown tool to shut down a computer at a specific time. See the
shutdown man page for more information.
To shut down a remote computer immediately:
$ ssh -l root computer shutdown -h now
To shut down the local computer in 30 minutes:
$ shutdown -h +30
Manipulating Open Firmware NVRAM Variables
You can use the nvram tool to manipulate Open Firmware NVRAM variables. If you
modify a value with nvram, the value is saved only if the computer cleanly restarts or
shuts down. See the nvram man page for more information.
To view the different NVRAM variables:
$ nvram -p
Parameter
Description
disk
The name of the disk that contains the desired startup volume.
Parameter
Description
computer
The IP address or DNS name of the computer.
Chapter 4 Restarting or Shutting Down a Computer
55
Monitoring and Restarting Critical Services
In earloier versions of Mac OS X, a daemon called watchdog monitored critical services
and restarted them if they failed or quit unexpectedly after a computer restarted.
The watchdog daemon relied on the configuration file watchdog.conf, located in /etc.
In Mac OS X Server version 10.4, watchdog has been replaced by launchd. The launchd
daemon manages other daemons, both for the computer as a whole and for individual
users. You can configure the launchd daemon to launch other daemons on demand,
based on criteria specified in their respective XML property lists.
During system startup, launchd is the first process invoked by the kernel to run and set
up the rest of the computer. In Mac OS X Server, it is preferable to have your daemon
started by launchd.
Note: Some system administrators need to modify the boot process to insert a script or
implement a change in the default system configuration. System administrators are
encouraged to work with launchd to implement whatever changes they require, and
avoid modifying rc or creating a SystemStarter Startup Item. The rc command script
may be phased out in the future.
The configuration files are located in the following folders:
Folder
Usage
/System/Library/LaunchAgents
Configuration for the system
/System/Library/LaunchDaemons
Configuration for the daemons
~/Library/LaunchAgents
Configuration per user
5 Setting General System
Preferences
In this chapter you will find commands you can use to set
system preferences, usually set using the System Preferences
graphical application.
You can use Mac OS X Server to manage the work environment of Mac OS X users by
defining preferences. Preferences are settings that customize and control a user’s
computer experience.
Viewing or Changing the Computer Name
You can use the systemsetup tool to view or change a computer name (the name used
to browse for AFP share points on the server), which would otherwise be set using the
Sharing pane of System Preferences.
To display the computer name:
$ sudo systemsetup -getcomputername
or
$ sudo networksetup -getcomputername
To change the computer name:
$ sudo systemsetup -setcomputername computername
or
$ sudo networksetup -setcomputername computername
Viewing or Changing the Date and Time
You can use the systemsetup or serversetup tool to view or change:
 A computer’s system date or time
 A computer’s time zone
 Whether a server uses a network time server
These settings can also be changed using the Date & Time pane of System Preferences.
Chapter 5 Setting General System Preferences
Viewing or Changing the System Date
To view the current system date:
$ sudo systemsetup -getdate
or
$ serversetup -getDate
To set the current system date:
$ sudo systemsetup -setdate mm:dd:yy
or
$ sudo serversetup -setDate mm/dd/yy
Viewing or Changing the System Time
To view the current system time:
$ sudo systemsetup -gettime
or
$ serversetup -getTime
To change the current system time:
$ sudo systemsetup -settime hh:mm:ss
or
$ sudo serversetup -setTime hh:mm:ss
Viewing or Changing the System Time Zone
To view the current time zone:
$ sudo systemsetup -gettimezone
or
$ serversetup -getTimeZone
To view the available time zones:
$ sudo systemsetup -listtimezones
To change the system time zone:
$ sudo systemsetup -settimezone timezone
or
$ sudo serversetup -setTimeZone timezone
Viewing or Changing Network Time Server Usage
To see if a network time server is being used:
$ sudo systemsetup -getusingnetworktime
Chapter 5 Setting General System Preferences
59
To enable or disable use of a network time server:
$ sudo systemsetup -setusingnetworktime (on|off)
To view the current network time server:
$ sudo systemsetup -getnetworktimeserver
To specify a network time server:
$ sudo systemsetup -setnetworktimeserver timeserver
Viewing or Changing the Energy Saver Settings
You can use the systemsetup tool to view or change a server’s energy saver settings.
These can also be changed using the Energy Saver pane of System Preferences.
Viewing or Changing Sleep Settings
To view the idle time before sleep:
$ sudo systemsetup -getsleep
To set the idle time before sleep:
$ sudo systemsetup -setsleep minutes
To see if the system is set to wake for modem activity:
$ sudo systemsetup -getwakeonmodem
To set the system to wake for modem activity:
$ sudo systemsetup -setwakeonmodem (on|off)
To see if the system is set to wake for network access:
$ sudo systemsetup -getwakeonnetworkaccess
To set the system to wake for network access:
$ sudo systemsetup -setwakeonnetworkaccess (on|off)
Viewing or Changing Automatic Restart Settings
To see if the system is set to restart after a power failure:
$ sudo systemsetup -getrestartpowerfailure
To set the system to restart after a power failure:
$ sudo systemsetup -setrestartpowerfailure (on|off)
To see how long the system waits to restart after a power failure:
$ sudo systemsetup -getWaitForStartupAfterPowerFailure
To set how long the system waits to restart after a power failure:
$ sudo systemsetup -setWaitForStartupAfterPowerFailure seconds
Parameter
Description
seconds
Must be a multiple of 30 seconds.
Chapter 5 Setting General System Preferences
To see if the system is set to restart after a system freeze:
$ sudo systemsetup -getrestartfreeze
To set the system to restart after a system freeze:
$ sudo systemsetup -setrestartfreeze (on|off)
Changing the Power Management Settings
You can use the pmset tool to change a variety of power management settings,
including:
 Display dim timer
 Disk spindown timer
 System sleep timer
 Wake on network activity
 Wake on modem activity
 Restart after power failure
 Dynamic processor speed change
 Reduce processor speed
 Sleep computer on power button press
You can configure different settings for the different power modes using pmset.
There are four flags you can use: -a, -b, -c, and -u. -b applies the settings to battery
operation, -c to charger (wall power), -u to UPS, and -a to all.
To set disk spindown timer for all modes of operation:
$ sudo pmset -u spindown minutes
To display the current settings:
$ sudo pmset -g command
See the pmset man page for more information.
Viewing or Changing the Startup Disk Settings
You can use the systemsetup tool to view or change a computer’s startup disk. This can
also be set using the Startup Disk pane of System Preferences.
To view the current startup disk:
$ sudo systemsetup -getstartupdisk
To view the available startup disks:
$ sudo systemsetup -liststartupdisks
Parameter
Description
minutes
Must be a multiple of 30 seconds.
Chapter 5 Setting General System Preferences
61
To change the current startup disk:
$ sudo systemsetup -setstartupdisk path
Viewing or Changing the Sharing Settings
You can use the systemsetup tool to view or change Sharing settings. These can also be
set using the Sharing pane of System Preferences.
Viewing or Changing Remote Login Settings
You can use SSH to log in to a remote server if remote login is enabled.
To see if the system is set to allow remote login:
$ sudo systemsetup -getremotelogin
To enable or disable remote login:
$ sudo systemsetup -setremotelogin (on|off)
or
$ serversetup -enableSSH
Telnet access is disabled by default because it isn’t as secure as SSH. You can, however,
enable Telnet access. See “Using Telnet” on page 36.
Viewing or Changing Apple Event Response
To see if the system is set to respond to remote events:
$ sudo systemsetup -getremoteappleevents
To set the server to respond to remote events:
$ sudo systemsetup -setremoteappleevents (on|off)
Viewing or Changing the International Settings
You can use the serversetup tool to view or change language settings. These can also
be set using the International pane of System Preferences.
To view the current primary language:
$ serversetup -getPrimaryLanguage
To view the installed primary language:
$ serversetup -getInstallLanguage
To change the installation language:
$ sudo serversetup -setInstallLanguage language
To view the script setting:
$ serversetup -getPrimaryScriptCode
Chapter 5 Setting General System Preferences
Viewing and Changing the Login Settings
You can enable or disable the Restart and Shutdown buttons that appear in the login
dialog.
