macadmin.fraserhess.com

Discoveries and solutions from my work administering Mac computers.

  • Blocking Dialpad automatic updates

    UPDATE: See a more Mac-like approach to this problem now available. Dialpad, in their own words, an “all-in-one AI-powered customer communications platform” has a Mac app that self-updates. If it attempts to install an update and the logged-in end-user is not an admin, the app prompts for admin credentials. This frustrates end-users and help desks…

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  • Differences between factory and clean installs of macOS

    macOS can be cleanly re-installed using Erase All Contents and Settings, transferring an IPSW file while in DFU mode, and by using the startosinstall –eraseinstall command in the macOS Install app. All of these come with trade offs. None of them are exactly the same as a factory Mac. EACS IPSW EI OS version Same…

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  • Passcode Generator

    When sending an MDM command to lock or wipe a device, a six-digit passcode is required. Humans aren’t great at random numbers, so I made several attempts at a shell function that generates random passcodes. Read on or skip to the final solution. All solutions print the passcode and copy it to the clipboard. Attempt…

  • Building Zoom Rooms Mac minis with Jamf Setup Manager

    UPDATE 1/13/2025: Thanks to a very helpful comment, I was able to remove the need for a manual login during this process. This is the third in a series of posts about Jamf Setup Manager. Read the first post to learn more about our decision to use it as our preferred tool for provisioning Macs.…

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  • Updating inventory after Zoom Rooms automatic update

    When I deployed Zoom Rooms on Mac minis earlier this year, I assumed that the built-in automatic update functionality would run as the logged-in user. Our logged-in user for Zoom Rooms is not an admin, so I believed that an automatic app update would either fail or prompt for admin credentials. That would be a…

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