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Dana the Sane
Asked: 2012-01-28 08:40:22 +0800 CST

How do I change a user's base dir in OS X

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I'm configuring a OS X Lion based ftp/sftp server, and I want the user for file transfers to land in a specific directory upon login. I'm not sure if it's a good idea to meddle with the home directory as I'm unsure if the absence of directories like ~/Library will cause problems. Unlike Linux, OS X doesn't store the base dir in /etc/passwd for all users.

Does anyone know how to alter the base dir for a user?

ftp mac-osx

1 Answers

  1. Best Answer

    First run dscl . -read /Users/$USERNAME

    Find the entry for NFSHomeDirectory, should read like NFSHomeDirectory: /Users/$USERNAME.

    To change the entry:

    dscl . -change /Users/$USERNAME NFSHomeDirectory $OLD_USER_HOME $NEW_USER_HOME

    Works for shell logins, you may need to copy files from old home dir to the new home dir to allow GUI logins.

    Reference: http://developer.apple.com/library/mac/#documentation/Darwin/Reference/ManPages/man1/dscl.1.html

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