No .pvs file association for Network Users

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hokiebob444

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In one of my new Intel iMac labs, I have installed Parallels in a central /Users/Shared folder which has appropriate permissions for everyone to access. When a network user logs in to the machine, the file associations for Parallels disappear and the user has to manuallly choose the application to open the central .pvs file with. Is this normal and is there an easy way around this? This would be quite a daunting task for every user to perform considering this lab is in a K-5 elementary school. Thanks!
 
You may be able to put the .pvs file on local machines and point them to the shared .hdd, but if more than one user at a time tries to use the same Windows installation, corruption is guaranteed, probably within a few seconds. Copying the entire VM to individual machines would work, but may violate your OS license, especially if more than one copy is in use at any one time.

Maybe it doesn't work because it's a generally bad idea.
 
The entire VM has been copied to each machine and works fine for the local administrator. We are also licensed for Parallels for each of our 25 machines lab machines so we should be covered there as well. The .pvs and .hdd files are shared out with read+write permissions for "Others" as instructed in the User Guide. When a non-local user (network) user logs in, none of the file associations for parallels appear. Both the .hdd and .pvs files are clueless as to what should open them. Do file associations not automatically stick at a machine level, but more of a user level in OS X?
 
Oh dear. The VM *IS* the .pvs and .hdd files. If two people try to use one .hdd file at the same time, corruption is guaranteed. A network user and a local user using the same VM will not work.

The sharing in the manual is not intended as simultaneous. It is intended to allow multiple users on the SAME MACHINE to access a VM. Even on the same machine, it is unlikely to work with fast user switching.

You basically cannot have two users using the same .hdd file at the same time, period. There is no way around this.

Are you trying to have more than one user at a time use the same .hdd file? If it's even possible, even if not intended, you are skating on some pretty thin ice given your school environment and the propensity of kids to forget rules, let alone deliberately ignore them to see what happens. Restoring corrupted files several times a day would cut into my leisure time -- not my idea of fun.

But maybe I'm not understanding what you are trying to accomplish.
 
I suppose I've worded my problem very poorly. I have on each of the 25 machines: an .hdd file, a .pvs file, and of course a legally licensed install of Parallels. When I say that it's in a shared folder, I mean on the local machine and NOT on a server or anything where multiple users would actually attempt to use the same file. All of the VM files are located in /Users/Shared/Parallels on EACH machine. The /Users/Shared/Parallels folder and all subfiles have security settings for Others to "Read and Write" as stated in the manual. Nothing is shared across a network or between machines. All I want is Parallels to work properly for multiple users on the same machine. This is not happening when I attempt it with network users.
If a network user logs into the machine, browses to the /Users/Shared/Parallels folder and looks at the .pvs file, there is no file association with any of the Parallels files. They have to choose the program to open it up with, which is obviously not going to happen with a 1st grader.
Does this clear up the confusion? I'm looking for why the file association does not apply across the board to all users on the machine.
 
I think my problem was "network user" where you apparently mean local user. Do you in fact mean local user?
 
No I actually meant Network User. I have all of my machines bound to an OD server with workgroup accounts set up. The file association appears to work when I create a local user and open the .pvs, however it does not work for a OD workgroup user. Clear as mud?
 
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