Specifications
Setting Up a Primary Domain Controller (PDC)
Using Server Admin, you can set up Mac OS X Server as a Windows PDC. The PDC hosts
a Windows domain and provides authentication services to other domain members,
including authentication for domain login on Windows workstations.
If no domain member server is available, the PDC server can provide Windows le and
print services and it can host user proles and home folders for users who have user
accounts on the PDC.
Important: When setting up Mac OS X Server as a PDC, make sure your network
doesn’t have another PDC with the same domain name. To set up more domain
controllers, make them backup domain controllers (BDCs).
When authenticating, use an LDAP directory administrator account. You can’t use
a local administrator account, such as the primary server administrator account
(user ID 501).
To set up a Windows PDC:
1 Make sure the server is an Open Directory master.
To determine whether a server is an Open Directory master, open Server Admin,
click the triangle at the left of the server, select Open Directory in the expanded list
of services, then click Overview.
The rst line of status information states the role of the Open Directory server.
2 Open Server Admin and connect to the server.
3 Click Settings, then click Services
4 Select the SMB checkbox, then click Save.
5 Click the triangle at left of the server.
The list of services appears.
6 From the Servers list, select SMB.
7 Click Settings, then click General.
8 From the Role pop-up menu, choose Primary Domain Controller (PDC), then enter
the following:
 Description: If you want, create a description. This description appears in the Network
Places window on Windows computers and is optional.
 Computer Name: Enter the name you want Windows users to see when they connect
to the server. This is the server’s NetBIOS name. The name should contain no more
than 15 characters, no special characters, and no punctuation.
If practical, make the server name match its unqualied DNS host name. For
example, if your DNS server has an entry for your server as “server.example.com,”
give your server the name “server.”
84 Chapter 5 Setting Up Open Directory Services