People that know me, know that I’ve mainly been working with Microsoft my whole life. Lately however, I’ve been working with an Apple MacBook Pro with OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion however and I intend to  enough knowledge and experience to get the following certifications:

• Apple Certified Associate – Mac Integration 10.8
• Apple Certified Support Professional (ACSP) 10.8
• Apple Certified Technical Coordinator (ACTC) 10.8

So keep an eye on my blog if you want to learn more about Apple’s Mac OS X and its certifications. Read more about other Apple certifications on their Training and Certification page.

The “Mac Integration Basics 10.8 Exam”

For people new to Mac and OS X, Apple offers the Associate certification for Mac Integration. This covers OS X basics and describes options to integrate OS X into an existing (Windows) environment. The exam costs $65 and can be taken online.

Even though the guide that Apple provides isn’t that big to begin with, I decided to summarize it anyways. I hope it is useful to someone else as well.

Also if you want to get more in-depth knowledge about OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, check out this great book: Apple Pro Training Series: OS X Support Essentials. Before purchasing, you might also want to look for coupon codes as it might save you 30% off or more.

Notes / summary for the “Mac Integration Basics 10.8 Exam”

• Configuring Mac to use network account is called binding.
  • Bind to AD: System Preferences, Users & Groups, Login Options, Join, plus icon “+”, enter AD Server, Client Computer ID, AD Admin User, AD Admin Password, OK.
  • Bind to Open Directory/LDAP: System Preferences, Users & Groups, Login Options, Join, plus icon “+”, enter LDAP server, OK. If not SSL connection, you can cancel or continue.
• Using network accounts
  • When a Mac is connected to a directory server, you can log in using network user account by choosing other in the login screen.
    • For AD, the user name can be in these formats: username, username@domain.com, domain\username.
• File sharing
  • Connecting to File Server
    • Supports file servers using AFP, SMB/CIFS, NFS, WebDAV and FTP protocols.
    • Use Finder
      • Finder, sidebar (Shared), All
      • Finder, Go, Network
      • Finder, Go, Connect To Server, enter server address or browse.
        • smb://dnsname/sharename
        • ftp:// , ftps:// , afp:// , smb://, nfs:// , http:// , https://
        • Can add servers to favourites.
        • Can connect to recent servers.
  • Personal File Sharing
    • Turn on file sharing in System Preferences.
      • Consider using a special file-sharing account.
      • By default, administrator has full access, others read only.
    • Select folders to share: System Preferences, Sharing, File Sharing:
      • Beneath the Shared Folders box, click the plus “+” icon and add the folder you want to share.
        • By default, your use will get Read & Write, while Staff and Everyone will get Read Only permissions.
        • You can modify this using the plus “+” and minus “-” icon beneath Users:
          • Select from Users & Groups, Network Users, Network Groups, Person from contacts (have to create password) or create a New Person
    • Enable both AFP (Apple Filing Protol) and SMB (Sever Message Block) sharing:
      • System Preferences, Sharing, File Sharing, Options, “Share files and folders using SMB (Windows)” and/or “Share files and folders using AFP”.
        • By default, “Share files and folders using AFP” is enabled.
        • When sharing using SMB, you need to enable it for specific accounts and enter the password for each account. This is because sharing files with some computers requires storing the Windows user’s account password in this computer in a less secure manner.
          • Consider creating account just for sharing and
          • Consider disabling Windows user’s account when they’re not in use by deselecting it in the share option.
            • Disable the account before turning off file sharing, otherwise the password is still active and stored in a less-secure manner.
• Mail, Contacts & Calendars
  • Mail, Contacts & Calendars Preferences in System Preferences to quickly set up.
    • List of accounts
    • Add (+) and Remove (-) applications/services
    • Configure applications/services
  • Email
    • Connecting to Exchange Server (2007 SP1 or later)
      • If Exchange Autodiscover is enabled, you only have to enter your e-mail address and password.
      • If Exchange Autodiscover is not enabled, configure manually:
        • Mail, File, Add Account (or +).
        • Enter user information.
        • Choose Exchange from account type.
        • Enter description.
        • Enter FQDN of Exchange Client Access Server (CAS).
        • Ensure Contacts and Calendar checkboxes selected to auto setup.
        • Continue.
      • To access Exchange externally, Exchange Web Services (EWS) needs to be enabled and port 443 needs to be enabled.
    • Connecting to non Exchange (POP, IMAP, SMTP servers)
      • POP and IMAP is used to access messages on mail server.
      • SMTP is used to send messages.
      • Auto Configure Mail to connect to common email services:
        • Start Mail.
        • If the “Welcome to Mail” assistant doesn’t appear, go to File, Add Account.
        • Enter full name, email address, password.
        • Create.
      • Manually configure Mail to connect to common email services
        • Start Mail.
        • If the “Welcome to Mail” assistant doesn’t appear, go to File, Add Account.
        • Enter full name, email address, password.
        • Choose proper account type (POP, IMAP, Exchange, Exchange IMAP).
        • Enter description.
        • Enter Incoming Mail Server, User Name and password.
