The MacEnterprise.org group will be presenting a Webcast on InstaDMG: Image Creation Revolution on April 15, 2008 at 1:00pm EDT (10:00am PDT).

InstaDMG is revolutionizing the way that Mac sysadmins create ASR deployment images and it can help you too. More than just a tool, InstaDMG is actually a methodology for deployment image creation and testing. In this webcast we will cover both the methodology and the reference tool in detail, including a roadmap of the reference script feature set.

For more information on how to view the webcasts, please visit: http://macenterprise.org/content/blogcategory/113/96/

 

The login ID for April 15th Webcast : MacEnterprise

Passcode for April 15th Webcast is : 724412

Go to the following web page 5-10 minutes prior to the webcast start time: http://webcast.training.apple.com/

 

Webcast Coordinator

Macenterprise.org

As part of some self-documentation, I posted on my personal blog exactly what works and where I found the help for getting an OpenDirectory 10.5 Server running from a 10.4 in production box. The twist is that I needed to keep my SID and other PDC functionality that I've inherited up from 10.3.9. Yes, it can be done, and no you can't upgrade. Below is the reprint from my blog which I'm posting here for posterity:

Leopard server brings us a new interface for managing amavis in Server Admin. But, using some of the options of Server Admin's GUI doesn't modify correctly /etc/amavisd.conf and brings some weird issues

We're back again for another year. We'll be at the Thirsty Bear, same place as always, on June 11th. Save the date and we'll have more information on the party times and how to get tickets shortly.

I've been quiet for a bit on InstaDMG so I thought I would give an update.

Yes, there is a new version of the reference script coming soon. Work has been crazy lately, and not left me in the office much to work on my dev systems. I'll be posting an actual roadmap of the functions to be added to the code soon. I haven't posted it yet only because I got a fantastic code submission from reader Gordon Davisson. He submitted enough new code that I will be able to jump ahead on several of the milestones after I vet and integrate his changes.

The InstaDMG forums are still hopping with great tips and tricks for getting your build train going. If you haven't poked around in there you should really take a look.

To help with file tracking I've created an InstaDMG category in our downloads section. In the category I have a section for the reference script and one for user submitted packages. Our first upload is a comprehensive take on Instauser, submitted by reader Pete Akins. Feel free to grab it and see if you like it.

Overall we have been thrilled with the response to InstaDMG. Keep sending your feedback and we will keep pushing forward!

LANrev announced today that their InstallEase automated packaging tool is now free.

InstallEase is a tool for creating installer packages and has functionalities like automated "Before" and "After" snapshots, installation of files to current user's home folder, exclusion filters and uninstaller packages all wrapped into a graphical user interface for administrators.

Registration is required to get the free download, and is available here -http://www.lanrev.com/solutions/installease.shtml

LabMan is a conference of and focused on people who are in the trenches implementing stuff for academic computer labs, kiosks, libraries, and the like. Good place to make contacts with people doing your kind of work at other institutions as well.  Tends to be education heavy, is not Mac specific, has a mix of higher Ed and K-12 attendees plus some businesses. Attendance has been in the 170-210 range the last few years.

Note that the attendees ARE the presenters.  If you have a nice setup or a unique experience that you think others might be interested in/learn from, submit a proposal.

Official announcement:
http://www.mnsu.edu/labman2008/email/default.htm

Main site:
http://www.labmanconference.org

So I've cooked up a way of doing schema mods to AD using only Microsoft-supplied tools. This method leverages ADAM, Active Directory Application Mode, but doesn't require you to actually install ADAM on any of your systems.

You should be able to get full MCX management of your Macs from AD using this.

I'm looking for some testers for this that have a Windows 2003 AD domain and a variety of Mac clients that they can test with. The instructions are easy and should only take you about 30-45 mins at most. Note that schema changes, even on 2003, are a fairly permanent thing and should not be taken lightly, so only engage in this if you have a test domain, a virtual machine, or some other setup that you can test with.

If you're game for being a crash test dummy, drop me an e-mail with what your test environment would be.

By now you have probably noticed that the naming scheme for ByHost preferences has changed in Leopard. The files no longer have a MAC address in them, but rather some UUID of mysterious origin.

All in all this was done to give Macs a far more unique identifier than just the MAC address. For those of you that are still using login scripts to fix ByHost prefs though it can be a pain. Luckily this UUID is stored in  the IO registry and is easy to find.

ioreg -rd1 -c IOPlatformExpertDevice | grep -E '(UUID)'

Is all you need to pull the UUID from the system so you can use it in a script.

All that said the best way to manage ByHost preferences is still with MCX policy!