Apple Mac OS X Server (version 10.2.3 or later) - Manual (Page 298)

298 Chapter 6
The overrides described above do not apply to settings in the Items pane of the Applications
preference, the Dock Items pane, the Printer List pane, or the Login Items pane. For these
settings, a user’s final settings are a combinations of settings for the user, the computer being
used, and the group chosen at login. This is what we call an “additive” result. The Printing
preference is useful for illustrating an additive result. For example, the final list of printers
available to a user is a combination of the computer printer list, the group printer list, and
the user’s printer list.
In some cases, you may find it easier and more useful to set certain preferences for only one
type of record. For example, you could set printer preferences only for computers, set
application preferences only for workgroups, and set Dock preferences only for users. In
such a case, no override or addition occurs for these preferences because the user inherits
them without competition.
Preference Management Options
When you manage preferences for a user, group, or computer account, you can choose to set
the preferences once, always, or never using radio buttons in the management bar.
Managing a Preference Once
If you want to manage a preference initially for users, but allow them to make changes if they
have that privilege, select Once in the management bar. When a user logs in, preference files
in his or her home directory are updated with any preferences that are managed “once.”
These preference files are time stamped. If you update settings for a preference that is
managed once, Workgroup Manager applies the most recent version to the user’s preference
files the next time he or she logs in.
For some preferences, such as Classic preferences or Media Access preferences, Once is not
available. You can only select Never or Always.
Always Managing a Preference
You can force preference settings for a user by selecting Always in the management bar. The
next time the user logs in, the preference settings are those chosen by the administrator. A
user cannot change a preference that is always managed, even if he or she is allowed access
to that preference (for example, by using settings in the System Preferences pane of
Workgroup Manager’s Application preferences to make the preference visible to the user).
Never Managing a Preference
If you don’t want to manage settings for a preference, select Never in the management bar.
For a preference to be completely unmanaged, the management setting for that preference
must be set to Never at the user, group, and computer level. If you provide users with access
to an unmanaged preference, they can change settings as they wish.
“Never” is the default setting for all preferences.
LL0395.Book Page 298 Wednesday, November 20, 2002 11:44 AM