Dock config for AD users . . Is a manual trigger the solution?

[nkalister]

Hello JAMF Nation, I'm working on a new system image deployed by Casper . . . End user's will all be logging in using their Active Directory accounts.
One of the last tasks I have is to set a customized dock for all users when they log in. I've explored using dockutil (https://github.com/kcrawford/dockutil) for doing the actual modifications, which works great. the problem I'm having is how to trigger the dockutil policy so that each user gets the custom dock the first time the log into a given machine- i.e. if I've logged into mac123 before, the policy does not run, but if i've never logged into mac123 before, it does.
I'm trying to solve it this way since modifying the user template doesn't seem to work for AD account docks.
Any tips?

[bentoms]

Why not capture the dock setup as you want in composer, then install via Casper using FUT/FEU's??

It's what I do & works well.

[nkalister]

I'm not sure how that would solve the problem- I was under the impression that the user template isn't used for AD account's dock settings, so filling the user template won't help- am I wrong on that?
And if I run a policy to insert that dock plist file into an existing account, I have the same question about that as using dockutil- how can I scope it so that it runs the first time a user logs onto a given machine and only that first time?

[bentoms]

To make the package, I just opened Composer > User Environment > Dock.

My macs authenticate to AD & create a mobile account @ login in /Users/ like a normal local account. No PHD or network account.

Maybe that's why it works for me?

[CasperSally]

That's what we do too in order to set dock for new AD users on a computer. I've never tried pushing it after an AD users has logged in to reset their dock

[tlarkin]

Sounds like a job for local MCX maybe...

[nkalister]

huh, well, my situation and ben's are identical- we're creating mobile accounts at login with the home directory in Users . . . i'll have to revisit doing it that way. For modifying the dock after deployment i think i'm going to stick to dockutil, it works fine after the mobile account has been created, and it's easy to use for a self service policy, especially if you use the fork with the remove all command.
Thanks for the tips, I'll post again after I've done more testing.

[bentoms]

AD account is created from the usual template. So FUT & FEU's should do what it normally does. :)

@Tom, we use this to set default dock (Finder, Safari, CS5 apps, sys prefs etc)...

Stops the calls when people contact IT as don't have an app installed. Only because they cannot see it in the Dock!!

You can use with MCX to add group folders etc... Also, this way the docks not locked, which can be handy.

[bentoms · Accepted solution]

AD account is created from the usual template. So FUT & FEU's should do what it normally does. :)

@Tom, we use this to set default dock (Finder, Safari, CS5 apps, sys prefs etc)...

Stops the calls when people contact IT as don't have an app installed. Only because they cannot see it in the Dock!!

You can use with MCX to add group folders etc... Also, this way the docks not locked, which can be handy.

[jarednichols]

Our AD users gain a template from the general User Templates folder. That's how we've always customized the dock (plus the dockfix.plist now...)

[tlarkin]

you can also use MCX and apply it to any user via the dscl command, or group for that matter. It just depends on how you want to manage it. I tend to not fuss with the user templates at all.

[nkalister]

ok, i've finally had time to try ben's suggestion, and it works as he described for the application side of the dock, but I also tried to customize the folders that are displayed on the right side of the dock, and that's not working- the folders added are from the account I took the plist from, not the account that is logged in. Is there any way to add folders from the user's home directory using the composer/dock.plist method? Ben, you mentioned using MCX for this- can you point me in a direction to find more info on doing that?

[nkalister]

ok, another update to this- the folder side of the dock is working as well after a re-image. No idea what happened that first time around, I didn't change the plist or install package.
Only remaining issue is that the home directory icon in the dock gets the wrong account label, but that's not a big deal as long as it goes to the correct location.