Bypass the Ramp, Update Tonight: faster macOS updates with AutoInstallProductKeys
One root-written preference gets macOS updates downloaded past Apple's ramp and installed overnight, with or without DDM, including major upgrades from 26 to 27.
Author: Samuel Keeley
Samuel Keeley can frequently be found in ##osx-server on Freenode, or on Twitter @keeleysam.
VMware ESXi 5.5 on the Mac Pro (2013)
Five years ago, it was not uncommon to see many cabinets full of Xserves fulfilling serving roles in the enterprise. Today those servers are on their last legs and warrant replacement by modern hardware and software design.
Securing a Munki deployment with Puppet SSL certificates
Munki and Puppet have become very popular tools in the last few years, and make a great team for Mac management. While Puppet is inherently secure due to its use of client-certificate based SSL for all communication, most Munki deployments still run over plaintext HTTP.
30 Years of the Mac – Video
Tim Perfitt of Twocanoes Software has put together a nice video showcasing the thirty years of Macintosh models. http://vimeo.com/89607354 Archived note: Vimeo 89607354This Vimeo item (“30 Years of the Mac - Video”, Vimeo ID 89607354) is no longer available from Vimeo (checked 2026-10-21).
Chicago Area Mac Admins Meetup
John Kitzmiller is putting together a group of Mac admins in the Chicago area. These meet ups are a great way to get to know others in our community, and I have had a great time at similar meetups like MacBrained in San Francisco.
System Preferences Profiles in Mavericks (plus a Security Hole!)
Profiles have become one of the most interesting components of the Apple ecosystem - both on OS X and on iOS.
Coping with curl on Mavericks
Of the UNIX tools shipped with OS X, curl has become one of the most used in recent years, whether as a simple URL fetcher, or a component of much larger projects. It takes any URL as an argument, and reliably fetches it, as well as giving many additional options for control.
Notes from Security: Making Mavericks Work for You!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2w6jEsTRzIM Archived copy: Security - Locking Down OS X without Locking Up Users - Sam Keeley (YouTube)Security - Locking Down OS X without Locking Up Users - Sam Keeley by MacAdmins Conference; archived 2026-10-21.
AutoDMG, a modern replacement for InstaDMG
At MacSysAdmin 2013, Per Olofsson started work on InstallESDtoDMG, a replacement for InstaDMG.
Modifying the OS X Mavericks Authorization Database
Versions of OS X prior to Mavericks had a file located at /etc/authorization, which controlled the rights for many different actions, such as adding a printer, changing the time, or setting up Time Machine.