Mad, bad and possibly dangerous – a cautionary tale of software installation
In my career, I’ve run across a lot of terrible installers in a variety of forms. The one I ran across today though is noteworthy enough that I want to point it out because of the following reasons:...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Deleting all Jamf Pro policies in a specified category
Every so often, I need to delete a bunch of Jamf Pro policies at once. One convenient way I’ve found to do this is to assign all the policies I want to delete to one category which doesn’t have any...
View ArticleVideos from Penn State MacAdmins Campfire Sessions 2020
The good folks at Penn State have begun posting session videos from the Penn State MacAdmins Campfire Sessions to YouTube. As they become available, you should be able to access them via the link...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Allowing external boot drives for T2-equipped Macs
With WWDC 2020 only a couple of weeks away, a number of folks are preparing to run the new beta version of macOS. While some will choose to go all-in and run the new OS on their main boot drive, others...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Using an Activation Lock bypass code from Jamf Pro to clear Activation Lock...
As part of macOS Catalina, Apple introduced Activation Lock for Macs. As on iOS, Activation Lock is an anti-theft feature designed to prevent activation of a Mac if it’s lost or stolen. Activation Lock...
View ArticleWWDC 2020 notes
This week, I’m attending Apple’s WWDC 2020 conference from the comforts of home. As part of this, I’m taking notes during the labs and session videos. Due to wanting to stay on the right side of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
create_macos_vm_install_dmg updated for macOS Big Sur installer disk images
As part of testing macOS Big Sur 11.0.0, I’ve updated my create_macos_vm_install_dmg script. For more details, please see below the jump. Downloading the script: The create_macos_vm_install_dmg script...
View ArticleEnabling diagnostic logging for Microsoft Outlook 2019
I was recently asked for assistance with a way to enable diagnostic logging for Microsoft Outlook 2019 for macOS: @rtrouton Hi, can you help me with a one liner command to enable outlook logging on...
View ArticlePkgSigner AutoPkg processor updated for Python 3
A while back, I discussed how to incorporate installer package signing into AutoPkg workflows. The PkgSigner processor used in this workflow was originally written by Paul Suh and it uses Apple’s...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Running recoverydiagnose in macOS Recovery
Most Mac admins, especially those who file bug reports or who work with AppleCare Enterprise, are familiar with running the sysdiagnose tool to gather diagnostic information about a Mac they’re working...
View ArticleSpeaking at Jamf Nation User Conference 2020
I’ll be speaking about how SAP transitioned to an at-home workforce this year at Jamf Nation User Conference 2020, which is being held online from September 29th – October 1st, 2020. For those...
View ArticleUninstalling macOS system extensions
With the ongoing change from kernel extensions to system extensions, one new thing Mac admins will need to learn is how to uninstall system extensions. Fortunately, Apple has provided a tool as of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Clearing failed MDM commands on Jamf Pro
For a variety of reasons, MDM commands sent out from an MDM server can fail to run correctly on a Mac. Many times, these MDM commands will not be re-sent unless the failure is cleared. With the failure...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Backing up Jamf Pro Self Service bookmarks
As part of working with Jamf Pro, I prefer to be able to save as much of the existing configuration of it as possible. Normally I can do this via the Jamf Pro Classic API and I have a number of blog...
View Article“Getting Started with Amazon Web Services” encore presentation at MacSysAdmin...
The MacSysAdmin conference, like many conferences in 2020, has moved to an online format for this year. The MacSysAdmin 2020 organizers have also decided to have both sessions that are new for the 2020...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Remotely gathering sysdiagnose files and uploading them to S3
One of the challenges for helpdesks with folks now working remotely instead of in offices has been that it’s now harder to gather logs from user’s Macs. A particular challenge for those folks working...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Extension attributes for Jamf Protect
I’ve started working with Jamf Protect and, as part of that, I found that I needed to be able to report the following information about Jamf Protect to Jamf Pro: Is the Jamf Protect agent installed on...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Detecting kernel panics using Jamf Pro
Something that has (mostly) become more rare on the Mac platform are kernel panics, which are computer errors from which the operating system cannot safely recover without risking major data loss....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Preventing the macOS Big Sur upgrade advertisement from appearing in the...
Not yet ready for macOS Big Sur in your environment, but you’ve trained your folks to look at the Software Update preference pane to see if there’s available updates? One of the ways Apple is...
View ArticleInstalling Rosetta 2 on Apple Silicon Macs
With Apple now officially selling Apple Silicon Macs, there’s a design decision which Apple made with macOS Big Sur that may affect various Mac environments: At this time, macOS Big Sur does not...
View Article