iCloud, Spotlight & Login Window issues with JSS 9.9+ & the Security & Privacy profile payload

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Recently, myself & a few folks have been dealing with issues from profiles deployed via the JSS.

Kitzy has a workaround for the issues affecting 9.82 & screen savers asking for passwords, here.

This was seemingly fixed in 9.9, but other issues have since cropped up & I’ve detailed them below.

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Google Chrome 50 OS Requirement Changes

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Chrome50

Earlier today, Google Chrome 50 was released. With this release, there are some changes to the platforms that Google Chrome is supported on.

Below is some detail on this, & how it could affect you.

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KeRanger ransomware, an attempt at detection & removal via the JSS

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Screenshot 2016-03-07 14.31.40

Transmission is a popular BitTorrent client for Mac, over the weekend it emerged that a version of their app available from the projects website had been swapped with another version.

This version contained the KeRanger ransomware, this seems to be the first functioning example of ransomware affecting OS X.

Below is more information, as well as a script that should alert or clean up affected Macs.

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Making Downloaded JSS Configuration Profiles Readable

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If you manually download a Configuration Profile from the JSS, you’ll see that the profile largely reads as gobbledegook.

Luckily a couple of bash commands later & you’ll have a readable profile.

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JSS Setting Software Update Server To http://:/index.sucatalog

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Recently we found that the JSS was setting our clients Software Update Catalog URL to http://:/index.sucatalog.

Well, as detailed previously, we moved from using Software Update servers to Caching.

The move to caching servers actually meant I shot myself in the foot some & caused my own issue. JAMF Support got me things sorted & below is how & my guess work as to what was happening.

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Using Imagr with the Casper Suite

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Imagr may be the new kid on the Mac imaging block, but for those of us using the Casper Suite it can offer an alternative imaging method with little extra effort.

The post expands upon the above, explaining the niche use cases for Imagr for those of us using the Casper Suite

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Making the most of the Mac Mini for use with the Casper Suite

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MacMini

With the death of the Xserve & subsequent killing off of the MacMini server many Mac Admins have either sought to remove all Apple branded hardware from the server room or have been forced to.

Myself? I now look after a total of 25 Mac Servers, 21 of which are dedicated to our JSS & are installed across 8 different sites globally, some of the challenges of which are touched upon in the JNUC2014 Panel I was on, titled Thinking Big: Scaling JSS Infrastructures for the Mobile Workforce.

The focus of the post below is the Mac Mini’s which are used onsite for Casper Suite Distribution Points, NetBoot Servers & Caching Servers.

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Security Update 2015-002 & mach_kernel file visibility

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As posted by Tim Sutton, the installation of  “Security Update 2015-002” on a 10.8.5 or 10.9.5 Mac will leave the /mach_kernel file visible. That’s fine, until someone deletes the file & then can’t boot their Mac.

As ever, Rich Trouton has blogged a method to hide the file via Casper.

However, Rich does love an EA & I’m not so inclined therefore the following is an EA free method to achieve the same end.

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JSS Using Wrong Distribution Points After v8 – v9 Upgrade

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We updated our JSS from 8.73  – 9.22 back in January, we thought all was well until we needed to deploy some large packages.

This lead to our network guys not being to happy as Mac clients were downloading a 200MB installer across our MPLS irregardless of the distribution points assigned in our network segments.

Below are more details on the issue, and the fix

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Submit User Information From AD Into The JSS At Login v2

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A couple of years ago I posted on how we “Submitted User Information From AD Into The JSS At Login” Since the  Casper Suite 8.61 was release, the JSS has been able to perform this function. Below is a guide on how to leverage this.

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