You can use Workgroup ManagerAn administration tool that provides centralized directory-based management of users, groups, and computers across an organization. to deploy preferences and define privileges by user, by group, or by computer. You can also use it to perform a broad range of other workgroup management functions. It can deploy preferences either before or after users begin to work with Messenger because you can manage individual preferences in a .plist file without disrupting other settings in the same file. Workgroup Manager does not deploy whole .plist files; instead, it updates .plist files on users' computers by writing individual key/value pairsA specifier that consists of two data elements: one (the key) uniquely identifies a parameter; the second (the value) sets a value for that parameter..

When you customize preferences, the customized .plist files are stored in the home folder of the administrator account that you used to log in for that session. When you are ready to deploy these customized preferences, you must log in with that same administrator account because Workgroup Manager deploys the preference settings of the administrator who is currently logged in.

For information about Workgroup Manager, see Client Management in the Mac OS X Server area of the Apple Web site (www.apple.com/server). For detailed information about managing preferences with Workgroup Manager, see the Mac OS X Server User Management documentation available for download from the Apple Web site (www.apple.com/server/documentation).

You can create a special .pkg file specifically to deploy preferences. You can use Apple Remote Desktop to deploy this .pkg file to the home folders on users' computers. Or you can make the file available for users to copy from a file server.

For information about Apple Remote Desktop, see Apple Remote Desktop Administrator's Guide on the Apple Web site at http://www.apple.com/remotedesktop.