Deploying and supporting Macs presents distinct challenges, particularly in organizations where Macs are in the minority or are being introduced for the first time. As with many aspects of IT, having the right tool for the job is the key to managing a new or existing population of Apple desktops and notebooks.
Say for example, if OS deployment needs to happen on a 100 new computers with known MAC Addresses, you can schedule the deployment by specifying the list of MAC Addresses. OS Deployer will power on the computers using the Wake On LAN functionality and deploy the image at the scheduled time.
The good news is that there are many tried and true solutions for handling common Mac deployment and management tasks. The better news is that many of the best are available for free, whether from Apple, as open source projects, or as free/donationware creations of other Mac administrators and IT professionals.
[ See InfoWorld's slideshow tour of Mac OS X Lion's top 20 features. | Learn why IT won't like Mac OS X Lion Server. | Keep up with key Apple technologies with the Technology: Apple newsletter. ]
Here you will find the top 22 tools -- most of them free -- for managing the Macs in your IT environment. As you'd expect, the list focuses on the core areas of systems administration: deployment, client management, and directory integration. If I missed a favorite free Mac tool, please highlight it in the comments below.
Essential Mac tools Nos. 1 and 2: Disk Utility and Apple Software Restore
If you have more than a couple of Macs to deal with, you'll need an easy way to configure them. For monolithic imaging, the process by which you create a snapshot of one workstation and copy it to others, nothing beats Apple's Disk Utility and Apple Software Restore, both of which are included free with every Mac OS X install.
Disk Utility comes as both a GUI tool and the diskutil command-line option. It is equipped with plenty of local disk management functions, including partitioning, formatting, integrity checking, and repair. It also offers the ability to clone volumes and create disk images using the .dmg format, which makes it perfect for capturing a configured volume for monolithic imaging.
Apple Software Restore, which is available only from the command line as asr, allows you to locally or remotely deploy disk images to one or more clients. It can be used to image a Mac from a disk image on a local drive, a network share, or a multicast stream (the best option for mass deployments). When used for multicast streaming, one Mac hosts the stream via asr commands for others to join. As you might expect, any client imaged using asr must be booted from a source other than the destination volume, such as an external hard drive, a flash drive, or a bootable network volume.
While Disk Utility and ASR provide the backbone for Mac deployment, either individually using an external drive/unicast network connection or a multicast stream, there are several tools to speed up, automate, and improve your workflow for capturing a source image, preparing it for use with ASR, and initiating deployment. Be sure to check out SuperDuper and Carbon Copy Cloner for image capture and basic single-Mac deployment, and Blast Image Config for setting up ASR sessions.
Essential Mac tools Nos. 3 and 4: NetInstall and NetRestore
Building off of Apple's free image-based offerings are two features of the company's Mac OS X Server: NetInstall and NetRestore.
Network booting has been a staple since OS X Server debuted, and Apple has built off the NetBoot concept with NetInstall and NetRestore, both of which allow servers to host boot volumes, thereby enabling clients to boot directly from the network based on your deployment options.
NetInstall is designed for booting into the OS X installer utility and allows admins to configure options for a traditional OS X install. (It is not monolithic imaging per se, though that is possible.) It also performs pre- and post-install tasks such as disk partitioning, directory binding, and application installation.
NetRestore is designed around ASR and provides a broader range of options for monolithic imaging. It can be configured to automatically deploy specific images or to allow clients to select from available images. As with NetInstall, many deployment-related tasks can be included in the NetRestore process.
Both NetInstall and NetRestore come with the current release of Lion Server and require no client or usage license beyond the cost of Lion Server (a $49 add-on to the $29 Lion).
Essential Mac tool No. 5: DeployStudio
Heterogeneous organizations looking to standardize on a single deployment tool should check out DeployStudio, a freeware monolithic imaging solution for Mac and Windows clients.
DeployStudio offers local disk deployment, network deployment, and multicasting. It comes equipped with solid image management and client selection tools, integrates with Apple's NetBoot, and provides excellent deployment monitoring, all of which make it a great deployment workflow management solution. The biggest drawback -- if you can consider it a drawback -- is that it relies on OS X Server to create a complete network-based solution, including both boot and deployment.
Essential Mac tools Nos. 6 and 7: StarDeploy and Munki
Apple's package (.pkg) and metapackage (.mpkg) files are the primary software installation mechanisms in OS X. While these are typically installed by a user, OS X supports package deployment without user intervention -- for example, by adding packages to a NetInstall workflow.
