Tec(h)tonic

Insights into building a solid I.T. foundation in the mid-size business world.

Tag: Mac OS X

  • Joining Macs systems to Active Directory

    My current job has me working in an (almost) all-Mac desktop environment. However, we’re in the curious position of running a predominantly Windows-based backend (precipitated by our use of MS Exchange Server). For obvious reasons (password expiration being a big one), it makes some sense to join the Macs to Active Directory, yet it took…

  • Restoring Apple Hardware Test

    If you find that you’re unable to boot your Mac in to Apple Hardware Test (by holding down the ‘D’ key during startup), you can restore it by downloading the correct version for your system here and then copying the hidden /System/Library/Coreservices/.diagnostics directory to the same location on your system. Also! Just discovered the Internet Recovery tool,…

  • NetExtender and Mac OS X 10.9

    My office is protected by a SonicWALL firewall device, necessitating the use of their NetExtender client app for SSL-based VPN connectivity. Unfortunately, the introduction of Mac OS X 10.9 wreaked havoc with that app’s functionality. SonicWALL isn’t exactly doing a great job of keeping their utility apps up-to-date and NetExtender is a perfect example. The…