To disable or enable the Restart and Shutdown buttons in the login dialog:
$ sudo serversetup -setDisableRestartShutdown (0|1)
0 disables the buttons and 1 enables the buttons.
To view the current setting:
$ serversetup -getDisableRestartShutdown
6 Setting Network Preferences
In this chapter you will find commands you can use to
change the network settings on a server.
Mac OS X Server provides command-line control to manage servers in a mixed-
platform environment and to configure, deploy, and manage powerful network
services. These tools make it easy to configure and maintain core network services,
while providing the advanced features and functionality required by experienced IT
professionals.
Configuring Network Interfaces
Mac OS X Server includes ifconfig, the standard UNIX tool for configuring networks.
Both ifconfig and networksetup make system calls to change the interface
configuration. However, ifconfig and networksetup do not communicate with each
other. ifconfig changes the network interface settings.
You can still use ifconfig to view the entire interface configuration. This is particularly
beneficial when your computer is using an autonegotiated Ethernet connection.
It’s best to rely on networksetup and serversetup for your manual configuration. You
are encouraged to view the man pages of both commands to see all the available
configuration options.
Warning: If you use ifconfig, your computer will be out of sync and will revert back
to the contents of preferences.plist after a restart.
Chapter 6 Setting Network Preferences
Managing Network Interface Information
This section describes commands you address to a specific hardware device (for
example, en0) or port (for example, Built-in Ethernet).
If you prefer to work with network port configurations following the approach used in
the Network preferences pane of System Preferences, see the commands in “Managing
Network Port Configurations” on page 65.
Viewing Port Names and Hardware Addresses
To list all port names:
$ serversetup -getAllPort
To list all port names with their Ethernet (MAC) addresses:
$ sudo networksetup -listallhardwareports
To list hardware port information by port configuration:
$ sudo networksetup -listallnetworkservices
An asterisk (*) in the results marks an inactive configuration.
To view the default (en0) Ethernet (MAC) address of the server:
$ serversetup -getMacAddress
To view the Ethernet (MAC) address of a particular port:
$ sudo networksetup -getmacaddress (devicename|"portname")
To scan for new hardware ports:
$ sudo networksetup -detectnewhardware
This command checks the computer for new network hardware and creates a default
configuration for each new port.
Viewing or Changing MTU Values
All data that is transmitted over a network travels in data packets. The size of the data
packets is called maximum transmission units (MTU), which if too large or too small will
affect performance. You can use the networksetup tool to change the MTU size for a
port.
To view the MTU value for a hardware port:
$ sudo networksetup -getMTU (devicename|"portname")
To list valid MTU values for a hardware port:
$ sudo networksetup -listvalidMTUrange (devicename|"portname")
To change the MTU value for a hardware port:
$ sudo networksetup -setMTU (devicename|"portname")
Chapter 6 Setting Network Preferences
65
Viewing or Changing Media Settings
To view the media settings for a port:
$ sudo networksetup -getMedia (devicename|"portname")
To list valid media settings for a port:
$ sudo networksetup -listValidMedia (devicename|"portname")
To change the media settings for a port:
$ sudo networksetup -setMedia (devicename|"portname") subtype [option1]
[option2] [...]
Managing Network Port Configurations
Network port configurations are sets of network preferences that can be assigned to a
particular network interface and then enabled or disabled. The Network pane of
System Preferences stores and displays network settings as port configurations.
Creating or Deleting Port Configurations
To list an existing port configuration:
$ sudo networksetup -listallnetworkservices
To create a port configuration:
$ sudo networksetup -createnetworkservice configuration hardwareport
To duplicate a port configuration:
$ sudo networksetup -duplicatenetworkservice configuration newconfig
To rename a port configuration:
$ sudo networksetup -renamenetworkservice configuration newname
To delete a port configuration:
$ sudo networksetup -removenetworkservice configuration
Activating Port Configurations
To see if a port configuration is on:
$ sudo networksetup -getnetworkserviceenabled configuration
To enable or disable a port configuration:
$ sudo networksetup -setnetworkserviceenabled configuration (on|off)
Changing Configuration Precedence
To list the configuration order:
$ sudo networksetup -listnetworkserviceorder
The configurations are listed in the order that they’re tried when a network connection
is established. An asterisk (*) marks an inactive configuration.
Chapter 6 Setting Network Preferences
To change the order of the port configurations:
$ sudo networksetup -ordernetworkservices config1 config2 [config3] [...]
Managing TCP/IP Settings
TCP/IP is a set of layered protocols that allow shared applications between computers
on a high-speed network. You can use the following commands to change the TCP/IP
settings of a server.
Changing a Server’s IP Address
Changing a server’s IP address isn’t as simple as changing the TCP/IP settings. Address
information is set throughout the system when you set up the server. To make sure
that all the necessary changes are made, use the changeip tool.
changeip is a python script that runs tools out of the /usr/libexec/changeip folder.
There are currently three tools available: changeip_ds, changeip_jabber, and
changeip_mail.
The changeip_ds tool updates the following local configuration files:
 /Library/Preferences/DirectoryService/DSLDAPv3PlugInConfig.plist
 /etc/openldap/slapd_macosxserver.conf
 /etc/hostconfig (if there is a static hostname)
 /etc/smb.conf
The changeip_ds tool also updates the following records in the local NetInfo directory
domain, as well as a parent directory domain, if specified:
 AuthAuthority and HomeDirectory in user records
 Addresses and hostname in machine records
 Addresses and hostname in computer records
 Mount paths and addresses in mount records
 Addresses in LDAP and Password Server config records
The changeip_jabber tool updates the jabber configuration using serveradmin.
The changeip_mail tool updates the mailman, postfix and imap configurations using
serveradmin.
Chapter 6 Setting Network Preferences
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To change a server’s IP address:
1 Run the changeip tool:
$ changeip [(directory|-)] old-ip new-ip [old-hostname new-hostname]
See the changeip man page for more information and examples.
2 Use the networksetup or serversetup tool (or the Network pane of System Preferences)
to change the server’s IP address in its network settings.
3 Restart the server.
To change the IP address of a computer hosting an LDAP master:
$ changeip /LDAPv3/127.0.0.1 192.0.0.12 192.0.1.10 oldhost newhost
It might still be necessary to change the configuration of computers pointing to this
master.
To change the IP address of a standalone server:
$ changeip - 192.0.0.12 192.0.1.10 oldhost newhost
To change the IP address of a server bound to a parent NetInfo directory domain:
$ changeip /NetInfo/root/netinfonode 192.0.0.12 192.0.1.10 oldhost newhost
To change the IP address of a server bound to a parent NetInfo directory domain,
where the old and new IP addresses map to the same name:
$ changeip /NetInfo/root/netinfonode 192.0.0.12 192.0.1.10
Viewing or Changing IP Address, Subnet Mask, or Router Address
You can use the serversetup and networksetup tools to change a computer’s TCP/IP
settings.
Important: Changing a computer’s IP address isn’t as simple as changing the TCP/IP
settings. You must first run the changeip tool to make sure necessary changes are
made throughout the system. See “Changing a Server’s IP Address” on page 66.
Parameter
Description
directory
If the server is an Open Directory master or replica, or is connected
to a folder system, you must include the path to the folder domain
(folder directory domain). For a standalone server, enter “-” instead.
old-ip
The current IP address.
new-ip
The new IP address.
old-hostname
(optional) The current DNS host name of the server.
new-hostname
(optional) The new DNS host name of the server.
Chapter 6 Setting Network Preferences
To list TCP/IP settings for a configuration:
$ sudo networksetup -getinfo "configuration"
For example, for Built-In Ethernet, the computer responds with the following output:
$ networksetup -getinfo "Built-In Ethernet"
Manual Configuration
IP Address: 192.168.10.12
Subnet mask: 255.255.0.0
Router: 192.18.10.1
Ethernet Address: 1a:2b:3c:4d:5e:6f
To view TCP/IP settings for port en0:
$ serversetup -getDefaultinfo (devicename|"portname")
To view TCP/IP settings for a particular port or device:
$ serversetup -getInfo (devicename|"portname")
To change TCP/IP settings for a particular port or device:
$ sudo serversetup -setInfo (devicename|"portname") ipaddress subnetmask
router
To set manual TCP/IP information for a configuration:
$ sudo networksetup -setmanual "configuration" ipaddress subnetmask router
To validate an IP address:
$ serversetup -isValidIPAddress ipaddress
Displays 0 if the address is valid, 1 if it isn’t.
