Display A Login Window Banner In Lion [OS X Tips]

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Policy Banner

Many of us manage Mac labs, whether for a school or a community agency, that require users to acknowledge an Acceptable Use policy, or agree to terms about using the computer. Wouldn’t it be great if there was some way to get this to show up on the Mac before a user logged in? Turns out, there is.

The first thing to do is to create a file in TextEdit, detailing all the terms of use. Save that document with the name PolicyBanner. You can save as a plain text file (.txt), a rich text formatted file (.rtf), or a rich text format directory (.rtfd) when you make the banner.

Save the file on your Desktop, then head over to your Library folder, located at the root level of your hard drive, and find the Security folder. Copy the banner file to the Security folder, as you won’t be able to save it there directly. You’ll be asked to enter your admin name and password when you drag the banner to the Security folder.

Once you’ve done that, log out of your Mac, and you’ll see the document you made, along with an Accept button at the bottom of the window. Click on the button, and you’ll get the standard Login window that you know and love.

[Source: Apple, via Mac OS X Tips]

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