Software Deployment for Macintosh OS X

1
Software Deployment for Macintosh OS X

• Using Multicast ASR
• Charles Myers
• Department of Visual Arts
• University of Maryalnd, Baltimore County
• Baltimore, MD
• charles_at_umbc.edu

2
Key Infrastructure Components

• Apple Xserve 10.3 or above
• NetBoot Service Enabled
• Helper Address for your Xserves IP Address
• Multicast Enabled on Campus Routers
• Gigabit Ethernet Strongly Recommended

3
Network Settings

• For IP Sub-netted environments, use IP Helper
  Address
• Network routers must forward broadcast traffic
  between server and clients
• Network admin can set helper address on the
  routers for your Xserves Static IP Address
• Multicast must be enabled on all the subnets of
  your server and the clients
• This will not interfere with a campus DHCP server
• Leave DHCP OFF on your Xserve
• Xserve will not answer DHCP Requests

4
Deployment Steps

• Ask the network administrator to set up the
  helper address and enable multicast on the
  subnets
• Create a minimal OS X image for NetBoot
• Create your new Master Image for the clients
• Set up the NetBoot service on the Xserve
• Run Multicast ASR on Xserve
• NetBoot the clients and run the asr command

5
NetBoot Boot Image

• Create a Minimal System Image for the client
  machines
• Install OS X without applications or extra fonts,
  etc. This smaller system will boot faster via
  NetBoot
• In Accounts Preferences, Automatically login as
  admin
• Include some utilities in the Dock
• Terminal for command line access
• Disk Utility to re-mount the Hard Drive if
  needed
• Include Unix ASR commands in text file on Desktop
  as an easy reminder
• Use Apple Disk Utility to make a .dmg image file

6
Desktop
7
NetBoot Image

• Use Apple System Image Utility to make a New Boot
  from the dmg file
• This creates a .nbi folder with the boot files

8
NetBoot Configuration

• Upload the .nbi to the Xserve
• Location /Library/NetBoot/NetBootSP0/

9
Enable NetBoot

• Enable NetBoot on the Xserve using Server Admin

10
NetBoot Disk Image Settings
11
Master Image

• Create the lab software image with Apple Disk
  Utility or NetRestore Helper available at
  www.bombich.com
• NOTE Deploy Studio is now preferred over
  NetRestore
• The file will be a .dmg file
• Prepare the .dmg for Apple Software Restore (ASR)
• In Disk Utility ImagesgtScan Image For Restore
• NetRestore Helper automatically does this
• Store the .dmg file on the Xserve
• (Unlike Netboot, there is no designated directory)

12
Multicast ASR

• Multicast is a one-to-many broadcast protocol
• The single data stream makes it very efficient to
  deploy software via the network uses very little
  bandwidth
• M-ASR is similar to Ghost
• Each client requests packets until the HD image
  has been downloaded from the ASR process
• The ASR process repeats (loops) the packet stream
  until clients stop requesting the image

13
Multicast ASR on Xserve

• GUI Applications simplify this instead of command
  line
• Mac HelpMate
• http//www.macworkshops.com/machelpmate/
• Proton Pack Server
• http//www.afp548.com/filemgmt/index.php?id73
• These apps can be used on any OS X machine, not
  just servers good for a quick fix

14
Multicast ASR Settings

• The Bombich website has detailed recommendations
  on determining optimal data settings for your
  setup
• http//www.bombich.com/mactips/multicast.html
• Gigabit ethernet is recommended on the Xserve
• NetBoot on 100MB at server is not recommended
• 100MB ethernet on clients is acceptable

15
Mac HelpMate Settings
16
Proton Pack Server
17
M ASR Example Settings

• Server Data Rate 12 15Mb with Gigabit ethernet
  at server
• Client Data Rate 6Mb with 100Mb or 12 15Mb if
  client has Gigabit ethernet
• If packets are lost at the client, decrease the
  server data rate
• TTL Time To Live setting is required if there
  are multiple router hops between the server and
  clients
• If not set high enough, packets will die
• Ask network admin how many hops between your
  server clients
• Interface The Xserve main ethernet port is on
  en0 or en1
• Multicast _at_ Any IP Addr between 224.77.2.0
  224.77.255.255
• Loop Suspend Stops the broadcast after the
  client requests stop

18
Mac HelpMate

• Drag the Master .dmg image into HelpMate, click
  Start

19
NetBoot and run asr on clients

• Reboot each client holding the N key down
• The clients start up from the NetBoot image
• Hard Drive is available to be written with new
  image
• Alternatively Apple Remote Desktop can NetBoot
  remote clients with Manage gt Set Startup Disk
  menu command

20
ASR Command

• Once booted, run the command line ASR using
  Terminal app
• sudo asr source asr//yourserver.domain.edu
  target /Volumes/Macintosh \ HD/ -erase noprompt
  
• password (enter the admin password of client
  machine, not the server password)

21
ASR Command via ARD

• Alternatively, use Apple Remote Desktop to issue
  the unix ASR command to one or more clients with
  the Mangage gt Send Unix Command

22
Alternative Deployment Methods

• DeployStudio deploys Macs PCs
• http//www.deploystudio.com/
• Casper Suite
• http//www.jamfsoftware.com/products/casper_suite.
  php

23
Resources for OS X Deployment

• Peachpit Multicast ASR
• http//www.peachpit.com/articles/article.aspx?p41
  9258
• Bombich Software
• http//www.bombich.com
• DeployStudio
• http//www.deploystudio.com
• Finding Alternatives to NetRestore
• http//www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p13
  35644