Question

need advice on self service mount points, and app launching

Forum|Forum|16 years ago
March 19, 2009
7 replies
62 views

+31

tlarkin
Honored Contributor

Well

This is a bit of a complicated debacle I am in. I have some old Novell servers that do not support encrypted passwords, so I must have users log in using plain text. So I need to mass edit a plist file on each user account to allow this. Then I want them to click once on a self service policy and have it map the network share that holds the database files. Then in the app's preferences I already have it pointed out where to look.

I looked at the mount_afp command but when I run it in interactive mode it always asks for authentication in the terminal? I can't seem to get a GUI based dialog box. I also need it to wait for about 20 seconds while the user authenticates and then have it launch the app in question.

I have the app configured and it works when I do everything manually, but I need to wrap this up in a one click solution for the end user, so they don't get confused. My other thought is to just create one generic user account that can have access to this database file and then use that generic password in the script and just have it mount under the hood with out the user's actual credentials.

Thanks for any advice.

Thomas Larkin
TIS Department
KCKPS USD500
tlarki at kckps.org
blackberry: 913-449-7589
office: 913-627-0351

+31

tlarkin
Author
Honored Contributor
Forum|Forum|16 years ago
March 19, 2009

Well

A bit of progress, but not in the right direction. I can mount the share fine via the finder, however when using the mount_afp command I can never get it to work. I always get this error:

mount_afp: AFPMountURL returned error 22, errno is 118

So this is my method of doing this from the terminal:

mkdir /Volumes/FS106

mount_afp afp://user:password@10.10.10.10 /Volumes/FS106

I am looking at creating a generic user account so it just auto maps via a script and possibly loop it so that is checks to see if that volume is mounted and then once it is mounted it will launch the app, which will have location specific configuration for where to look for the database file.

Any help would be appreciated

Thomas Larkin
TIS Department
KCKPS USD500
tlarki at kckps.org
blackberry: 913-449-7589
office: 913-627-0351

Anonymous
Forum|Forum|16 years ago
March 19, 2009

How about something like this for the script, should do the mount for you
without any problems:

osascript -e 'mount volume "afp://username:pass@servername/sharepoint"'

Yaniv Lugassy
Promedia Technology Services, Inc.
Office: 973.253.7600 x2308
Fax: 973.253.5601
www.promedianj.com <http://www.promedianj.com>

winkelhe
Contributor
Forum|Forum|16 years ago
March 19, 2009

I think he's looking to have the user log in with their creds, right?? so actually that osascript works if you remove the user name and password part. that'll make the finder request that the user log in rather then the shell.

eric winkelhake
mundocomww
office 312 220 1669
cell 312 504 5155

+31

tlarkin
Author
Honored Contributor
Forum|Forum|16 years ago
March 20, 2009

Still no dice. The problem I think I am having is that these shares are on old Netware 6.5 servers and 6.5 supports AFP but heck if I know what version of AFP it is. I do know that it is old enough that it does not support encrypted passwords. If I recall you need to have universal passwords enabled and well the Novell side is being migrated to SuSe but I am not really a part of that project. Different network admins.

So, I can hit cmd + K and connect to the file share just fine. I can't connect via command line. I don't know if there is actually a difference. DNS is kind of weird because we have an old DNS running on some legacy systems, which it is running an older DNS for these file shares. At this point in time I am almost considering hosting the database file on one of my Mac servers instead. I don't know how well that will fare though, and my window to get this working is getting shorter and shorter.

I just want to create a generic account, grant it access to this one particular file on a network share so the application can write data to the database file. Once the file share is mounted the application launches and takes care of the rest.

It works if I do it manually, no problem. I however, want to have the end user click one self service policy and have all the work done for them under the hood. That way they just click and it works.

I was looking at Apple Scripts but those can be interrupted by the end user. I'd rather it work under the hood via a shell script.

Thomas Larkin
TIS Department
KCKPS USD500
tlarki at kckps.org
blackberry: 913-449-7589
office: 913-627-0351

+23

milesleacy
Valued Contributor
Forum|Forum|16 years ago
March 20, 2009

Are you using Open Directory? You can set a share as a login item via
Workgroup Manager. I'm not sure of the applicable MCX settings off the top
of my head, but if WGM can do it, you can push the MCX via a dscl script.

