MacOS – Open Directory and “Local” Logins

macososx-server

In the Windows server world, when you connect a computer to a Domain, you have the option of logging into the computer locally if there are local accounts.

Consider this scenario:
I have a Mac with a local admin username called "localusername." I then set up the Mac to use the local Open Directory Master for logins. I then want to login to the Mac as "localusername."

Is that possible?

Here's a second scenario:
I have a Mac with a local admin username called "spandex." I then set up the Mac to use the local Open Directory Master for logins. I then set up an Open Directory user with the username "spandex." I then want to login to the Mac as the LOCAL instance of "spandex."

Is that possible?

Thanks to everyone!

Best Answer

Are both scenarios possible? Yes, the local node doesn't go away after domain binding. The order in which the Mac looks at bound directory nodes for user accounts is shown graphically in Directory Utility, which can be found in /System/Library/CoreServices as of 10.6+. You'll also notice that even if you set OD to be searched before the default/local node, if the directory is not available(or not cached) you'll login to the local spandex instead of OD's.