        • If prompted, enter Incoming Mail Security settings , continue
        • Enter description Outgoing Mail Server.
        • If necessary select “Use Authentication” and enter user name and password , continue.
        • If prompted, enter Outgoing Mail Security settings.
        • Verify Account Summary, then “Take account online”
  • Contacts
    • Auto configure for use with Exchange by following Mail configuration steps.
    • Manually configure (also when not using Mail)
      • Open Contacts
      • Contacts, Preferences, Accounts.
      • Press plus icon “+”, choose account type (CardDAV, Exchange, LDAP, iCloud, Yahoo!), enter Name, Email address and Password, Create.
        • Contacts account assistant searches directory services for an account that matches the information you provided and uses settings from the found account to create your new Contact account.
        • If Contacts can’t complete the process, it displays Account Settings pane where you can enter more detailed information.
          • To manually display Account Settings pane, hold Option key while moving pointer over Create button, click when label changes to Continue.
            • Works only for Exchange contacts.
  • Calendars
    • Real-time availability of coworkers and conference rooms in Global Address List (GAL), names auto completion when inviting people to meetings, send, receive and reply to meeting invitations.
    • Calendar can be auto setup for use with Exchange as part of Mail configuration.
    • Manually add Exchange account in Calendar
      • Calendar, Preferences, Accounts, Add (+), Account Type: Exchange. Enter full name, Email address and Password. Create.
    • Manually add Google Calendar account in Calendar
      • Calendar, Preferences, Accounts, Add (+), Account Type: Google. Enter Email address and Password. Create.
        • After Calendar creates the Google account, you can choose to also selectively set up: Mail, Notes, Messages.
    • Test using Calendar, Refresh All.
• Security
  • User account security
    • Create a strong password. Password Assistant is included to check password strength or generate strong password for you.
    • Locking the Computer Screen
      • Enable using: System Preferences, Security & Privacy, General, “Require password <x time> after sleep or screen saver begins”.
      • Lock using by example:
      • Control+Shift+Eject for lock (screen off)
      • If fast user switching is enabled, click the user account name in the top right corner and choose Login WIndow.
      • Configuring keychain to show in menu bar and choose lock screen from there.
    • Disable automatic login : System Preferences, Users & Groups, Login Options, make sure Automatic Logon is set to Off.
  • Home folder permissions
  • Encryption (FileVault 2)
    • Uses government approved 128-bit AES encryption.
    • Enable/disable from System Preferences, Security & Privacy, FileVault. Enable users for FileVault (if user is not enabled, a FileVault enabled user is required to startup initially).
    • When initially configured, you get a recovery key you can use if the password is forgotten. If you don’t have either the login password or the recovery key, your data will be lost.
      • Optionally you can store the recovery key with Apple. Apple support will provide you with an encoded recovery key for which you need to enter the answers to three security settings you provided earlier.
    • If FileVault 2 enabled, other security features also turned on to ensure security.
      • Password required to log in after sleep and to exit screensaver.
      • After initial startup, only users enabled in FileVault will be able to log in, other users need an administrator to log in first.
  • Firmware password
    • Prevents unauthorized users from booting Mac from external hard disk, optical media, USB.
    • Set by holding down Option key while booting, select Recovery HD, Utilities, Firmware Password Utility, Turn On Firmware Password, enter password.
    • Setting the Firmware Password prevents unauthorized users from using any startup-interrupt keyboard shortcuts.
    • You can still boot from another startup disk if you hold the Option key when you start the Mac and enter the correct password.
    • When the Firmware Password is lost:
      • Many Mac models before 2010 allow for the Firmware Password to be reset by removing some of the system memory. Then restart the Mac while holding the Command-Option-P-R keys.
      • For Mac models of 2010 or later you need to visit an Apple Authorized Service provider to clear the firmware password.
  • Anti-Virus
    • Virusses are uncommon in OS X, but especially when exchanges files with other operating systems it may be desirable to install 3rd party anti-virus software.
  • OS X offers multilayer defense system against viruses and malicious applications using:
    • Sandboxing (restricts what a program is allowed to do).
    • Library Randomization (memory location is randomized to prevent prediction and misuse of specific location of memory)
    • Execute Disable
    • Gatekeeper (configure allowed Applications based on their origin)
      • System Preferences, Security & Privacy, General, Allow applications downloaded from : Mac App Store, Mac App Store and identified developers or Anyhere.
      • Override blocking behaviour of Gatekeeper, Control+click an application, Open.
        • Once you’ve opened an application this way, it will be considered an exception and will open normally.
    • Scripts, web archives and Java archives can harm your system. An alert appears when you first try to open these files.
  • Network security
    • Firewall
      • System Preferences, Security & Privacy, Firewall, Turn On FireWall.
        • Firewall Options include:
          • Block all incoming connections
