Understanding and Using NetInfo: Margin Notes comments

We have finally read through Apple's recently posted PDF document titled: "Understanding and Using NetInfo" (see previous item). It offers a very good introduction to what the NetInfo database is used for and what you can do with NetInfo Manager - as well as with UNIX commands that manipulate the database.

Essentially, the document explains that the entire NetInfo system is most valuable to network administrators that need to create and manage more complex network hierarchies than can be accomplished via OS X client's limited Users System Preference. In many cases, the true power of the system is only accessible if you have Mac OS X Server.

As such, we once again have a mixed reaction to the presence of NetInfo Manager with Mac OS X client. On the one hand, we suspect that its inclusion represents the fact that there are still some things that an end user might wish or need to do that cannot yet be done without this tool. For that, we welcome that Apple has thus provided an option to get these things done.

On the other hand, we know that the typical Mac user will never want to use NetInfo Manager. It's a bit of overkill to even supply a tool to end users that is really targeted for OS X Server administrators. It's the sort of thing that can scare end users off, confirming that OS X is "more difficult" than it really is. As OS X matures, we hope the day will come when NetInfo Manager can be dropped from the OS X client, because everything you would need to do with it can be done more easily with more user-friendly software.

For now, we are glad Manager is here and will continue to explore its uses (some of which we have already discussed here at MacFixIt; try a search to see). We hope to report back with some findings in the near future.

[See our previous Margin Notes: Mac OS X 10.0: A second look and Margin Notes: Mac OS X 10.0: A MacFixIt Perspective for related more general comments.]