Kevin M. White - Apple Training Series: Mac OS X Support Essentials v10.6: A Guide to Supporting and Troubleshooting Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard

Apple Training Series: Mac OS X Support Essentials v10.6
Kevin M. White
Copyright 2010 by Apple Inc.

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Apple Training Series Editor: Rebecca Freed
Production Editors: Danielle Foster, Becky Winter
Copyeditor: Peggy Nauts
Tech Editor: Gordon Davisson
Apple Editor: Shane Ross
Proofreader: Suzie Nasol
Compositor: Danielle Foster
Indexer: Valerie Perry
Cover design: Mimi Heft
Cover illustrator: Kent Oberheu

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The information in this book is distributed on an As Is basis without warranty. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of the book, neither the author nor Peachpit shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the instructions contained in this book or by the computer software and hardware products described in it.

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ISBN 13: 978-0-321-63534-1
ISBN 10: 0-321-63534-5

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This book is dedicated to my new best friend and son, Logan Michael White.

In addition to the amazing Peachpit staff members who were instrumental in completing this work, I would like to thank the development team for their hard work: Shane Ross, Patrick Gallagher, and Gordon Davisson. Additional thanks go to John Signa, Tilla Torrens, Jason Deraleau, Tommy Hann, Schoun Regan, Arek Dreyer, Simon Wheatley, Brian Gupton, and the Blue Man Guild. Finally, I could not have made this journey without the support of my family and loving wife, Michelle.

This book is based on the same criteria used for Apples official training course, Mac OS X Support Essentials 10.6, an in-depth exploration of troubleshooting on Mac OS X. It serves as a self-paced tour of the breadth of functionality of Mac OS X and the best methods for effectively supporting users of Mac OS X systems.

The primary goal is to prepare help desk specialists, technical coordinators, service technicians, system administrators, and others who support Macintosh users to knowledgeably address customer concerns and questions. This includes the ability to return a Mac OS X computer to normal operation using the proper utilities, resources, and troubleshooting techniques.

Whether you are an experienced system administrator or just want to dig deeper into Mac OS X v10.6, youll learn in-depth technical information and procedures used by Apple-certified technicians to install, configure, maintain, and diagnose Macintosh computers running Mac OS X.

This book assumes a basic level of familiarity with Mac OS X. Unless otherwise specified, all references to Mac OS X refer to Mac OS X version 10.6.0, which was the most current version available at the time of writing. Due to subsequent upgrades, some screen shots, features, and procedures may be slightly different from those presented on these pages.

This book is based on lectures and exercises provided to students attending Mac OS X Support Essentials 10.6, a three-day, hands-on course that provides an intense and in-depth exploration of how to troubleshoot on Mac OS X. For consistency, we follow the basic structure of the course material, but you may complete it at your own pace.

Each chapter is designed to help experienced users become experts who are able to support other Mac OS X users by:

Providing knowledge of how Mac OS X worksShowing how to use diagnostic and repair tools Explaining troubleshooting and repair procedures

For example, in , youll learn basic networking concepts (knowledge). Youll acquire network configuration and troubleshooting techniques using the Network preferences and Network Utility (tools). And youll explore methods for troubleshooting networking issues (procedures). In addition, each chapter includes troubleshooting techniques for dealing with common issues related to the topic of the chapter.

Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of Mac OS X:

Preparing and partitioning the drive; installing Mac OS X; using the installer log files to verify a successful installation; configuring Mac OS X with the Setup Assistant; updating software with Software Update and Installer; learning tips and techniques for troubleshooting an installation problem.Creating and managing user and administrator accounts; locating directory attributes; implementing security; selecting passwords; managing the keychain; FileVault.Introduction to command-line fundamentals, navigation, and administration tools; using Automator; using AppleScript; and basic command-line scripting.Identifying the file systems supported by Mac OS X; managing file and directory ownership and permissions; using Disk Utility; repairing files; using the command line for file management.Exploring the root volume, file system layout, preferences, frameworks, and file types unique to Mac OS X (i.e., file system metadata and packages); using Spotlight, file archives, and disk images; archiving and restoring data with Time Machine; managing backup data; accessing data outside of Time Machine.Understanding applications supported in Mac OS X, applications created with different developer APIs, the UNIX concept of a process, and the relationship of processes to applications; using tools to monitor and manage processes; setting application preferences; troubleshooting; using Boot Camp.Configuring basic networks; setting up TCP/IP networking, Ethernet, and AirPort; connecting multiple networks; using network locations; isolating and troubleshooting network elements.Connecting to common network resources; enabling network services on a Mac OS X client; accessing AFP, SMB, SSH, FTP, and WebDAV connections; using Bonjour, NetBIOS, and the network browser; sharing files between Macs and Windows; sharing web documents; taking advantage of screen sharing and remote login; using firewalls; isolating sharing issues from network issues; configuring and troubleshooting network directory services.Connecting peripherals to a Macintosh; identifying cabling, connections, and device drivers for common peripherals; managing printers and print jobs; understanding printer PPDs and PDF workflow; learning techniques for isolating cabling, driver, or application issues.Troubleshooting boot issues with a Mac at startup; understanding the phases of the startup process; identifying the active part of the system during each phase; exploring issues that can arise; launching processes automatically with theNext page