OS X Server: Don't log in to the server with a network user's account

Products Affected

Lion Server, Mac OS X Server 10.3, Mac OS X Server 10.4, Mac OS X Server 10.5, Mac OS X Server 10.6, OS X Server (Mountain Lion)

Symptoms

If a user with a network home directory cannot log in at a client computer, make sure that no one is logging in at the server itself with a network user's account.

Resolution

Avoid logging in to OS X Server (at the Login window) with a network user account whose home directory is hosted on the same server. If the issue has already occurred, restart the server.

Additional Information

When a network user logs out, the volume hosting the user's home directory is immediately unmounted. If a network user logs in on the server itself, the home directory volume is not unmounted until logout, preventing other users from accessing that volume until the server is restarted. This can result in users not being able to log in.

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