Load or Reload a LaunchAgent without User Action
Kyle Crawford has an interesting post that covers reloading LaunchAgents while a user is logged in without requiring them to take action (Log out/in, reboot, etc).
Category: Scripting and Automation
Python Versioning in OS X
Apple has included one or more versions of python with OS X since Jaguar (10.2). Their latest version, Mountain Lion (10.8), includes python versions 2.5, 2.6, and 2.7.
Opening Finder Windows from Terminal
Rich has a tip posted for opening Finder windows while you are in Terminal. This is handy if you are cruising around the command line and decide that you would like to use the GUI to do something instead.
Rolling OS X packages with FPM and Homebrew
If you have ever needed to package up and deploy python modules or ruby gems, you know that it is kind of a pain. It is a very manual process. Enter FPM (Effing Package Management) with its newly minted osxpkg support. Thanks to Tim Sutton's recent contribution to fpm, you can now roll Apple Packages.
Running Commands on Remote Machines via SSH
For running commands quickly on remote machines, nothing beats SSH. It is quick and easy to open terminal and fire off the command. Rich has a post outlining how to execute a command on a remote machine without the need for an interactive SSH session.
Adding Printers via Command Line
Adding printers on multiple machines can be tedious if you have to manually setup all the duplexer and paper tray options that the printer supports. Thankfully there is a command line tool called lpadmn which allows you to configure the printer and all its options in one command.
Name Computers automatically with NetSUS, NetRestore and others
If you've moved away from an OS X-based infrastructure and towards Linux, you may be familiar with NetSUS, which is a linux-based appliance that can be used to NetBoot Macs. This is a great solution if you are trying to move towards virtualized and/or non-OS X servers.
Bash Tips
Once you start using Terminal on a regular basis, you learn many tricks to make life easier and more efficient. Some of these tricks include setting an alias for commands as well as having bash use color when cruising around the CLI.
“Application” would like to access your contacts.
Sick of that error message popping up whenever an app is opened for the first time on your machine? Are your end users going crazy because of this? Fear not, there is a way to suppress these warnings. Tim Sutton has a post that explores exactly where these settings are stored and how to manipulate them.
Gatekeeper Status Script
Rich Trouton posted a script that checks the status of Gatekeeper and returns a value based upon this status. He has a generic version as well as an Extension Attribute for Casper Suite (which puts the information into the machine's inventory screen).