Cannot login without network connection

[mormegil27]

I'm looking for help with login to a MacBook pro with retina display (machine is only a few months old) running OS X 10.9.5. Please note that I am neither a networking expert nor mac expert, so I do not know the correct protocol to use to ask this question.

My organization has a network administrator who sets up all the mac machines, and patches are pushed via the administrator when physically connected to the organization servers. I have a local user account, but my account does not have administrative privileges.

The problem comes when I attempt to login to my account when away from my organization - it often does not accept my login info even though it is correct. The only way for me to login is to physically take the machine back to work and connect it via network cable back to the organization network. Then it logs on fine. However, sometimes it does accept my info when away from work.

Through trial and error I have found that if I unplug the network cable when the machine is asleep, I can login at home. If I unplug with the machine at desktop, it won't accept the login info next time I login. This is rather strange behavior.

My network administrator intends that I should be able to login regardless of connectivity - and has done many, many things to try to fix this problem but it keeps coming back. I think he has set up a "home use" account, or something like that.

Since the problem has not been solved by my administrator, I am going to attempt to solve it on my own because it is causing me work stoppages.

What further information does the community require for you to help me solve this problem? Please be detailed in your response because I am not a "mac person" - for example, what type-of-account info do you need?

Thank you.

 

[lclev]

I know what the problem is but I am not sure how to fix it. First you don't say what Server software you are using - Windows, Mac, Linux. etc. That makes a difference.

From what I have read, the admin should have set up with a mobile account. Mobile accounts will cache authentication information and managed preferences. A user’s authentication information is maintained on the directory server but is cached on the local computer. With cached authentication information, a user can log in using the same user name and password, even if he or she is not connected to the network. One downfall is if the admin has set a countdown on how many days before a user password expires. This could create issues.

I think what is happening is when you "sleep" the computer it keeps the cache information so you can log back in. I am betting when you shut it completely down or, and I am not sure what you mean by "at desktop", it is clearing the cache with your login information credentials. So that would indicate there is no mobile account or it is not set up right or some other unidentified issue.

A work around would be to make sure to "sleep" the laptop each time if that is working for you until your admin can figure it out.

LIsa

 

[mormegil27]

Lisa, thank you for your response.

I do not know the server platform, I will ask my admin tomorrow. When I said "home use" account, I think I did mean a "mobile account." The account is set up with a password countdown, so this is then likely the problem.

What I meant by "at desktop" - when I finish work for the day I typically yank the physical ethernet cord, close the computer and pack up. Sometimes I haven't used the laptop for an hour or two and it has gone to sleep, sometimes I have just been using it and it is "at desktop", i.e. not asleep. So if I pull the ethernet cord without it being asleep, when I get home (it will have then gone to sleep in my bag on the way) it will not let me log on. But if it is already asleep when I pull the cord, I can log on later at home.

I will ask my admin about the perils of the password countdown and see if he knows about the issue.

Thanks again. (To be continued...)