To validate a subnet mask:
$ serversetup -isValidSubnetMask subnetmask
To set a configuration to use DHCP:
$ sudo networksetup -setdhcp "configuration" [clientID]
To set a configuration to use DHCP with a manual IP address:
$ sudo networksetup -setmanualwithdhcprouter "configuration" ipaddress
To set a configuration to use BootP:
$ sudo networksetup -setbootp "configuration"
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69
Viewing or Changing DNS Servers
You can use the serversetup tool to view and modify the Domain Name Server (DNS)
settings.
To view the DNS servers for port en0:
$ serversetup -getDefaultDNSServer (devicename|"portname")
To change the DNS servers for port en0:
$ sudo serversetup -setDefaultDNSServer (devicename|"portname") server1
[server2] [...]
To view the DNS servers for a particular port or device:
$ serversetup -getDNSServer (devicename|"portname")
To change the DNS servers for a particular port or device:
$ sudo serversetup -setDNSServer (devicename|"portname") server1 [server2]
[...]
To list the DNS servers for a configuration:
$ sudo networksetup -getdnsservers "configuration"
To view the DNS search domains for port en0:
$ serversetup -getDefaultDNSDomain (devicename|"portname")
To change the DNS search domains for port en0:
$ sudo serversetup -setDefaultDNSDomain (devicename|"portname") domain1
[domain2] [...]
To view the DNS search domains for a particular port or device:
$ serversetup -getDNSDomain (devicename|"portname")
To change the DNS search domains for a particular port or device:
$ sudo serversetup -setDNSDomain (devicename|"portname") domain1 [domain2]
[...]
To list the DNS search domains for a configuration:
$ sudo networksetup -getsearchdomains "configuration"
To set the DNS servers for a configuration:
$ sudo networksetup -setdnsservers "configuration" dns1 [dns2] [...]
To set the search domains for a configuration:
$ sudo networksetup -setsearchdomains "configuration" domain1 [domain2]
[...]
To validate a DNS server:
$ serversetup -verifyDNSServer server1 [server2] [...]
To validate DNS search domains:
$ serversetup -verifyDNSDomain domain1 [domain2] [...]
Chapter 6 Setting Network Preferences
Enabling TCP/IP
Use the serversetup tool to enable or disable TCP/IP on a computer.
To enable TCP/IP on a particular port:
$ serversetup -EnableTCPIP [(devicename|"portname")]
If you don’t provide an interface, en0 is assumed.
To disable TCP/IP on a particular port:
$ serversetup -DisableTCPIP [(devicename|"portname")]
If you don’t provide an interface, en0 is assumed.
Working with VLANs
A virtual local area network (VLAN) connects devices that may be on separate physical
LANs to perform and communicate as if they were on the same physical LAN. Use the
networksetup tool to configure and modify a VLAN.
To create a VLAN:
$ networksetup -createVLAN name parentdevice tag
To delete a VLAN:
$ networksetup -deleteVLAN name parentdevice tag
To list available VLANs:
$ networksetup -listVLANs
To list the devices that support VLANs:
$ networksetup -listdevicesthatsupportVLAN
IEEE 802.3ad Ethernet Link Aggregation
Apple introduced the implementation of the IEEE 802.3ad Ethernet Link Aggregation
standard as part of the ifconfig tool. IEEE 802.3ad is a standard for bonding or
aggregating multiple Ethernet ports into one virtual interface. The aggregated ports
appear as a single IP address internally to your computer and tools and externally to
other clients on the Internet. Any tool or server that relies on your IP address will
continue to work seamlessly without any modifications. The advantage of aggregation
is that the virtual interface provides increased bandwidth by merging the bandwidth of
the individual ports. The TCP connection load is then balanced across the ports. In
addition to load balancing, IEEE 802.3ad provides automatic failover in the event any
port or cable fails. All traffic that was being routed over the failed port is automatically
rerouted to use one of the remaining ports. This failover is completely transparent to
the software using the connection. This feature provides increased bandwidth and
automatic failover for the server environment.
Chapter 6 Setting Network Preferences
71
Configuring a Network Interface
You can configure a network interface for TCP/IP using ifconfig. This tool is used to
bring the interface up or down and set the interface IP address and subnet mask.
To add an Ethernet interface to a bond virtual device (pseudo device):
$ ifconfig bond_interface_name bondev physical_interface
The bond_interface_name is the name of the pseudo device and the
physical_interface is the actual Ethernet interface you want to associate with the
pseudo device, for example, en0. If this is the first physical interface to be associated
with the bond interface, the bond interface inherits the Ethernet address from the
physical interface. Physical interfaces that are added to the bond have their Ethernet
address reprogrammed so that all members of the bond have the same Ethernet
address. If the physical interface is subsequently removed from the bond, a new
Ethernet address is chosen from the remaining interfaces, and all interfaces are
reprogrammed with the new Ethernet address. If no remaining interfaces exist, the
bond interface’s Ethernet address is cleared.
To remove an Ethernet interface from a bond virtual device (pseudo device):
$ ifconfig bond_interface_name -bondev physical_interface
The link status of the bond interface depends on the state of link aggregation.
If no active partner is detected, the link status will remain inactive. To monitor the
IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation state, use the -b option.
See the ifconfig man page for more information.
Configuring Ethernet Link Aggregation
You can also use networksetup to configure Ethernet Link Aggregation. The following
commands are supported.
To display if the device can be added to a bond:
$ sudo networksetup -isBondSupported device
To create a bond and add devices to it:
$ sudo networksetup -createBond name [device1] [device2] [...]
To delete a bond:
$ sudo networksetup -deleteBond bond
To add a device to a bond:
$ sudo networksetup -addDeviceToBond device bond
To remove a device from a bond:
$ sudo networksetup -removeDeviceFromBond device bond
To list available bonds:
$ sudo networksetup -listBonds
Chapter 6 Setting Network Preferences
To display a bond status:
$ sudo networksetup -showBondStatus bond
Managing AppleTalk Settings
AppleTalk is a suite of protocols developed to implement file sharing, mail service, and
printing between Apple computers. Use the serversetup tool to enable or disable
AppleTalk.
To enable AppleTalk on a particular port:
$ serversetup -EnableAT [(devicename|"portname")]
If you don’t provide an interface, en0 is assumed.
To disable AppleTalk on a particular port:
$ serversetup -DisableAT [(devicename|"portname")]
If you don’t provide an interface, en0 is assumed.
To enable AppleTalk on en0:
$ serversetup -EnableDefaultAT
To disable AppleTalk on en0:
$ serversetup -DisableDefaultAT
To make AppleTalk active or inactive for a configuration:
$ sudo networksetup -setappletalk "configuration" (on|off)
To check AppleTalk state on en0:
$ serversetup -getDefaultATActive
To see if AppleTalk is active for a configuration:
$ sudo networksetup -getappletalk
Managing SNMP Settings
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is a set of standard protocols used to
manage and monitor multiplatform computer network devices. SNMP uses a manager/
agent design.
SNMP relies on a manager/agent design where the agent provides the interface
between the manager and the physical device being managed. SNMP uses five basic
messages (GET, GET-NEXT, GET-RESPONSE, SET, and TRAP) to communicate between
the manager and the agent.
Chapter 6 Setting Network Preferences
73
Installing SNMP
To use SNMP for monitoring or data collection, an SNMP agent (snmpd) must be
running on the monitored Mac OS X Server host computer. Mac OS X Server version
10.1.5 or later includes a version of SNMP (UCD-SNMP v. 4.2.3 or later).
If you do not have the file /usr/sbin/snmpd, then SNMP is not installed. Mac OS X
Server version 10.1.4 or earlier require that SNMP be built and installed. Mac OS X Server
v10.1.5 or later Admin CDs include the SNMP package on the CD used to install UCD-
SNMP 4.2.3 on these older systems. If you do not have access to the CD, you may
download current SNMP source from the NET-SNMP Project Home Page (www.net-
snmp.org/).