----------
Miles A. Leacy IV

? Certified System Administrator
? Certified Trainer
Certified Casper Administrator
----------
voice: 1-347-277-7321
miles.leacy at themacadmin.com
www.themacadmin.com

+31

tlarkin
Author
Honored Contributor
Forum|Forum|16 years ago
March 20, 2009

I thought about that, but I don't want all 6,000 clients accessing the
share at once and I also don't want it permanently mounted. In my
experience with this testing app from last year is that it works best if
you stagger connections and testing sessions to say, no more than 400
clients at one time.

I am going to try to invoke apple script from the command line like
suggested and see if it makes a difference.

Thanks for everyone's input and help, it is appreciated.

tom

+33

John_Wetter
Hall of Fame
Forum|Forum|16 years ago
March 20, 2009

Tom,

--missing content--

1
And then to:
http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story20071028025409750&modepri
nt

You can run:
$ defaults write com.apple.AppleShareClient "afp_cleartext_allow" -bool YES
$ defaults write com.apple.AppleShareClient "afp_cleartext_warn" -bool YES

This is for older Novell servers that don't have Universal passwords set up on them (they really should, but I doubt I need to tell you that).

For then doing the mounts, we have a set of scripts (I assume this is NWEA?
) that we use to do the mounts and loads of tests. If this is the case, I can send them along off-list, let me know. Or, for opening single apps tha
t require a mount point, I use script editor to write an app and then save it as an app bundle so we can brand it and use it. Below is sample code fo
r this.

if (list disks) does not contain "VolumeName" then --test to see if volume is already mounted then tell application "Finder" mount volume "afp://user:password@server.domain.org/VolumeName" end tell
end if
--hide volume from desktops so it doesn't get messed with
do shell script "/usr/bin/SetFile -a V /Volumes/VolumeName"
do shell script "killall Finder"
tell application "System Events" to delay 2
tell application "Finder" open file "Applications:MyApp" of startup disk
end tell

Note in the above that the /usr/bin/SetFile file is from the developer tool
s and is used to hide the volume from the desktop. It works much like the jamf mount -hidden command but this doesn't seem to hide it from finder lik
e the jamf one does (which changed in 6) so that apps can still see the vol
ume. We use this to launch our apps needing a volume, but don't use it for testing.

-John

On 3/20/09 11:26 AM, "Thomas Larkin" <tlarki at kckps.org> wrote:

I thought about that, but I don't want all 6,000 clients accessing the sha
re at once and I also don't want it permanently mounted. In my experience with this testing app from last year is that it works best if you stagger c
onnections and testing sessions to say, no more than 400 clients at one tim
e.

I am going to try to invoke apple script from the command line like sugges
ted and see if it makes a difference.

Thanks for everyone's input and help, it is appreciated.

tom

--missing content--

3054602&sliceId1</a> 
And then to: 
<a href"http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story20071028025409750
&modeprint">http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story200710280
25409750&modeprint</a> 
 
You can run: 
$ defaults write com.apple.AppleShareClient "afp_cleartext_allow" -bool YES 
$ defaults write com.apple.AppleShareClient "afp_cleartext_warn" -bool YES 
 
This is for older Novell servers that don’t have Universal passwords set up on them (they really should, but I doubt I need to tell you that).
 
For then doing the mounts, we have a set of scripts (I assume this is NWEA?
) that we use to do the mounts and loads of tests.  If this is the cas
e, I can send them along off-list, let me know.  Or, for opening singl
e apps that require a mount point, I use script editor to write an app and then save it as an app bundle so we can brand it and use it.  Below is sample code for this. 
 
if 
(list disks) does not contain<FONT FACE"Helvetica, Verdana, Arial"

"VolumeName"</F

ONT> then 
   &nb
sp;--test to see if volume is already mounted then 
    t
ell application</FO
NT> "Finder" 
     &n
bsp;  mount volume "<a href"afp:
//user:password at server.domain.org/VolumeName">afp://user:password@server.do
main.org/VolumeName</a>" 
    end tell 
end if 
--hide volume fr
om desktops so it doesn’t get messed with 
do shell script 
"/usr/bin/SetFile -a V /Volum
es/VolumeName" 
do shell script "k
illall Finder" 
tell application "System Events&qu
ot; to<FO
NT FACE"Helvetica, Verdana, Arial"> delay 2 
tell application "Finder" 
    open
 file "Applications:MyApp" of </FO
NT>startup disk 
end </FON
T>tell 
 
Note in the above that the /usr/bin/SetFile file is from the developer tool
s and is used to hide the volume from the desktop.  It works much like the jamf mount –hidden command but this doesn’t seem to hide i
t from finder like the jamf one does (which changed in 6) so that apps can still see the volume.  We use this to launch our apps needing a volume
, but don’t use it for testing. 
 
