O man, it worked! Thank you so much for the help. It looks like the Fix
byhost worked just fine and just generated the correct uid to use for those
files.

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There is a script in the Resource Kit that does this exact function (I think, it could be airport). All it does is copy the menu item to a backup folder so that the OS won't throw it up there. It seems that you can set it in the image and have it work (I've tried), but need to run this script as a reboot script, as the os tries to fix it. This might have changed since I played with it, but it's working for me.

Ryan Harter
UW - Stevens Point
Workstation Developer
715.346.2716
Ryan.Harter at uwsp.edu

You can set the preference to not show the toolbar icon, capture in
composer, then package. Should resemble the following files:
~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.systemuiserver.plist
~/Library/Preferences/ByHost/com.apple.systemuiserver.this-value-is-unique-p
ermachine.plist

Fill user templates and existing users

theres a byhost pref, com.apple.systemuiserver, uncheck the option in system prefs and grab that file. it says something like don't autoload and the path to the menu item. or just remove the contexual menu item totally, i think its in core services somewhere, but i never like pulling that kinda stuff.

eric winkelhake
mundocomww
office 312 220 1669
cell 312 504 5155

If you're using MCX, in WGM on your server you can add a new key in com.apple.mcxMenuExtras under Always called TimeMachine.menu, set it to type boolean and value to false in the Details tab of the Preferences pane of the group you want to manage.

I get rid of it via MCX and WGM via a group policy. I posted this as a
hint a while ago

http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story080801104313882 (
http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story080801104313882 )

I also use Casper (hence the Casper list) and NOT OD so I like Casper related options better...just saying. =)

Craig E

We aren't using MCX in our environment. We're strictly AD. It doesn't
matter to us if they turn it on or add it later, we just want it out of
there on the image so it's as clean as possible.

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I'm actually already using those files in the image with my menu bar items
package that I built in Composer.

I took a look at those file on a new image and the
~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.systemuiServer.plist doesn't have anything
about Time Machine in it. The
~/Library/Preferences/ByHost/com.apple.systemuiserver.<uid>.plist doesn't
exist.

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There is a way to do the same thing with MCX on the local level but I
can't recall off the top of my head give me a few mins to google search
it

You want an absence of an entry for:
/Library/Preferences/com.apple.systemuiserver.plist

For: ~/Library/Preferences/ByHost/com.apple.systemuiserver.uid.plist

You want as a child entry under Root:
dontAutoLoad : class = Array

Child under dontAutoLoad of:
0 : class = String : Value = /System/Library/CoreServices/Menu
Extras/TimeMachine.menu

Hope this helps

Thanks Nate! I'm building the package right now, hopefully it'll work. In
Casper Admin would I make the package fill the user template? Also, when I
image a machine using Casper Imaging, will the 'Fix ByHost' checkbox break
this package or does that just change the uid to be unique for the machine
being imaged? Thanks again for all the help.

John Moore | System Engineer ­ End User Computing | Cerner Corporation |
816.201.1564 | 816.651.7599 | john.l.moore at cerner.com |
http://www.cerner.com

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Here's a link to Greg Neagle's article explaining how to leverage MCX on a local level.

http://managingosx.wordpress.com/2008/02/07/mcx-dslocal-and-leopard/

Ok

To disable TM asking if you want to use a newly plugged in disk do this

defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.TimeMachine
DoNotOfferNewDisksForBackup -bool YES

In 10.5 under /System/Library/CoreServices/Managedclient.app you can
manually add values to Menu Bar Extras to manage them...

If you view it's contents you can edit the
com.apple.MCXMenuExtras.manifest

You can accomplish the same thing I did via WGM and MCX with local MCX
policy, you could maybe even try it from the command line:

sudo defaults write
System/Library/CoreServices/ManagedClient.app/Contents/Resources/com.apple.mcxMenuExtras.manifest/Contents/Resources/com.apple.mcxMenuExtras.manifest
TimeMachine.menu -bool NO

link:

http://managingosx.wordpress.com/2008/02/12/timemachine-menu-extra-management/

Or if you have a plist editor you possibly could just do it from the GUI

Miles tells me something with DSCL for MCX locally. ;)

Learn something new every day...love this place. And I wasn't saying you can't give good MCX and WGM options, I was merely giving you a hard time. =)

Craig E