The default configuration of snmpd uses privileged port 161. For this reason and others,
it must be executed by root or by using setuid. You should only use setuid as root if
you understand the ramifications. If you do not, seek assistance or additional
information. There are flags available for snmpd that will change the UID and GID of the
process after it starts. See the snmpd man page for more information.
Starting SNMP
To start SNMP you have three options:
 Click the checkbox to enable SNMP in the Server Admin application. This modifies
the hostconfig file for you.
 Modify the hostconfig file to start SNMP automatically at system startup.
 Start the SNMP agent manually.
To start SNMP on Mac OS X Server version 10.4 or later by modifying the hostconfig
file:
1 Open the /etc/hostconfig file.
2 Locate the line:
SPOTLIGHT=-YES-
3 Immediately above it, add this line:
SNMPSERVER=-YES-
4 Save the file.
Warning: Once SNMP is active, anyone with a route to the SNMP host will be able to
collect SNMP data from it. To learn more, consult the various SNMP information
sources listed below.
Chapter 6 Setting Network Preferences
To start SNMP on Mac OS X 10.4 client computers by modifying the hostconfig file:
Mac OS X 10.4 client systems already have the SNMPSERVER:=-NO- line in their
hostconfig file by default.
1 Open the /etc/hostconfig file.
2 Locate the line:
SNMPSERVER=-NO-
3 Change NO to YES.
4 Save the file.
Note: Systems running Mac OS X Server version 10.3 or earlier will need to have the
line added.
Changing the SNMPSERVER line in the hostconfig file, causes snmpd to be executed
during system startup, with no options, as dictated by the /System/Library/
StartupItems/SNMP/SNMP file. For further instruction on editing configuration files,
including important precautionary statements, see technical document 106619, “Mac
OS X Server: How to Edit Configuration Files”.
To start the snmp agent manually:
$ /usr/sbin/snmpd
Configuring SNMP
The configuration (conf) file for snmpd is typically in the /usr/share/snmp/ folder, and is
named snmpd.conf or snmpd.local.conf. If you have an environment variable
SNMPCONF, snmpd will read any files named snmpd.conf and snmpd.local.conf in these
folders. The SNMP agent can be started with a -c flag to indicate other conf files. See
the snmpd man page for more information about which conf files can be used.
Configuration files can be created and installed more easily using the included script
/usr/bin/snmpconf. As root, use this script with the -i flag to install the file in the
/usr/share/snmp/ folder. Otherwise, the default location for the file to be written is the
user's home directory (~/). Only root has write permission for /usr/share/snmp/.
Because snmpd reads its conf files at startup, changes to the conf files require that the
process be stopped and restarted. To do this, you must identify the process id.
To identify the process id:
$ ps aux |grep snmpd
To stop snmpd :
$ kill
Once snmpd is stopped, you can customize the snmpd.conf file as needed.
Chapter 6 Setting Network Preferences
75
To customize the data provided by snmpd, you may add an snmpd.conf file using
/usr/bin/snmpconf:
$ sudo /usr/bin/snmpconf -i
You will then see a series of text menus. Make these choices in this order:
1 Select File: 1 (snmpd.conf)
2 Select section: 5 (System Information Setup)
3 Select section: 1 (The [typically physical] location of the system)
4 The location of the system: type text string here—such as server_room
5 Select section: f (finish)
6 Select section: f (finish)
7 Select File: q (quit)
This creates an snmpd.conf file with a creation date of today.
To view the snmp.conf file:
$ ls -l /usr/share/snmpd.conf
Once the configuration file is created, restart the snmpd process.
To start snmpd, execute this as root:
$ sudo /usr/sbin/snmpd
Collecting SNMP Information from the Host
To get the SNMP information you just added, execute this command from a host that
has the SNMP tools installed, where hostname is replaced with the actual name of the
target host:
$ snmpget -v 1 -c public hostname system.sysLocation.0
You should see the location you provided. In this example, you would see:
system.sysLocation.0 = server_room
The other options in the menu you were working in are:
$ snmpget -v 1 -c hostname public system.sysContact.0
$ snmpget -v 1 -c hostname public system.sysServices.0
The final .0 indicates you are looking for the index object. The word public is the name
of the SNMP community, which you did not alter. If you need information about either
of these, or explanations of SNMP syntax, there are tutorials available at
www.netsnmp.sourceforge.net.
Another way to retrieve SNMP information is by retrieving a subtree of management
values using the snmpwalk tool.
Chapter 6 Setting Network Preferences
To gather SNMP information in bulk:
$ sudo snmpwalk -v 1 -c public localhost
This will list multiple entries of SNMP data similar to the following output, where
system name and location are defined in the snmp.conf file.
SNMPv2-MIB::sysName.0 - system name
SNMPv2-MIB::sysLocation.0 - system location
SNMPv2-MIB::sysUpTime.0 - time in 1/100ths of a second since the last system
start
To retrieve specific SNMP management values, use the snmpget tool as shown in the
following examples.
To view the system name:
$ snmpget -v 1 -c public localhost system.sysName.0
SNMPv2-MIB::sysName.0 = STRING: xlabxs06.apple.com
To view the system location:
$ snmpget -v 1 -c public localhost system.sysLocation.0
SNMPv2-MIB::sysLocation.0 = STRING: "server_room"
To view the system uptime:
$ snmpget -v 1 -c public localhost system.sysUptime.0
SNMPv2-MIB::sysUpTime.0 = Timeticks: (72239) 0:12:02.39
For a list of snmp man pages, enter the following:
$ man -k snmp
Managing Proxy Settings
The proxy server is a component of Mac OS X Server that functions as a relay between
a client and the server. This proxy server protects the network from unauthorized users
and allows for a more secure environment. Use the networksetup tool to view or
change the proxy settings.
Viewing or Changing FTP Proxy Settings
To view the FTP proxy information for a configuration:
$ sudo networksetup -getftpproxy "configuration"
To set the FTP proxy information for a configuration:
$ sudo networksetup -setftpproxy "configuration" domain portnumber
To view the FTP passive setting for a configuration:
$ sudo networksetup -getpassiveftp "configuration"
To enable or disable FTP passive mode for a configuration:
$ sudo networksetup -setpassiveftp "configuration" (on|off)
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77
To enable or disable the FTP proxy for a configuration:
$ sudo networksetup -setftpproxystate "configuration" (on|off)
Viewing or Changing Web Proxy Settings
To view the web proxy information for a configuration:
$ sudo networksetup -getwebproxy "configuration"
To set the web proxy information for a configuration:
$ sudo networksetup -setwebproxy "configuration" domain portnumber
To enable or disable the web proxy for a configuration:
$ sudo networksetup -setwebproxystate "configuration" (on|off)
Viewing or Changing Secure Web Proxy Settings
To view the secure web proxy information for a configuration:
$ sudo networksetup -getsecurewebproxy "configuration"
To set the secure web proxy information for a configuration:
$ sudo networksetup -setsecurewebproxy "configuration" domain portnumber
To enable or disable the secure web proxy for a configuration:
$ sudo networksetup -setsecurewebproxystate "configuration" (on|off)
Viewing or Changing Streaming Proxy Settings
To view the streaming proxy information for a configuration:
$ sudo networksetup -getstreamingproxy "configuration"
To set the streaming proxy information for a configuration:
$ sudo networksetup -setstreamingproxy "configuration" domain portnumber
To enable or disable the streaming proxy for a configuration:
$ sudo networksetup -setstreamingproxystate "configuration" (on|off)
Viewing or Changing Gopher Proxy Settings
To view the gopher proxy information for a configuration:
$ sudo networksetup -getgopherproxy "configuration"
To set the gopher proxy information for a configuration:
$ sudo networksetup -setgopherproxy "configuration" domain portnumber
To enable or disable the gopher proxy for a configuration:
$ sudo networksetup -setgopherproxystate "configuration" (on|off)
Chapter 6 Setting Network Preferences
Viewing or Changing SOCKS Firewall Proxy Settings
To view the SOCKS firewall proxy information for a configuration:
$ sudo networksetup -getsocksfirewallproxy "configuration"
To set the SOCKS firewall proxy information for a configuration:
$ sudo networksetup -setsocksfirewallproxy "configuration" domain portnumber
To enable or disable the SOCKS firewall proxy for a configuration:
$ sudo networksetup -setsocksfirewallproxystate "configuration" (on|off)
Viewing or Changing Proxy Bypass Domains
To list the proxy bypass domains for a configuration:
$ sudo networksetup -getproxybypassdomains "configuration"
To set the proxy bypass domains for a configuration:
$ sudo networksetup -setproxybypassdomains "configuration" [domain1] domain2
[...]
