Mobile accounts cache temporary files locally, improving network and individual computer performance. Locally caching files like webpages helps reduce network traffic.
You can also reduce network traffic by carefully planning user sync settings. For information about how to plan sync settings, see “Strategies for Syncing Content” on page 139.
You can manage individual mobile accounts
Like network accounts, you can use Workgroup Manager to manage preferences and set account attributes for individual mobile accounts.
You can manage users with local accounts only if you add a computer to a computer group. This allows you to set management preferences affecting all local accounts for that computer but it doesn’t let you manage individual local accounts. To manage specific local accounts, you must log in to the local computers individually or use Apple Remote Desktop.
Users can access their accounts and files when disconnected from the network
Mobile accounts have two key features that allow users to access their accounts and files when disconnected from the network: cached authentication and portable home directories.
When mobile account users disconnect from the network using cached authentication, they can log in to the mobile account using the local home folder stored on the portable computer or on an external drive using the same login name and password they used when the computer or external drive was last connected.
By contrast, network account users can’t access their accounts when they disconnect from the network. If you change the password for a user remotely, the next time the user connects to the network, he or she must use the new password to authenticate.
For information about portable home directories, see “About Portable Home Directories” on page 132.
Users can recover data if their computers or external drives are lost or damaged
If a user with a mobile account loses or damages his or her portable computer or external drive and logs in using a new computer, the server restores all previously synced files during the next sync.
Considerations for Using Mobile Accounts
Although mobile accounts provide many advantages over local and network accounts, they also have a few specific configuration needs that, if ignored, can create problems for network administrators.
Chapter 8 Managing Portable Computers
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