-John 
 
 
On 3/20/09 11:26 AM, "Thomas Larkin" <<a href"tlarki at kckps.
org">tlarki at kckps.org</a>> wrote: 
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><FONT FACE"Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"

I thought about that, but I don't want all 6,000 clie
nts accessing the share at once and I also don't want it permanently mounte
d.  In my experience with this testing app from last year is that it w
orks best if you stagger connections and testing sessions to say, no more t
han 400 clients at one time.     
  
 
        
 
 I am going to try to invoke apple script from the com
mand line like suggested and see if it makes a difference.</F
ONT>     
 
        
 
 Thanks for everyone's input and help, it is appreciat
ed.     
 
        
 
 tom 
<SPA
N STYLE'font-size:11pt'> 
>>> Miles Leacy <<a href"miles.leacy at themacadmin.com">miles.
leacy at themacadmin.com</a>> 03/20/09 11:21 AM >>> 
Are you using Open Directory? You can set a share as a login item via Workg
roup Manager. I'm not sure of the applicable MCX settings off the top of my head, but if WGM can do it, you can push the MCX via a dscl script. 
 
---------- 
Miles A. Leacy IV 
 
 Certified System Administrator 
 Certified Trainer 
Certified Casper Administrator 
---------- 
voice: 1-347-277-7321 
<a href"miles.leacy at themacadmin.com">miles.leacy at themacadmin.com</a> 
www.themacadmin.com <<a href"http://www.themacadmin.com">http://www.t
hemacadmin.com</a>> 
 
 
 
 
     
  
  
 
 2009/3/20 Thomas Larkin       
  
  
 
 <<a href"tlarki at kckps.org">tlarki at kckps.org</a>>  &nbsp
;      
  
  
 
  
  
  
<BLOCKQUOTE><FONT FACE"Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"

Still no dice. The problem I think I am having is tha
t these shares are on old Netware 6.5 servers and 6.5 supports AFP but heck if I know what version of AFP it is. I do know that it is old enough that it does not support encrypted passwords. If I recall you need to have unive
rsal passwords enabled and well the Novell side is being migrated to SuSe b
ut I am not really a part of that project. Different network admins.
          
 
  
 
  
  
  
 
 So, I can hit cmd + K and connect to the file share j
ust fine. I can't connect via command line. I don't know if there is actual
ly a difference. DNS is kind of weird because we have an old DNS running on some legacy systems, which it is running an older DNS for these file share
s. At this point in time I am almost considering hosting the database file on one of my Mac servers instead. I don't know how well that will fare thou
gh, and my window to get this working is getting shorter and shorter.</SPAN

<SPAN STYL

E'font-size:11pt'>         &nbsp
; 
  
 
  
  
  
 
 I just want to create a generic account, grant it acc
ess to this one particular file on a network share so the application can w
rite data to the database file. Once the file share is mounted the applicat
ion launches and takes care of the rest.  
         
  
 
  
  
  
 
 It works if I do it manually, no problem. I however, want to have the end user click one self service policy and have all the wo
rk done for them under the hood. That way they just click and it works. </S
PAN>         &n
bsp; 
  
 
  
  
  
 
 I was looking at Apple Scripts but those can be inter
rupted by the end user. I'd rather it work under the hood via a shell scrip
t.<S
PAN STYLE'font-size:11pt'>        &nb
sp;  
  
  
 
  
  
  
 _____________________ 
Thomas Larkin 
TIS Department 
KCKPS USD500 
<a href"tlarki at kckps.org">tlarki at kckps.org</a> 
blackberry: 913-449-7589 
office: 913-627-0351 
 
 
 
 
 
             
  
 
 >>> Eric Winkelhake <<a href"eric.winkelhake at mundocomw
w.com">eric.winkelhake at mundocomww.com</a>> 03/19/09 5:29 PM >>>           
  
  
 
            &nb
sp;     
  
  
 
  
 I think he's looking to have the user log in with their creds, right?
? so actually that osascript works if you remove the user name and password part. that'll make the finder request that the user log in rather then the shell. 
 
eric winkelhake 
mundocomww 
office 312 220 1669 
cell 312 504 5155 
 
 
 
            &nb
sp;  
  
  
 
            &nb
sp; 
  
 
            &nb
sp;     
  
   
   <B

Yaniv Lugassy <<a href"ylugassy at promedianj.com">ylugassy at promedianj.

com</a>>

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