Managing AirPort Settings
AirPort uses wireless local area network (WLAN) technology to provide wireless
communication between computers. Use the networksetup tool to view or change the
AirPort settings.
To see if AirPort power is on or off:
$ sudo networksetup -getairportpower
To turn AirPort power on or off:
$ sudo networksetup -setairportpower (on|off)
To display the name of the current AirPort network:
$ sudo networksetup -getairportnetwork
To join an AirPort network:
$ sudo networksetup -setairportnetwork network [password]
Chapter 6 Setting Network Preferences
79
Managing the Computer, Host, and Bonjour Names
These names are used by networking applications to identify a computer.
Computer Name
The computer name is the local name of a computer. This name is typically assigned to
the computer when the operating system is installed. Use the serversetup tool to view
or modify the computer name.
To display the computer name:
$ sudo systemsetup -getcomputername
or
$ sudo networksetup -getcomputername
or
$ serversetup -getComputername
To change the computer name:
$ sudo systemsetup -setcomputername computername
or
$ sudo networksetup -setcomputername computername
or
$ sudo serversetup -setComputername computername
To validate a computer name:
$ serversetup -verifyComputername computername
Hostname
The host name is a unique name that corresponds to a unique hardware MAC address.
It is the name that the network uses to identify a device attached to the network. Use
the serversetup tool to view or modify the host name.
To display the server’s local host name:
$ serversetup -getHostname
To change the server’s local host name:
$ sudo serversetup -setHostname hostname
Note: You can also set and get the host name using snmpd and scutil tools.
Chapter 6 Setting Network Preferences
Bonjour Name
Bonjour, also known as zero-configuration networking, enables automatic discovery of
computers, devices, and services on IP networks. Bonjour uses industry-standard IP
protocols to allow devices to automatically discover each other without the need to
enter IP addresses or configure DNS servers. Specifically, Bonjour enables automatic IP
address assignment without a DHCP server, name-to-address translation without a DNS
server, and service discovery without a directory server. Use the serversetup tool to
view or change the Bonjour name.
To display the server’s Bonjour name:
$ serversetup -getBonjourname
To change the server’s Bonjour name:
$ sudo serversetup -setBonjourname bonjourname
The command displays 0 if the name was changed.
Note: If you use Server Admin to connect to a server using its Bonjour name, then to
change the server’s Bonjour name, you will need to reconnect to the server the next
time you open the Server Admin application.
Managing Preference Files and the Configuration Daemon
The various sets of configuration information that a user creates at different locations,
whether in System Preferences or through the command line, are stored in the
preference.plist file located in /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/.
Network configuration is handled by configd, the configuration daemon. configd
reads the network configuration and stores it with the current state of the computer’s
networking information. This storage is in the form of key-value pairs. The key is a
description of what is being stored, and the value is the actual value of the information
being stored. You can view the values stored by configd at run time, and monitor them
using the scutil tool. This can be especially valuable when you are trying to debug
your network configuration from the command line.
Invoked with no options, scutil provides a command-line interface to the data that is
maintained by configd. For a list of commands you can use with scutil, enter help at
the scutil prompt.
To start a scutil session (interactive mode), perform the following:
$ scutil
> open
This opens a session with configd. Once the session is open, you can list all of the keys
in data store for configd:
> list
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81
Each item on the list is a piece of information stored by configd, sorted by type. Setup
indicates information that has been read from a configuration file. State indicates
information that represents the actual state of the computer. File indicates stored
information as of the last time the configuration file was updated.
Using scutil, you can view data in the keys. First you must get the data, and then you
can show the data. For example:
> get State:/Network/Interface/en0/IPv4
> d.show
scutil stores the information from the get command in a local dictionary variable
called d. You can also watch or monitor a variable, such that if its state changes, scutil
will alert you. To quit the scutil session, enter quit at the prompt.
> quit
You can also manage system configuration parameters from within scutil using the
--get and --set options. These provide a means of reporting and updating a select
group of persistent system preferences, including ComputerName, LocalHostName, or
HostName.
To set the hostname of a system:
$ sudo scutil --set HostName mycomputer.mac.com
To get the hostname of a system:
$ scutil --get HostName
mycomputer.mac.com
See the scutil man page for more information or enter help at the scutil prompt.
Changing Network Locations
A network location contains all of the network configuration settings for a specific
network, such as Ethernet, AirPort, FireWire, or Bluetooth. Each location has a separate
set of network settings.
Mobile users who switch between networks have multiple locations set up on their
computer and may need to switch between locations quickly. scselect allows you to
access these configuration sets or locations.
Parameter
Description
mycomputer.mac.com
This is the new hostname value you wish to set.
Chapter 6 Setting Network Preferences
To view the current locations:
$ scselect
The computer will respond with output similar to the following:
Defined sets include: (* == current set)
* 0 (Automatic)
1 (AirPort)
2 (Home Office)
To change the location, enter the number of the location listed that you want to
switch to:
$ scselect 1
In this example, the network location will switch to AirPort.
7 Working with Disks and Volumes
In this chapter you will find commands that are used to
initialize and test disks and volumes.
Computers use disks and partitions to store and organize data. This chapter covers the
commands that are used to manage, configure, initialize, and test disks and volumes.
Understanding Disks, Partitions, and the File System
Like UNIX, Mac OS X uses special files called device files, located in /dev, to keep track
of the devices (disks, keyboards, monitors, network connections, and so on) attached to
the computer. Device files for a disk are named /dev/diskn, where n is the number of
the disk. For example, a computer with one drive would have a device file called /dev/
disk0. If the computer has a second drive, the computer creates a second device file
called /dev/disk1, and so on. Each drive that is divided into multiple partitions has a
device file for each partition. The first partition on disk 0 would be called /dev/disk0s1,
the second partition would be /dev/disk0s2, and so on.
Although Mac OS X Server assigns a device name to each device, the files on a
particular device are not accessed in this way. A virtual file system is created where all
files on all devices appear to exist under a single hierarchy. This sets one root folder and
every file exisiting on the computer is under that folder. This is known as the
Hierarchical File System (HFS+). The root folder can exist anywhere on a network as a
shared resource.
Mounting and Unmounting Volumes
To gain access to files on a different device, you must first mount the device.
This process informs the operating system where in the folder tree you would like
those files to appear. The folder given to the operating system is the mount point.
Different volumes on a computer may have different file systems.
Chapter 7 Working with Disks and Volumes
Mounting Volumes
You can use the mount tool with parameters appropriate to the type of file system you
want to mount, or use one of these file-system–specific mount commands:
 mount_afp for Apple File Protocol (AppleShare) volumes
 mount_cd9660 for ISO 9660 volumes
 mount_cddafs for CD Digital Audio format (CDDA) volumes
 mount_hfs for Apple Hierarchical File System (HFS) volumes
 mount_msdos for PC MS-DOS volumes
 mount_nfs for Network File System (NFS) volumes
 mount_smbfs for Server Message Block (SMB/CIFS) volumes
 mount_udf for Universal Disk Format (UDF) volumes
 mount_webdav for Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV)
volumes
mount prepares and grafts a special device or the remote node (rhost:path) on to the
file system tree at the point node. See the related man pages for more information.
To view a list of currently mounted file systems:
$ sudo mount
To mount a network folder:
$ mount /dev/
mount returns the value 0 if the mount succeeded.
Unmounting Volumes
You can use the umount tool to unmount a volume. umount removes a special device or
the remote node (rhost:path) from the file system tree at the point node.
