How To Domain Join A Mac

Creating A Workstation Account

Using a domain account that is a member of your OU Admin group, launch “Active Directory Users and Computers,” and perform the following steps:

Option 2 Use Ad Alongside Third

Although AD and command support in OS X make integrating Macsinto AD simpler, many administrators find it easier to bring other tools onboard to help with management. Admins can join Macs to AD domains and then use Apple Remote Desktop to push commands out to the Mac clients.

Another option is implementing macOS X Server on its system and using Apple’s Profile Manager to set Mac policies based on AD groups. This requires IT to set up an Open Directory domain alongside the AD service, resulting in simpler management over the long haul. AD handles the Windows side while Open Directory and OS X Server take care of the Macs. Because the Macs are still bound to AD, there is seamless communication between the two environments. This also accounts for shared file and printer services.

Given their skill sets and resources, if this is too difficult for a group of IT admins, they might consider Centrify User Suite — the Mac Edition. It can help IT administer Macs and use the AD identity infrastructure to centrally manage authentication, policy enforcement and SSO. Another popular option is Jamf Pro, a comprehensive endpoint management product that can integrate with AD and Open Directory.

Dig Deeper on Alternative OSes

Stuck Between One Ad And Another

Similar to Microsofts on-prem directory service, Active Directory, IT admins trying to join Macs to AAD are stuck with a complex task. Essentially, theyll need to figure out how to have the AAD credentials match those within AD, and then subsequently use a directory extension tool to connect the Mac to the on-prem Active Directory. Thats a lot of work to sort of get AAD to work with Macs, and they dont even authenticate with Azure AD. To better understand how Microsoft thinks about AD and AAD working together, see the diagram below:

The disparity between Azure Active Directory and macOS systems has given IT admins a reason to step back and look at the bigger picture of identity management. An ideal solution would take one set of credentials and propagate them across a users entire lineup of IT resources, including systems , cloud infrastructure , web or on-prem applications, WiFI and VPN networks, physical or virtual file servers, and more. This centralized cloud directory could alleviate the burden of authentication of non-Windows resources to Azure AD or, even Active Directory for that matter.

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Os X Active Directory Integration How To Bind A Mac To Ad

Are you tasked with establishing appropriate OS X Active Directory Integration in your environment? Are we talking apples and oranges here or what? Most IT professionals are efficient with the Mac OS X or Windows Active Directory but not both. Im sure youve had plenty of good fun harassing one or the other on either platform. Is it really possible to allow a Macintosh Computer to become a law abiding citizen of an AD Domain? If so, how much Pepto Bismol am I going to need to get through it? Sorry for the drama, but I wanted to get your attention.

As it turns out, the Mac natively supports OS X Active Directory Integration for their loyal followers that apparently are being coerced into joining a Windows domain.

Why would an organization find itself needing OS X Active Directory Integration ? Most shops decide at conception if they are going to be Mac or PC based companies. But what happens if Company A purchases Company B ? Are they really going to want to replace possibly hundreds or thousands of Macs from Company B with new PCs. Of course not. Being able to join all those Macs to the AD domain is invaluable from that point of view. On the other hand, perhaps new hires are Mac experts and know nothing about PCs. In that situation, A computer needs to be purchased either way, so why not be able to get them a computer they are already proficient at and let them hit the ground running?

Bind Using A Configuration Profile

The directory payload in a configuration profile can configure a single Mac, or automate hundreds of Mac computers, to bind to Active Directory. As with other configuration profile payloads, you can deploy the directory payload manually, using a script, as part of an MDM enrollment, or by using a client-management solution.

Payloads are part of configuration profiles and allow administrators to manage specific parts of macOS. You select the same features in Profile Manager that you would in Directory Utility. Then you choose how the Mac computers get the configuration profile.

In the Server app on your Mac, do the following:

• To configure Profile Manager, see Start Profile Manager in the macOS Server User Guide.

• To create an Active Directory payload, see Directory MDM payload settings for Apple devices in Mobile Device Management Settings for IT Administrators.

If you dont have the Server app, you can

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Know The Computer Naming Guidelines

These guidelines are detailed in the OU Practices document, but in a compact form, the NETID computer naming guidelines are:

• You own any name inside your recognized namespace, and we strongly encourage you to use names within that namespace
• First come, first serve for any name outside a recognized namespace. Names that infringe on a namespace arent permitted.
• You cant use a DNS suffix of netid.washington.edu, and we suggest that you continue to use whatever DNS zone you currently use to do this we have a Powershell script to manage AD members with Mac OS X. The download is here: Script fix-MacDnsHostnames.
• You can optionally use our DDNS for your workstations
• If you need custom SPNs, send in a request and well make it happen

Bind A Mac To Adbrownedu

This process requires you to have access to add machines to AD. If you do not have this access and think you should, contact the IT Service Center.

