Login shows "network accounts unavailable" but I can access server once local user logs in

Question

I am currently setting up a Mac Server using 10.9.1 and have a client also on 10.9.1

When the client boots up I get a popup window next to the Username box that says "Network accounts unavailable" and I cannot login using any of the network accounts created on the server.

When I log into the client using a local user I can see and browse the servers file shares and when I go into System Preferences > Users & Groups > Login Options the Network Account Server is correct with a green light on it and if I go into the Allow network users to log in at login window it shows a list of network users on the client.

It seems the client can only see the server once logged in or network users don't have have permission to login. I have checked the server Users section and all users have Allow user to login ticked.

Any help would be appreciated.

Answer 1

For me, it sometimes takes a moment for the network users to show up. I found that changing the login window from "List of users" to "Name and password" has made it much better for my users. It seemed that most of the wait was for it to load the list or something.

after making the change, clients will sometimes briefly say that network accounts are unavailable, but its usually very, very brief.

Answer 2

I had a similar issue, I was notified by a member of my workplace. I was unable to log in using network accounts but successful when logging in with a local administrator account. Everything seemed fine when I looked at the account preferences. I did the first thing I always do if there is a technical issue, I rebooted the computer. When it rebooted, I saw a brief message pop up from username bar (the computers are set to "Name and password") stating that "Network accounts unavailable". Curious, I still attempted to log in and I was successful. I logged in with several other network accounts afterward and everything worked fine. Not sure if this matters, as the original message was posted last year, but never the less. Try the reboot.