To unmount a volume:
$ umount
umount returns the value 0 if the umount succeeded. See the umount man page for
more information.
Chapter 7 Working with Disks and Volumes
85
Displaying Disk Information
The df tool located in /bin is designed to display free disk space. In addition, df is a
useful way to find out what your current disk partitions are, how much space each one
takes up, which block each partition starts on, which device file is associated with each
partition, and where each partition is mounted.
To display disk information:
$ df
The computer will respond with output similar to the following:
Filesystem 512-blocks Used Avail Capacity Mounted on
/dev/disk0s3 156039264 26138984 129388280 17% /
devfs 193 193 0 100% /dev
fdesc 2 2 0 100% /dev
1024 1024 0 100% /.vol
automount -nsl [170] 0 0 0 100% /Network
automount -fstab [174] 0 0 0 100% /automount/
Servers
automount -static [174] 0 0 0 100% /automount/
static
The -l option restricts reporting to local drives only. The -k option displays sizes in
kilobyte format.
Each line in the output refers to a different partition. The first column tells you the
device file associated with that partition. The second column displays the capacity of
the partition followed by used and available space on the volume. The last column tells
you where the partition is mounted.
Monitoring Disk Space
You can monitor the amount of free space on disks and take predefined actions when
thresholds are exceeded. When you need more vigilant monitoring of disk space than
the log rolling scripts provide, you can use the diskspacemonitor tool. It lets you
monitor disk space and take action more frequently than once a day when disk space is
critically low, and gives you the opportunity to provide your own action scripts.
diskspacemonitor is disabled by default.
To enable diskspacemonitor:
$ sudo diskspacemonitor on.
You may be prompted for your password. See the diskspacemonitor man page for
more information.
Chapter 7 Working with Disks and Volumes
When enabled, diskspacemonitor uses information in a configuration file to determine
when to execute alert and recovery scripts for reclaiming disk space:
 The configuration file is /etc/diskspacemonitor/diskspacemonitor.conf. It lets you
specify how often you want to monitor disk space, and specify thresholds to use for
determining when to take the actions in the scripts. By default, disks are checked
every 10 minutes, an alert script is executed when disks are 75% full, and a recovery
script is executed when disks are 85% full. To edit the configuration file, log in to the
server as an administrator and use a text editor to open the file. See the comments in
the file for additional information.
 By default, two predefined action scripts are executed when the thresholds are
reached.
The default alert script is /etc/diskspacemonitor/action/alert. It runs in accord with
instructions in the configuration file /etc/diskspacemonitor/alert.conf. It sends email
to recipients you specify.
The default recovery script is /etc/diskspacemonitor/action/recover. It runs in accord
with instructions in the configuration file /etc/diskspacemonitor/recover.conf.
See the comments in the script and configuration files for more information about
these files.
 If you want to provide your own alert and recovery scripts, put your alert script in
/etc/diskspacemonitor/action/alert.local and your recovery script in /etc/
diskspacemonitor/action/recovery.local. Your scripts will be executed before the
default scripts when the thresholds are reached.
To configure the scripts on a server from a remote Mac OS X computer, open a Terminal
window and log in to the remote computer using SSH.
Reclaiming Disk Space Using Log-Rolling Scripts
Three predefined scripts are executed automatically, in order to reclaim space used on
your server for log files generated by:
 Apple file service
 Windows service
 Web service
 Web performance cache
 Mail service
 Print service
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87
The scripts use values in the following configuration files to determine whether and
how to reclaim space:
 The script /etc/periodic/daily/600.daily.server runs daily. Its configuration file is
/etc/diskspacemonitor/daily.server.conf.
 The script /etc/periodic/weekly/600.weekly.server is intended to run weekly, but is
currently empty. Its configuration file is /etc/diskspacemonitor/weekly.server.conf.
 The script /etc/periodic/monthly/600.monthly.server is intended to run monthly, but
is currently empty. Its configuration file is /etc/diskspacemonitor/monthly.server.conf.
As configured, the scripts specify actions that complement the log file management
performed by the services listed above, so don’t modify them. All you need to do is log
in as an administrator and use a text editor to define thresholds in the configuration
files that determine when the actions are taken. For example:
 The number of megabytes a log file must contain before its space is reclaimed.
 The number of days since a log file’s last modification that need to pass before its
space is reclaimed.
Specify one or both thresholds. The actions are taken when either threshold is
exceeded.
There are several additional parameters you can specify. See comments in the
configuration files for information about all the parameters and how to set them.
The scripts ignore all log files except those for which at least one threshold is present
in the configuration file.
To configure the scripts on a server from a remote Mac OS X computer, open a Terminal
window and log in to the remote server using SSH. Then, open a text editor and edit
the scripts.
You can also use the diskspacemonitor tool to reclaim disk space.
Erasing, Modifying, Verifying, and Repairing Disks
You can use diskutil to erase, modify, verify, and repair disks. This command provides
functionality that overlaps with the functionality of pdisk, newfs_hfs, and disktool. For
example, you can use both diskutil and pdisk to partition a disk. However, unlike
pdisk, which lets you partition tables at their most basic level by setting the exact base
address and partition length in blocks, diskutil lets you partition a disk automatically
by calculating the base address and the partition length in blocks based on the
partition size you specify.
The diskutil tool allows you to perform the following actions on a disk:
Chapter 7 Working with Disks and Volumes
To list the disks currently known and available on the computer:
$ diskutil list
If your system is an Xserve computer, you can use this command to determine which
drive is in which bay.
To get mount info about a partition:
$ diskutil info diskvol
This command tells you the device file that corresponds to the mounted partition
(or device name) you specify.
To mount a drive:
$ diskutil mountDisk diskvol
To erase and repartition a disk:
$ diskutil partitionDisk disk numberOfPartitions part1Format part1Name
part1Size
Because HFS+ is case preserving but not case sensitive, there may be times when you
would want to set the file system to be case sensitive. You can use the diskutil tool to
format a drive for case-sensitive HFS+.
Note: Volumes you format as case-sensitive HFS+ are also journaled.
Parameter
Description
diskvol
Device name (for example, disk0s9) for the partition.
Parameter
Description
diskvol
Device name.
Parameter
Description
disk
Device name (such as disk0).
numberOfPartitions
part1Format
HFS+ or UFS.
part1Name
part1Size
Can be either bytes (such as 98187445B), kilobytes (such as
810240K), megabytes (such as 4024M), gigabytes (such as 4G), or
terabytes (such as 1T).
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To format a Mac OS Extended volume as case-sensitive HFS+:
$ sudo diskutil eraseVolume "Case-sensitive HFS+" newvolname volume
See the diskutil man page for more options and information about repairing and
modifying disks.
Partitioning and Formatting Disks
Disk partitions are subsdivisions of a disk to which you apply operating-system–specific
formatting.
Partitioning a Disk
You can use pdisk, located in /usr/sbin, to edit the disk partition table. You can
initialize the disk, create partitions, and delete partitions. The pdisk tool is
menu-driven, which means that once it is launched, you are prompted to enter a pdisk
command. You can find the commands by typing ? at the pdisk prompt. The following
are some of the more useful commands:
Once you start editing a device, the pdisk options change. Enter ? at the pdisk prompt
to see the editing commands. The following are some of the more important ones:
pdisk does not support the Intel/DOS partitioning scheme supported by fdisk. See the
fdisk man page for more information about DOS partitions.
Parameter
Description
newvolname
The name given to the reformatted, case-sensitive volume.
volume
The path to the existing volume to be reformatted.
For example: /Volumes/HFSPlus
Command
Description
L
Lists the partition maps of all the drives. pdisk lists all the
partitions for a disk—even the unmountable partitions, such as the
partition containing the partition map.
e
Edits the partition map of the named device. To edit a partition
map, you have to use the raw device file as the argument.
Command
Description
p
Prints the partition map for the current device.
i
Initializes the partition map for the current device.
C
Creates a new partition. There are two partition types, Apple_HFS
and Apple_UFS.
w
Writes the modifications to the partition map on-disk. Before that,
all edits and modifications are only in memory and not yet
implemented.