User experience tab:

Mappings tab:

Administrative tab:Note: By not tying to a specific domain controller, the machine will get the first available controller in our setup.

AuthenticationEnter your username and password.For Computer OU, entering the specific path will allow you to drop the computer into the correct OU.

EXAMPLE:OU=Accounting,OU=Controller,OU=ITSCManaged,OU=CIS Managed,OU=Departments,DC=AD,DC=Brown,DC=Edu

OU Lookup: http://www.brown.edu/cis/services/support-consultants/lookup/

Enter your credentials.Check both Use authentication and contactsClick OK.Note: If the Macs clock is off even by a minute or two, it can cause errors that will prevent binding. Make sure the clock is synced.

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How To Log Into A Windows Domain On A Mac

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If your school or business operates on a Windows Server Active Directory domain, you can bind, or join, your Mac to the network and remotely access your Active Directory user account in OS X. To set up your Mac to log in to the domain, you’ll need to know the domain name, the IP address of the domain name system server, and the username and password of an AD administrator.

Open System Preferences and then click “Network” under Internet & Wireless to modify your network configuration.

Choose your connection from the left and then click “Advanced.” On the DNS tab, enter the address of the DNS server into the “DNS Servers” field and then type the domain name into the “Search Domains” field.

Select “Login Options” in the left pane and then click “Join” next to Network Account Server.

Type the address of your AD domain into the “Server” field and then type the login credentials for the AD administrator into the “AD Admin User” and “AD Admin Password” fields.

Enter an administrative password and then click “Modify Configuration.” Double-click “Active Directory” in the list of services and click “Show Advanced Options.”

Check “Allow Administration By” on the Administrative tab to allow AD administrators to make changes to your Mac, if preferred, and then click “OK.”

Select the logout option from the Apple menu and then click “Log Out” to confirm.

references

Mac Settings And Configuration Prerequisites

Be sure to have network visibility with your domain and DNS server . Change your network IP address to match your Active Directory subnet so that your Mac and your server that talk to each other without any problems. To do this open System Preferences> Network.

Here you can change your IP, subnet mask, and move into advanced settings as needed.

Now that we have configured a static IP address for your mac client, be sure that you can talk to your server. Open up Terminal application and simply use

ping yourServerIPAddress

to see if there is any communication going. If there is, great, if not, be sure that you have entered a correct IP address and that your mac and server are actually on the same network, to begin with.

NOTE: Also take down all Windows firewalls on the server-side as they can be the reason that you are unable to communicate with your server

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Can I Join A Domain Over A Vpn

The answers are listed in order from worst to best. It is possible. All it takes is linking to your VPN and logging into your computer. As soon as you arrive at the remote computer, log into the computer and you should find that the domain has already been setup and then log in with your domains account.

Ii Modify Directory Services Settings

Your next steps will be to modify the Directory Services settings. Heres how:

There you have it a basic look at how to setup and configure Apple hardware running a modern version of OS X and get it communicating with a Windows Active Directory environment. I also threw in a few extra tips to help make a smooth transition and minimize errors.

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What Is The Purpose Of Macos Active Directory Binding

The primary purpose of macOS Active Directory binding is to equip network users with the ability to login to a connected Mac, and access the data stored in the Active Directory right from the macOS device itself. Whats more, with the help of Active Directory, you can also control their access privileges within the company network. In other words, Active Directory services enable you to authorize the network users to access just the data and resources theyre permitted to use, and grants them access only after successful authentication.

Mac Ad Asset Binding With Hexnode Uem

So now you know how to bind your Macs to your organizations Active Directory server. Thats great! However, before the celebrations begin, theres just one more small hurdle to clear. Especially if youre the IT administrator of a company that uses hundreds of macOS devices.

I think you mightve grasped the issue by now, but here it is. Binding hundreds of Macs to your organizations AD server one-by-one just takes too much time to be considered feasible. This is where UEM solution like Hexnode can help you.

With Hexnodes AD asset binding policy, all you have to do is configure the settings once. You can then streamline the process of binding your corporate Macs to the companys Active Directory server, and save yourselves lots of precious time.

Basic settings:

• Active Directory domain: Enter IP address or the domain name of the server.
• Username: Enter the username of the account used to authenticate and bind the device to the AD domain.
• Password: Enter the password of the above mentioned account account.
• Organizational Unit: Enter the name of the organizational unit to which the joining computer is to be added.