Organizations looking to deploy packages over a network should check out donationware StarDeploy and open source Munki. These network-based solutions, along with the commercial Apple Remote Desktop, allow admins to deploy packages in the background; they're excellent updating tools as well.
Because packages are simply a series of files along with instructions for their ultimate location in a Mac's file system, you can easily configure non-application packages for deploying configuration files and documents. Coupled with StarDeploy or Munki, this method makes it easy to add, remove, or update almost any item over the network, including browser bookmarks, security certificates, and default system or application settings.
(Note: Adobe doesn't use Apple's package format, but Munki does support remote install of Adobe applications.)
Essential Mac tools Nos. 8, 9, and 10: PackageMaker, InstallEase, and Iceberg
If you're going to deploy non-application packages, you'll need a tool to create them. Apple's PackageMaker is a great tool for this, and it is included with the company's Xcode developer suite, which is free and available via the Mac App Store.
Intended for use by developers to create install packages, PackageMaker provides admins with an easy way to build packages to push out to clients on their network. As noted above, these packages can be almost anything you want to deploy to a range of client devices, including documents.
Two free alternatives are openly available, but not quite as developer-friendly: the open source Iceberg and the free InstallEase, which was developed as a companion to the Absolute Manage client management suite.
Essential Mac tool No. 11: Property List Editor
Admins looking to edit system and applications preferences will want to turn to Property List Editor, a GUI tool for editing the XML .plist preference files. A similar free tool, Plist Editor, is available for modifying these files from Windows machines. You may, however, find modifying preferences from within an app and copying the resulting .plist files an easier process than using these tools.
ZIP is an archive file format supporting lossless data. Nowadays, zip files are widely-used in many cases such as software downloads, email attachments. Here is a guide on how to create zip file and password protect zip file mac in the easiest way. A zip archive may contain one or more files. Jan 07, 2012 How to Password Protect a Zip File from Mac OS X Command Line. If you’re familiar with the command line, the syntax of the encrypted zip command is as follows. Zip -e [archive] [file] For encrypting multiple files with a password, such as. Password protection software. Jun 03, 2018 How to Protect a Zip File with a Password on PC or Mac. In this Article: Using WinRAR for Windows Using Zip for macOS Community Q&A This wikiHow teaches you how to password-protect a zip archive using WinRAR for Windows, and macOS’s built-in zip tool. How to Password Protect a Zip file in MacOS. Making it easy to receive files from sources and to zip and unzip them as needed. The tool, called Archive Utility, has been around since MacOS X 10.3, making it widely available on every Mac sold over the past decade. Creating a password-protected zip file on your Mac takes a little more.
Essential Mac tool No. 12: File Distributor
File Distributor is a slightly different form of deployment tool. It allows admins to replace files at various locations within a file system. You can even make use of wild cards to specify multiple locations. This is particularly helpful if you are using network home directories and need to deploy documents or configuration files across multiple user accounts.
Essential Mac tool No. 13: FileWave
Another deployment tool worth investigating is the commercial FileWave. This Mac/Windows tool can be used to dynamically manage application installations across your network. FileWave's approach has advantages for license compliance and reclamation, as well as flexibly deploying and redeploying applications as needed.
Essential Mac tools Nos. 14 and 15: Apple's Active Directory Client and Directory Utility
Creating a functional, secure environment requires more than just rolling out computers and software. Global accounts stored in a secure directory service, single sign-on, the ability to secure network and local resources, and the ability to preconfigure and manage the user experience on any workstation is critical. The undisputed leader in directory services, even in Mac environments, is Microsoft's Active Directory. Thankfully, many worthwhile tools for integrating with Active Directory are available, beginning with Apple's Active Directory client and Directory Utility.
OS X's built-in Active Directory client allows you to join an Active Directory domain, and it supports secure access to resources and single sign-on via Kerberos. Moreover, it doesn't require downgrading security levels, and it allows account synchronization for off-network access.
The client can be accessed using the Users and Groups pane of OS X Lion's System Preferences app (called the Accounts pane in older OS X releases). Detailed configuration, including account and home directory sync, preferred domain controllers, and so forth, can be performed using the included Directory Utility.
It's worth noting, however, that Apple's AD client has limitations. For example, it doesn't support client management of any kind beyond basic password policies. It also doesn't support DFS browsing. There are some issues specific to various releases, including Lion.