Chapter 7 Working with Disks and Volumes
After a partition has been created on a device, the partition needs to be formatted
before the computer will be able to store data on the device. Formatting a disk
partition creates the volume and sets the file system.
Labeling a Disk
Once a disk is formatted, it needs to be labeled. The disklabel tool manipulates “Apple
Label” partition metadata. ”Apple Label” partitions allow for a disk device to have a
consistent name, ownership, and permissions across reboots, even though it uses a
dynamic pseudo file system for /dev.
The “Apple Label” partition uses a set of metadata (as a plist) in a reserved area of the
partition. This metadata describes the owner, name, and so forth.
To create a disk label for a device with 1 MB of metadata area, owned by anne, with
a device name of fred, and be writable by anne:
$ disklabel -create /dev/rdisk1s1 -msize=1M owner-uid=anne dev-devname=anne
name=anne owner-mode=0644
The following example prints out the key-value pairs from the previous example:
$ disklabel -properties /dev/rdisk1s1
See the disklabel man page for more information about creating disk labels.
Formatting a Disk
You can use newfs, located in /sbin, to create a new volume. newfs builds a file system
on the specified special device, basing its defaults on the information in the disk label.
There are many parameters you can set when formatting disks, such as block and
clump size, b-tree attribute, and catalog node sizes. Extreme care should be taken to
ensure a successful format when modifying the settings beyond the default. Before
running newfs, the disk must be labeled using the disklabel tool.
To fomat a disk:
$ newfs
See the newfs man page for options in detail.
To format a disk to HFS+, you would need to use the newfs_hfs tool located in /sbin:
$ newfs_hfs
See the newfs_hfs man page for more information.
Checking for Disk Problems
You can use the diskutil or fsck tool (fsck_hfs for HFS volumes) to check the physical
condition and file system integrity of a volume. See the related man pages for more
information.
Chapter 7 Working with Disks and Volumes
91
Managing Disk Journaling
A robust file system journaling feature is available to enhance the availability and fault
tolerance of servers and server-attached storage devices. Journaling protects the
integrity of the Mac OS Extended (HFS+) file system in the event of an unplanned
shutdown or power failure, and maximizes uptime by expediting repairs to the affected
volumes when the computer restarts.
Checking to See If Journaling is Enabled
You can use the mount tool to see if journaling is enabled on a volume.
To see if journaling is enabled:
$ mount
Look for journaled in the attributes in parentheses following a volume. For example:
/dev/disk0s9 on / (local, journaled)
Enabling Journaling for an Existing Volume
You can use the diskutil tool to enable journaling on a volume without affecting
existing files on the volume.
Important: Always check the volume for disk errors using the fsck_hfs tool before you
enable journaling.
To enable journaling:
$ diskutil enableJournal volume
The following example shows journaling being enabled on the exisiting volume /dev/
disk0s10.
$ mount
/dev/disk0s9 on / (local, journaled)
/dev/disk0s10 on /Volumes/OS 9.2.2 (local)
$ sudo fsck_hfs /dev/disk0s10/
** /dev/rdisk0s10
** Checking HFS plus volume.
** Checking extents overflow file.
** Checking Catalog file.
** Checking Catalog hierarchy.
** Checking volume bitmap.
** Checking volume information.
** The volume OS 9.2.2 appears to be OK.
$ diskutil enableJournal /dev/disk0s10
Allocated 8192K for journal file.
Journaling has been enabled on /dev/disk0s10
$ mount
Parameter
Description
volume
The volume name or device name of the volume.
Chapter 7 Working with Disks and Volumes
/dev/disk0s9 on / (local, journaled)
/dev/disk0s10 on /Volumes/OS 9.2.2 (local, journaled)
Enabling Journaling When You Erase a Disk
You can use the newfs_hfs tool to set up and enable journaling when you erase a disk.
To enable journaling when erasing a disk:
$ newfs_hfs -J -v volname device
Disabling Journaling
To disable journaling:
$ diskutil disableJournal volume
Understanding Spotlight Technology
Spotlight is a desktop search technology that combines metadata-indexing with
content-indexing that’s optimized for Mac OS X. Whenever a file is added, moved,
deleted, or modified, the file system notifies the Spotlight engine. The Spotlight engine
then updates its index, known as the Spotlight store. The Spotlight engine then
updates all of the applications using Spotlight, and changes are reflected dynamically
to the user.
The Spotlight store retains information that is extracted into two seperate indexes, one
for metadata and the other for content. Each index is created on a per-volume basis,
which means each disk or partition carries its own set of indexes for the information
about that volume.
Enabling and Disabling Spotlight
By default, the value of the spotlight parameter in the /etc/hostconfig file is set to -YES-
which means Spotlight is enabled on your Mac OS X Server computer.
To disable Spotlight on your server:
1 Open the /etc/hostconfig file for editing as root using your favorite editor. For example:
$ sudo pico /etc/hostconfig
2 Change the value of the spotlight parameter to -NO-.
You can also set the value of the spotlight parameter to -NO- as follows:
$ sudo /System/Library/ServerSetup/serversetup -setAutoStartSpotlight 0
Parameter
Description
volname
The name you want the new disk volume to have.
device
The device name of the disk.
Parameter
Description
volume
The volume name or device name of the volume.
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93
3 Restart your server.
To enable Spotlight on your server:
1 Open /etc/hostconfig for editing as root.
2 Change the value of the spotlight parameter to -YES-.
You can also set the value of the SPOTLIGHT parameter to -YES- as follows:
$ sudo /System/Library/ServerSetup/serversetup -setAutoStartSpotlight 1
3 Restart your server.
Performing Spotlight Searches
Mac OS X provides the ability to view the metadata of a file and perform Spotlight
searches from the command line.
To view a file’s Spotlight metadata, use the mdls tool. This tool, which is similar to the ls
tool, lists all of the metadata attributes for a specific file.
To view the metadata of a file:
$ mdls filename
The computer will respond with something similar to the following output:
-------------
kMDItemAttributeChangeDate = 1970-01-01 00:43:07 -0600
kMDItemFSContentChangeDate = 2005-10-03 22:04:19 -0500
kMDItemFSCreationDate = 2005-10-03 22:04:19 -0500
kMDItemFSCreatorCode = 0
kMDItemFSFinderFlags = 16384
kMDItemFSInvisible = 1
kMDItemFSIsExtensionHidden = 0
kMDItemFSLabel = 0
kMDItemFSName = "filename"
kMDItemFSNodeCount = 0
kMDItemFSOwnerGroupID = 0
kMDItemFSOwnerUserID = 0
kMDItemFSSize = 4330232
kMDItemFSTypeCode = 0
kMDItemID = 634516
kMDItemLastUsedDate = 2005-10-03 21:04:19 -0500
kMDItemUsedDates = (2005-10-03 21:04:19 -0500)
To perform a Spotlight search, use the mdfind tool:
$ mdfind “kMDItemAcquisitionModel ==’Canon Powershot S45’”
/Users/anne/Documents/vacation1.jpg
/Users/anne/Documents/vacation2.jpg
/Users/anne/Documents/vacation3.jpg
/Users/anne/Documents/vacation4.jpg
Chapter 7 Working with Disks and Volumes
Controlling Spotlight Indexing
By default, indexing of volumes in Mac OS X Server is disabled. However, you can use
the mdutil tool to enable or disable indexing on any volume.
To enable indexing on a volume:
Run the mdutil tool as root and set the indexing status to on.
$ sudo mdutil -i on volume
To disable indexing on a volume:
Run the mdutil tool as root and set the indexing status to off.
$ sudo mdutil -i off volume
See the mdutil man page for more information.
Managing RAID Volumes
In addition to standard drive management options, diskutil has the ability to manage
software RAID volumes.
To create a RAID set:
$ diskutil createRAID type setName volType disks
To get a list of of disks available to add to a RAID set:
$ diskutil list
Similarly, you can remove a RAID set with the diskutil destroyRAID command.
To view a list of available RAID sets:
$ diskutil checkRAID device
To create an unpaired mirrored RAID from a single file system disk:
$ diskutil enableRAID mirror device
Parameter
Description
type
Mirror or stripe.
setName
Name of the new RAID volume.
volType
HFS, HFS+, UFS, or BootableHFS.
disks
List of device names for members of the RAID set.
