Adding login items to an existing Netboot image

I have an existing Netboot image that works fine. There is a default user account set to automatically log in and that user has a couple of login items that execute as expected. I want to add a Terminal command (myfile.command) as yet another login item for that user.

 

For my first attempt I tried disabling the image on the server, unlocking it (get info on the file, click the lock button), mounting it, adding the command file, and then editing the ‘loginwindow.plist’ file using Property List Editor. I then un-mounted the image, re-locked it, re-enabled it, and had the client boot to it again. The result was almost what I wanted: the command file was there and a login item had been added, but the type was ‘unknown’ instead of TerminalShellScript. It had not executed at login.

 

My next thought was that it had not worked because there was no ‘AliasData’ entry for that login item. On the client computer I then removed the old login item, added a new one for the command, and then copied the loginwindow.plist file from the client to my server. That new loginwindow.plist file had the AliasData filled out for the command item. I then went through the whole process above again, but this time I replaced the loginwindow.plist file with my copy from the client.

 

Upon rebooting the client all my login items are gone. The entries have disappeared. The command file still exists however. It’s almost as if login window saw that the file had been modified and decided it was going to create a new, fresh version of its preferences. Back on the server side I can clearly see that the loginwindow.plist file I expect, the one with all the entries in it, still resides on the Netboot image.

 

Does this ring any bells for others? What do I need to do to add a new login item? I’d really like to avoid needing to reimage a machine, add the login item, and then creating an entirely new Netboot image just for the one modification.

 

Thanks!

-Andy K