Mobile Home Sync in a Windows Network - Huge problem, need help

[onserve]

Hi guys,

I'm supporting a Windows network with 25+ Macs in the environment running the most recent version Snow Leopard. Here's how things are set up:

- Computers joined to the domain using Centrify DirectControl (works great so far)
- User Active Directory accounts have a home folder set up on a Windows Server 2008 file server with appropriate file/share permissions.
- Mobile accounts are set up for users on their computers and home sync is enabled in Mobile Account Preferences when the Mobile Accounts were created. My Documents (created folder, not the default "Documents"), Pictures and Desktop are being synced every hour, at login and at logout. FileVault protection is disabled.

Everything was working great (manual syncs, automatic syncs), aside from not being able to get into the Mobile Account Preferences after creating a mobile account. After doing so, trying to go back to that screen to change settings forces System Preferences to close unexpectedly. This is the case for every single Macbook Pro in the environment and I haven't been able to find a fix for it.

That's not my major problem however, I'm assuming I'll be able to change those settings using the Centrify server side software.

Here's the major problem


A week after setting up the computers, I had a user complain that all their synced files were missing. There was nothing on their Desktop, nothing in their Pictures folder and the My Documents folder that was created had disappeared. I checked the server and the files were also gone from the home folder share. I assumed it was an end-user error, checked their Trash and surely enough, the files were there. I was able to recover them and manually sync everything back to the server. Initially I thought that the files/folders were accidentally deleted, then a scheduled sync went off and the files were removed from the server.

Recently, the exact same thing happened to 2 more users and I'm 100% sure it's not coincidence. There's no way that they deleted the exact same files accidentally.

I checked the Windows Server 2008 fileserver and ensured that nothing weird was happening, like antivirus deleting files from the user home directory share.

I'm absolutely cornered here. I've been researching this problem for the last 2 weeks and I can't find ANYTHING at all.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[DustinT]

What did the vendor say about their product?

 

[onserve]

I haven't gone to Centrify yet, since home sync isn't a feature of their product. That's just built into Active Directory and Mobile Account Preferences.

As you probably already know, Centrify is just agent software that better integrates the OS X into a Windows environment. So far, that has been the case.

I didn't have home sync set up before Centrify DirectControl was deployed. I have a feeling that if I go to Centrify, they'll just pass it off as a problem with the OS, and not their software...so they're my last resort if these forums don't work.

 

[MisterMe]

...

Any help would be appreciated.

Moving files to the Trash is not the same as deleting them--not even close. It sounds like there is a configuration error somewhere. File synchronization can have a lot of gotchas. This is the reason that I do not synchronize deleted files. It was probably a bad idea for you to roll-out Centrify DirectControl without being absolutely positively certain what every option does. Before you lose mission-critical files, you need to go through every single option to learn the upside and downside of each choice.

 

[lmcandrew]

Hi,
I work in support at Centrify and we'd like to help with this problem. Can you please send us an email at support@centrify.com and open a case with us. Please mention "MacRumors" in your support email so that we can link you back to this post.

Thanks

Lance from Centrify

 

[onserve]

Thanks Lance, email sent.

The Centrify Express DirectControl software didn't have any real options that would have affected this. It basically just replaces the Active Directory module in Directory Utilities.

I removed each computer from the domain, disabled Active Directory in Directory Utilities, then used Centrify to rejoin to the domain. The only additional option I specified was to use a preferred domain controller, since the one it was using by default will be demoted and removed from the network.

I then logged on to the computer using a domain user account, went to System Preferences > Accounts > Selected user account > Create Mobile account. Within there it allowed me to specify home sync options, including when to sync and what to sync, so this wasn't part of Centrify.

I have Shadow Copies (among other backups) running on the server where the files are being synced to, so if the Trash is ever emptied on a client computer, I can recover everything. It's just a huge inconvenience to both me and users when files go missing out of the blue, especially when the whole selling feature was that they would have files synced to the server so that they never lose them.

 

[mike1dc]

Have you ever been able to get to the bottom of this? I'm experiencing the exact same issue:
Almost entire Documents directories end up deleted after homesync runs.

 

[JRStokes]

Have you ever been able to get to the bottom of this? I'm experiencing the exact same issue:
Almost entire Documents directories end up deleted after homesync runs.

HI Mike,

Please can you let me know if you ever found a resolution, we are seeing this problem develop now and could do with some advice.

Best wishes,
Jon.

 

[JRStokes]

Hi guys,

I'm supporting a Windows network with 25+ Macs in the environment running the most recent version Snow Leopard. Here's how things are set up:

- Computers joined to the domain using Centrify DirectControl (works great so far)
- User Active Directory accounts have a home folder set up on a Windows Server 2008 file server with appropriate file/share permissions.
- Mobile accounts are set up for users on their computers and home sync is enabled in Mobile Account Preferences when the Mobile Accounts were created. My Documents (created folder, not the default "Documents"), Pictures and Desktop are being synced every hour, at login and at logout. FileVault protection is disabled.

Everything was working great (manual syncs, automatic syncs), aside from not being able to get into the Mobile Account Preferences after creating a mobile account. After doing so, trying to go back to that screen to change settings forces System Preferences to close unexpectedly. This is the case for every single Macbook Pro in the environment and I haven't been able to find a fix for it.

That's not my major problem however, I'm assuming I'll be able to change those settings using the Centrify server side software.

Here's the major problem


A week after setting up the computers, I had a user complain that all their synced files were missing. There was nothing on their Desktop, nothing in their Pictures folder and the My Documents folder that was created had disappeared. I checked the server and the files were also gone from the home folder share. I assumed it was an end-user error, checked their Trash and surely enough, the files were there. I was able to recover them and manually sync everything back to the server. Initially I thought that the files/folders were accidentally deleted, then a scheduled sync went off and the files were removed from the server.

Recently, the exact same thing happened to 2 more users and I'm 100% sure it's not coincidence. There's no way that they deleted the exact same files accidentally.

I checked the Windows Server 2008 fileserver and ensured that nothing weird was happening, like antivirus deleting files from the user home directory share.

I'm absolutely cornered here. I've been researching this problem for the last 2 weeks and I can't find ANYTHING at all.

Any help would be appreciated.

Hi there,

Please can you let me know if you ever found a resolution, we are seeing this problem develop now and could do with some advice.

Best wishes,
Jon.