Parameter
Description
device
Device file.
Parameter
Description
mirror
Name of the mirror RAID set.
device
Device file.
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To repair a failed mirror:
$ diskutil repairMirror device slicenumber fromDisk toDisk
Note: Xsan RAID volumes have their own set of commands, which are described in an
appendix of the Xsan administrators guide. See the appendix for informatian about the
megaraid tool, used for managing a PCI RAID card.
Imaging and Cloning Volumes Using ASR
You can use Apple Software Restore (ASR) to copy a disk image onto a volume or to
prepare existing disk images with checksum information for faster copies. ASR can
perform file copies, in which individual files are restored to a volume unless an identical
file is already there, and block copies, which restore entire disk images. The asr tool
doesn’t create the disk images. You can use hdiutil to create disk images from
volumes or folders.
You must run ASR as root. You cannot use ASR on read or write disk images.
To image a boot volume:
1 Install and configure Mac OS X on the volume.
2 Restart from a different volume.
3 Make sure the volume you’re imaging has permissions enabled. Use the following to
verify permissions:
$ diskutil verifyPermissions [mount point|disk identifier|device node]
4 Use hditutil to make a read-write disk image of the volume. See “To create an image
from a folder:” on page 177.
5 Mount the disk image.
6 Remove cache files, host-specific preferences, and virtual memory files. See the asr
man page for examples of what files to remove.
7 Unmount the volume and convert the read-write image to a read-only compressed
image.
$ hdiutil convert -format UDZO pathtoimage -o compressedimage
8 Prepare the image for duplication by adding checksum information:
$ sudo asr -imagescan compressedimage
Parameter
Description
device
Device file.
slicenumber
Specifies the slice number to replace.
fromDisk
Specifies the mirror source.
toDisk
Specifies the repaired mirror destination.
Chapter 7 Working with Disks and Volumes
To restore a volume from an image:
$ sudo asr -source compressedimage -target targetvolume -erase
See the asr man page for command syntax, limitations, and image preparation
instructions.
8 Working with Users and Groups
In this chapter you will find commands you can use to set up
and manage user and group accounts.
With Mac OS X Server, you can quickly create and administer accounts for users and
groups. There are several command-line tools that facilitate working with the directory
domains that hold these accounts.
Understanding Accounts
There are three kinds of accounts you can set up with Workgroup Manager: user
accounts, group accounts, and computer lists. When you define a user’s account, you
specify the information needed to prove the user’s identity: user name, password, and
user identification number (user ID). Other information in a user’s account is needed by
various services—to determine what the user is authorized to do and perhaps to
personalize the user’s environment. Along with accounts you create, Mac OS X Server
has some predefined user and group accounts, some of which are reserved for use by
Mac OS X.
Most users have an individual account used to authenticate them and control their
access to services. When you want to personalize a user’s environment, you define user,
group, or computer preferences for that user. The term managed client or managed
user designates a user who has administrator-controlled preferences associated with
his or her account. When a managed user logs in, the preferences that take effect are a
combination of the user’s preferences and preferences set up for any workgroup or
computer list he or she belongs to.
Chapter 8 Working with Users and Groups
Administering and Creating Accounts
A user account stores data that Mac OS X Server needs to validate the user’s identity
and provide services for the user. This section provides an overview of user accounts.
User accounts, as well as group accounts and computer lists, can be stored in any Open
Directory domain accessible from any Mac OS X computer. A directory domain can
reside on a Mac OS X computer (for example, the LDAP folder of an Open Directory
master, a NetInfo domain, or other read/write directory domain) or it can reside on a
non-Apple server (for example, a non-Apple LDAP or Active Directory server). This
section describes how to administer user accounts stored in various kinds of directory
domains.
Creating a Local Administrator User Account for a Server
Users with server or directory domain administration privileges are known as
administrators. An administrator can be a server administrator, domain administrator, or
both. Server administrator privileges determine whether a user can view info about or
change the settings of a particular server. Domain administrator privileges determine
the extent to which the user can view or change the account settings for users, groups,
and computer lists in the directory domain.
You can use the serversetup tool to create local administrator users for a server. The
serversetup tool is located in /System/Library/ServerSetup/ and it is not in the local
path, so you have to provide the path to it. You also have to run it as root.
To create nonadministrator users, see “Creating a Nonadministrator User Account” on
page 100. To create administrator users in a network directory domain, see “Creating a
Domain Administrator User Account” on page 99.
To create a local administrator user account:
$ sudo /System/Library/ServerSetup/serversetup -createUser fullname
shortname password
The name, short name, and password must be entered in the order shown. If the full
name includes spaces, enter it in quotes.
The command displays a 0 if successful, or a 1 if the full name or short name is already
in use.
To create an local administrator user with a specific UID:
$ sudo /System/Library/ServerSetup/serversetup -createUserWithID fullname
shortname password uid
The name, short name, password, and UID must be entered in the order shown. If the
full name includes spaces, enter it in quotes.
The command displays a 0 if successful, or a 1 if the full name, short name, or UID is
already in use or if the UID you specified is less than 100.
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To create an local administrator user with a specific UID and home folder:
$ sudo /System/Library/ServerSetup/serversetup -createUserWithIDIP fullname
shortname password uid homedirpath
The name, short name, password, and UID must be entered in the order shown. If the
full name includes spaces, enter it in quotes.
The command displays a 0 if successful, or a 1 if the full name, short name, or UID is
already in use or if the UID you specified is less than 100.
Creating a Domain Administrator User Account
In order to create a domain administrator user account for a networked directory, you
need to already have a domain administrator user account.
Before starting, you should already have a nonadministrator user account that you
want to give domain administrator privileges to. For instructions on creating
nonadministrator user accounts, see “Creating a Nonadministrator User Account” on
page 100.
To create a domain administrator user account:
1 Start the dscl tool in interactive mode, specifying the computer you are using as the
source of directory service data. Use the dscl tool to create a domain administrator
user account.
$ dscl localhost
>
In interactive mode, the dscl tool displays the current folder in the directory domain
(not the current folder in the file system) and a “>” character as a prompt.
2 Once connected to the directory, choose the directory domain. Change the current
folder to LDAPv3/ipaddress/Groups.
> cd LDAPv3/ipaddress/Groups
Replace ipaddress with the IP address of your directory server. If using a NetInfo
directory domain, enter cd /NetInfo/root/Groups at the prompt.
3 Create an administrator user.
>append admin Member adminusername
This command creates an administrator user, but it doesn’t add the GUID (globally
unique identifier) of the administrator user to the group account.
4 Add the administrator user to the group.
> append admin GroupMembers guid
Replace guid with the globally unique identifier.
5 Quit the dscl tool.
>quit
Chapter 8 Working with Users and Groups
To find the GUID of the administrator user:
> cd /Users/
> read adminusername GeneratedUID
Checking a User’s Administrator Privileges
Use the serversetup tool to verify the administrator privileges of a specific user.
To see if a user is a server administrator:
$ sudo /System/Library/ServerSetup/serversetup -isAdministrator shortname
The command displays a 0 if the user is an administrator, or a 1 if the user is not an
administrator.
Creating a Nonadministrator User Account
You can create new user accounts by using dscl and other tools. When you create a
user account from the command line, you must also set values for basic attributes of
the user account, such as the short name, long name, user ID, and home folder
location.
To create a nonadministrator user account:
1 Identify an unused user ID. Each user on a server must have a unique user ID. Use the
dscl tool to display lists of assigned user IDs and group IDs.
$ dscl /LDAPv3/ipaddress -list /Users UniqueID| awk '{print $2}' | sort -n
Replace /LDAPv3/ipaddress with the location of your directory domain (the way it is
displayed in the search path in Directory Access). If you connect to a NetInfo domain,
replace UniqueID with uid.
After you enter the command, the dscl tool displays a list of assigned user ID numbers,
similar to the following output. These user IDs are for computer accounts that are
included with Mac OS X Server:
-2
0
1
99
25
26
27
70
71
75
76
77
78
79
501