          • Automatically allow signed software to receive incoming connections (default)
          • Enable stealth mode (don’t respond/acknowledge attempts to access computer from the network by applications using ICMP, such as Ping).
    • VPN access services
      • System Preferences, Network, plus icon “+”, select VPN as interface, select desired VPN Type and enter Service Name. Configure options.
      • Options vary for each VPN type and include, but are not limited to
        • Authentication options
          • User Authentication
            • Password
            • RSA SecurID
            • Certificate
            • Kerberos
            • CryptoCard
          • Machine Authentication
            • Shared Secret
            • Certificate
              • Group Name (Optional)
      • OS X includes VPN support out-of-the-box for:
        • L2TP over IPsec (UDP 1701)
        • Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol – PPTP (TCP 1723)
        • Cisco IPSec (UDP 4500)
      • VPN is easiest to configure using configuration profile. See Profiles.
      • VPN status icon can be shown in the menu bar and can also be used to establish a VPN connection.
      • Options vary for each VPN type.
• Printing from OS X Computer
  • Download the latest information about printer software from Apple using System Preferences, Software Update.
  • Configure printers
    • Set up an USB, Wifi, Bluetooth printer
      • Connect printer to computer (USB cable, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth)
        • Ensure Wi-Fi, Bluetooth is enabled on the Mac.
      • For most USB printers, printer is added automatically. If not, then get driver from manufacturer.
    • Printing to a Network Printer
      • Can connect to network printers that use Bonjour, IP, Open Directory and shared printers.
        • Select File, Print from within any application, then click the Printer drop-down box:
          • Beneath the heading “Nearby” it should show discovered network printers in your environment if there are any.
          • Add Printer manually
            • Used to add Default, Fax, IP, Windows (SMB shared) printers.
            • IP Printers supported protocols are Internet Printing Protocol (IPP), Line Printer Daemon (LPD) and HP Jetdirect (Socket).
          • Modify Print & Scan Preferences. Duplex, paper tray, default paper size.
            • If printer uses AirPrint, its features are determined automatically and you can’t turn features on/off.
  • Share printer
    • Can share directly attached printer with another Mac or UNIX computer.
      • Can’t share with Windows computers.
      • Requires OS X 10.4 or later.
    • System Preferences, Sharing, Printer Sharing, Add printers and permissions.
      • By default, Everyone can use it.
• Instant Messaging
  • Messages is the OS X instant messaging application.
    • Includes support for iMessage, AIM, Jabber, Yahoo! and Google talk.
      • Jabber uses XMPP (eXtensible Messaging and Presence Protocol).
      • Also supports Bonjour to discover fellow Messages users on network.
      • iMessage is Apple’s secure messaging service on Mac, iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
        • Requires iOS 5 or later.
        • Requires Apple ID.
    • Support H264/AVC codec for video chat.
  • Configuring Messages
    • Open messages, “Welcome to Messages” wizard, continue, add accounts.
  • Chat on your local network using Bonjour (TCP 5298).
    • Using Bonjour you send messages directly to another Mac user on the local network without an intermediate messaging server.
    • Beware, names shown in Bonjour are based on the person’s Me card in the Contacts app and my not be the person’s actual name.
    • Turn of Bonjour messaging: Messages, Preferences, Accounts, Bonjour, deselect “Enable Bonjour instant messaging”.
    • If connected to internet using cable modem, you may see other Messages users.
• Data Management and Backup
  • Migrating data using:
    • Migration Assistant
      • Windows Migration Assistant available as well.
      • Transfer user accounts, user data, mails and mail settings.
    • Copy to external storage
    • Copy to mail (small amount of data only)
  • Backing up data
    • Backuping up data with Time Machine
      • Backup to internal disk (non startup disk)
      • Backup to external disk (firewire, thunderbolt, usb, eSata)
      • Backup to server
        • Requires OS X 10.5.6 or later on cient and Server.
        • Requires Apple File Protocol (AFP) file sharing.
        • Mount share, then System Preferences, Time Machine, Select Disk, choose the share, Use Backup Disk.
• Cross-Platform Compatibility
  • Cross-platform application examples
    • Exchange 2007 SP1 and later are supported.
    • Native version of Microsoft Office
    • Adobe Suite
    • FileMaker
    • QuickBooks
  • Cross-platform file types (Office files, PDFs, images, text files, music files, video files, zip)
  • Mac applications that support Windows files include:
    • Pages, imports Word and other Windows text formats.
    • Numbers, imports Excel, CSV, etc.
    • Keynote, imports PowerPoint presentations.
    • QuickTime compatible applications, import .avi video and .wav audio.
  • Running Windows on a Mac
    • Boot Camp
      • Run Windows directly on the hardware.
        • Full performance.
      • Requires seperate disk or partition.
        • Existing disk can be repartitioned to create space for the Windows installation.
      • Always download the latest Windows support software from Apple.
      • For installation requires blank CD, DVD or FAT formatted USB disk.
    • Virtualization (VMware Fusion / Parallels Desktop)
      • Run Windows virtualized.
        • Decreased performance.
      • Does not require seperate disk or partition.