Move home directory to local server

[DB10101]

I have a 2014 Mac mini set up in my coat closet as a headless file server. I installed a 1tb SSD, so it has a good deal of storage, but it's only got 4gb RAM, so it's too slow to use as a desktop.

Instead, I use a 2018 Mac mini as my office computer. But that machine only has 128 Gb SSD. It gets overstuffed every month or so, even though I have it set to store everything in iCloud. The 2014 is logged in to the same account and set to store it all locally, so right now everything goes up to iCloud from my desktop, and then back down to my server's hard drive. It's an inefficient and inelegant solution.

I noticed the other day the "Network Account Server" option in the Users preference pane, and was wondering whether I could configure the 2018 so that when I login as (User 1), it has the home directory on the server instead of on the desktop SSD? Can that be done, and how?

 

[DB10101]

Looks like this thread has a pretty up-to-date answer:

Home Folders on MacOS Server 5.11.1

I have been running a Mac lab at the school I teach at, and have been using MacOS Server 5.7.1 to create student accounts and store all of my students files on a 2012 Mac Pro running High Sierra with numerous 2011 27" iMacs with El Capitan and High Sierra as client computers. That Mac Pro has...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[DJLC]

You've certainly seen my reply on that other thread, but the quick answer is no. This is no longer supported in macOS.

You may be able to kludge it into working still, but it's not something I'd want to rely on.

 

[Altemose]

@DB10101 Networked home folders are quickly being deprecated especially as enterprise organizations move away from centralized file servers and roaming profiles in favor of alternative options (such as OneDrive). What you could do is setup the 2014 as a file server with dedicated shares, but that will require more thought when interacting with files day to day as well as require a separate backup method (if the data is critical).