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Session videos from Jamf Nation User Conference 2022 now available
Jamf has posted the session videos for Jamf Nation User Conference 2022, including the video for my Running Jamf Pro at Scale, from SAP with session. For those interested, all of the the JNUC 2022...
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Creating a NexThink installer for deployment via Jamf Pro
A while back, I had to build an installer for NexThink Collector which could be deployed via Jamf Pro. NexThink can be interesting to deploy because the installation process: Involves an application...
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Creating a NexThink uninstaller for deployment via Jamf Pro
As a follow-up to my previous post on building an installer for NexThink Collector which could be deployed via Jamf Pro, I also needed to build an uninstaller for this software. Fortunately, NexThink...
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Using AutoPkg to build installers for Palo Alto’s GlobalProtect VPN software
As part of some recent testing, I needed to do some work with Palo Alto’s GlobalProtect VPN software. Palo Alto provides an installer package for GlobalProtect, but it has some interesting...
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When does the upgrade to macOS Ventura need admin rights?
Upgrading to macOS Ventura from macOS Monterey or earlier seems like it should be a straightforward process. 1. Open System Preferences 2. Click on Software Update. 3. If the macOS Ventura upgrade is...
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Identifying Mac laptops and desktops from the command line by checking for a...
Every so often, it may be necessary for Mac admins to deploy a script that can apply different settings to Mac desktops and laptops. A good example may be using the pmset command to apply Energy Saver...
View ArticleApple Device Management Second Edition book available for pre-order from Amazon
As mentioned previously, Charles Edge and I are releasing a new Second Edition of our Apple Device Management book. I’m delighted to announce it’s available for pre-ordering on Amazon via the link...
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Granting Volume Owner status on Apple Silicon Macs
macOS on Apple Silicon Macs includes a concept known as volume ownership. You must be a volume owner to perform the following tasks on an Apple Silicon Mac: Make changes to startup security policy for...
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Creating a sysdiagnose file using Activity Monitor
The sysdiagnose tool is used for gathering a large amount of diagnostic files and logging, and it’s often very useful when it comes to figuring out why a problem is happening. However, it can sometimes...
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macOS Ventura 13.3 alters expected behavior for Finder’s Open With...
I’m a frequent user of macOS’s Open With functionality, where I can control-click on a file and select what app I want to open the file with. Among the files I’m used to doing this with are installer...
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Migrating an APNS certificate from one Apple ID to another Apple ID
As part of a recent change, I needed to migrate an APNS certificate from being associated with one Apple ID to now being associated with another Apple ID. Apple has a KBase article available which...
View ArticleUsing the plutil command line tool to work with JSON on macOS Monterey and later
One of the issues Mac admins may face is working with JSON files as part of shell scripting. There are several solutions to this problem, including using the third-party jq command line tool and...
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Using Script2Pkg to create payload-free installer packages
Payload-free packages are something I’ve discussed from time to time, as I’ve found them to be very useful additions to my Mac admin toolkit. For those not familiar with the concept, payload-free...
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Setting user-level global preferences in a macOS configuration profile
When managing user settings with a profile, you often need to define what the preference domain is in order to specify which settings to manage. Usually you can check the CFBundleIdentifier of an...
View Article20 years of Der Flounder
I noticed that I first wrote an entry on this blog twenty years ago. I figured that deserved some commemoration and recognition. The blog started out as a personal blog (as evidenced by its early...
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Downloading installer packages from Jamf Pro when no other options are available
Every so often, Mac admins who administer Jamf Pro may run into a situation like this: They need an installer package For Reasons. That installer package is only stored on their Jamf Pro server. They...
View ArticleAutoPkg recipes for NexThink Collector
A while back, I posted about how to build an installer for NexThink Collector, but my preference is to not do manual packaging if I can avoid it. Instead, my preference is to have AutoPkg handle...
View ArticleWWDC 2023 notes
This week, like 2020, 2021 and 2022, I’m attending Apple’s WWDC 2023 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...
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Booting into macOS Recovery in UTM on Apple Silicon Macs
On Apple Silicon Macs, VMware Fusion does not yet support running macOS in a VM, so on my Apple Silicon Macs I have switched from using Fusion to using UTM for running macOS VMs. One feature missing...
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Manually triggering MDM profile renewal with Jamf Pro
When you enroll a Mac with Jamf Pro, the first profile the Mac receives is named MDM Profile. It is valid for two years. After two years, the MDM profile is supposed to automatically renew but...
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