Essential Mac tools Nos. 16, 17, and 18: OS X Server, Apple's Open Directory, and Profile Manager
OS X may support Active Directory, but Apple's native directory is an LDAP-based solution called Open Directory.
Open Directory domains, hosted by OS X Server, afford centralized accounts all the advantages that Active Directory delivers for Windows, including secure Kerberos single sign-on and client management. This system, referred to as Managed Preferences (or abbreviated MCX), is entirely LDAP-based and allows for user/group/computer-based client management that rivals the capabilities of Group Policies in Active Directory for Mac clients.
In a dual-directory setup, Mac clients can be joined to both Open Directory and Active Directory, allowing for secure access to AD accounts and resources but with complete Open Directory client management applied.
In Lion Server, Apple introduced a new Profile Manager feature that supports iOS device management and Mac client management without the need for a directory service. This alternative offers the core security client management features with a simplified setup, though it is device/client-specific rather than more granular at the user or group level.
Essential Mac tools Nos. 19 and 20: Microsoft Active Directory Schema Analyzer and Apple Workgroup Manager
If adding a second directory isn't an option (it can often be a challenge), the fact that Apple's MCX architecture is completely LDAP-based offers an alternative: extend the Active Directory schema to support the Apple-specific attributes.
Microsoft's Active Directory Schema Analyzer is a great tool for generating the needed LDIF files. Once the schema is extended, Apple's free Workgroup Manager tool (part of OS X Server's administration utilities) can be installed on a Mac and pointed to an Active Directory domain, where it can manage some basic user account details and configure the full range of Apple's Managed Preferences.
Essential Mac tools No. 21: Third-party Active Directory Suites (free and commercial)
Apple's solutions are good for Active Directory integration, but they aren't perfect. In some cases, Apple's AD client may have issues with a specific Active Directory environment, while in others, some features just don't have full parity or may not even be available (DFS is a great example). For these situations, there are worthwhile third-party options, some of which are available for free.
For more basic needs, you may want to consider Centrify Express and PowerBroker Identity Services Open Edition for broader authentication and basic access capabilities at no or limited cost.
If you want to integrate client management capabilities without the complexity of using either a dual-directory setup or schema extensions, Centrify's Direct Control and PowerBroker Identity Services Enterprise Edition are worth considering, along with Thursby's ADMit Mac. ADMit may be particularly appealing for small Mac populations because it is a solely client-side solution that includes DFS support.
Essential Mac tool No. 22: Apple Remote Desktop
Using an external drive between Mac and Windows computers can be a hassle, since you constantly have to reformat it to fit which computer you're using it on. Instead of reformatting it all the time, just use the much more platform-independent exFAT and never format it again.
Windows' default NTFS is read-only on OS X, not read-and-write, and Windows computers can't even read Mac-formatted HFS+ drives. FAT32 works for both OSes, but has a 4GB size limit per file, so it isn't ideal. You can always install drivers for those other OSes, but that doesn't help when you're sharing files with your friends' computers. Besides, it's kind of a hassle. The exFAT file system is a much simpler option.
Advertisement
A Comprehensive Guide to Sharing Your Data Across Multi-Booting Windows, Mac, and Linux PCs
We're platform agnostic at Lifehacker, which is why we love dual- and triple-booting our…
Apk Deployment Tool For Windows 10 Mobile
Read more ReadexFAT has been around for awhile, but we've never really talked about it. Essentially, it's a file system that's both readable and writable on any modern Mac or Windows machine (sorry, Leopard users). All you need to do is format the drive on a Windows machine and you're good to go. Note that you can't format it on OS X, you have to format it on Windows for it to be compatible with both platforms (Update: A lot of you are noting that OS X formats these just fine, so your mileage may vary). To do so, just:
- Open up Windows Explorer and right-click on your drive in the sidebar. Choose 'Format'.
- In the 'File System' dropdown, choose exFAT instead of NTFS.
- Click Start and close this window when finished.
From then on, that drive should work fantastically between Mac and Windows machines. It won't work with Linux unless you install Linux's exFAT drivers, but for most people, exFAT is just about perfect.
Advertisement
Download Linux For Mac
Windows Mac Theme
Guide: How to format an external drive to work seamlessly with Macs and PCs without third party software | MacTip via Reddit
Free ccleaner for mac. We thank Morphisec and we owe a special debt to their clever people who identified the threat and allowed us to go about the business of mitigating it. We believe that Morphisec also notified Cisco.