Mac OS X v10.6: Active Directory binding lost on network transition (.local domain)

Products Affected

Bonjour, Mac OS X 10.6

Symptoms

If network access is interrupted, a Mac OS X v10.6 client may not be able to reconnect to an Active Directory domain whose name ends in ".local".

Resolution

Lengthen the default timeout for .local name lookups by editing the following file:
/System/Library/SystemConfiguration/IPMonitor.bundle/Contents/Info.plist

The key/value pair is:

<key>mdns_timeout</key>
<integer>2</integer>

The integer value is in seconds; changing it to at least 5 should allow the Mac OS X client to reconnect to the Active Directory domain after a network interruption. In some configurations, a larger timeout value may be required.

You can change this value by using the sudo command and a text editor to edit the preference file directly. Or you can use the Terminal command below, making sure to enter it all on a single line:

sudo /usr/libexec/PlistBuddy -c 'Set :mdns_timeout 5' /System/Library/SystemConfiguration/IPMonitor.bundle/Contents/Info.plist

Additional Information

In some configurations, a larger timeout value such as 10 may be required. Try different values to find the one that works best.

After the file has been updated on one Mac OS X client, you can use an application such as Apple Remote Desktop to copy it to other Mac OS X clients.

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