Advanced settings:

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Question: How Connect Mac Computer To Active Directory Domain

• Should I join domain Mac?

Step 1: Bind OS X to a Windows Domain Login to the Mac as an Administrator. Open System Preferences and select Users & Groups Select the Login Options menu in the sidebar and use the Join button. Enter the fully-qualified domain name of the AD domain being bound. AD Domain level credentials will be needed.

How To Join Or Bind Mac To A Windows Domain

Last week I received a Mac laptop and before I could install SCCM client on it, I wanted to join or bind Mac to a Windows Domain or AD Domain. To bind a Mac to active directory, you can use the steps covered in this post.

After a long time I was using Mac and honestly, I found it bit difficult to use it. Coming from Windows OS, it takes some time to understand the Mac OS but once you start exploring it, you will find it easy.

Lets consider an example where your boss calls you into his office and says he got a new laptop. You notice that its a Mac and now you have to join this Mac to a Windows domain.

So what do you do now ?. Not to worry, you can join a Mac to your AD domain and I will show you how its done. I am currently using Mac OS 10.14 and using this article you can find out your macOS.

Before you Bind or Join a Mac to Active Directory Domain, ensure the Mac is connected to the network. You can either set a static IP address on your Mac or let DHCP assign the IP address to Mac. If your Mac is unable to communicate with domain controller, the domain join will fail.

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Bind Using The Command Line

You can use the dsconfigad command in the Terminal app to bind a Mac to Active Directory.

For example, the following command can be used to bind a Mac to Active Directory:

After you bind a Mac to the domain, you can use dsconfigad to set the administrative options in Directory Utility:

Advanced commandline options

The native support for Active Directory includes options that you dont see in Directory Utility. To see these advanced options, use either the Directory payload in a configuration profile or the dsconfigad commandline tool.

• Start reviewing the commandline options by opening the dsconfigad man page.

Computer object password interval

When a Mac system is bound to Active Directory, it sets a computer account password thats stored in the system keychain and is automatically changed by the Mac. The default password interval is every 14 days, but you can use the directory payload or dsconfigad commandline tool to set any interval that your policy requires.

Setting the value to 0 disables automatic changing of the account password: dsconfigad -passinterval 0

Namespace support

dsconfigad -namespace < forest>

Packet signing and encryption

dsconfigad -packetencrypt ssl

Restrict Dynamic DNS

networksetup -listallhardwareports

S To Join Or Bind A Mac To A Windows Domain

Let me now cover the steps to join or bind a Mac to a Windows or Active Directory Domain. On you Mac, click System Preferences in the Dock, and then select Users & Groups in the System section on your Mac.

Click the Lock icon and enter an administrator username and password.

When you enter the right credentials, the lock icon now shows unlocked. You can make the changes now.

Click Login Options and then click the Join button next to Network Account Server option.

Click the Open Directory Utility button.

You see two options under Service Active Directory and LDAPv3. However both of them are greyed out. Click the Lock icon and enter an administrator username and password again.

Select Active Directory, and then click the Pencil icon.

Enter the Active Directory domain name. You can specify a new computer ID if required. Click Bind.

Specify an account and password that will add this Mac to the domain. Click OK.

We have successfully joined the Mac to Active Directory domain. Click OK.

Finally we got the Mac added to the domain. We can now see the domain name next to Network Account Server. Reboot your system to apply the changes.

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Some Active Directory Terms You Should Know

Binding Macs to Active Directory

GID and UID

The Active Directory database can store around 2 billion objects. Among these objects, there may be multiple users or devices with the same name, or similar attributes. So how do you uniquely identify each of these objects? You got it. This is where unique identification numbers come in.

The Unique ID , user GID, and group GID, are unique identification numbers used to identify the objects in an Active Directory database. Moreover, assigning these unique IDs to each object helps manage the objects access to company resources.

Active Directory mobile accounts

An Active Directory mobile account enables you to remotely access the data stored in your Active Directory database, even when youre not connected to the network. Once your Directory Utilitys Active Directory connector sets up your mobile user account, you can use your Active Directory credentials to log in to the AD account on your Mac.

AFP and SMB protocols

Both AFP and SMB are file-sharing protocols that define the commands for opening, reading, writing and closing files across your connected networks/directory services. In addition, it allows devices within the same network to obtain shared access to server-based printers, serial ports, and more.

The primary difference here is, Apple Filing Protocol is a macOS network protocol used for sharing files among servers and clients. In contrast, Server Message Block is a network protocol used by Windows-based computers.