[mattzago]

Apple changed the location. It is now /var/db/receipts. The naming scheme has also changed to the com/net/org.companyname…plist format as well.

[mattzago]

This happened to me with the first aluminum macbooks.

You can use the systemsetup command to set a startup disk to sidestep opening up startup disk. The syntax is:

systemsetup -setstartupdisk path

MZ

[mattzago]

Adobe has a tool that actually works called the License Recovery Tool available at:

http://www.adobe.com/support/contact/licensing.html

If you look at the pertinent code in the python scripts that run for the tool to execute you learn that the two major things it does are:

1) Runs a compiled executable called “tsrecovery” that Adobe provides with flags depending on what the user wants. I’ve used:

tsrecovery -p 524288 –recover –yes

This will recover a license rather than delete it. There are other options if you want to backup the licensing files.

2) It copies a good known version of FNPLicensing into /Library/Application Support/FLEXnet Publisher/Service/11.5.0 (for CS4) and /Library/Application Support/FLEXnet Publisher/Service/11.03.005 (for CS3). It has copies of each file in folders labeled mac_install_lima and mac_install_lucknow (lima = 11.5.0 lucknow=11.03.005).

So one approach is to make a script that will execute tsrecovery with the desired options and then copy the FNPLicensingService executables. You could then invoke that script as part of your postflight for the installer, or whatever tickles your fancy.

MZ

[mattzago]

I’ve used this method to change Laserjet 5500 and Xerox Workcentre 7345 drivers on 10.5. We push out the new .gz ppds using a simple package that is pushed out via LANrev. What I outlined will make any new printer setup use duplex by default (as it is using the ppd from whatever is in /Library/Printers/PPDs/Contents/Resources. I don’t see what would stop someone from just updating the existing ppd in /etc/cups/ppd to change already setup printers to use duplex, but I haven’t tested it.

The cups built-in webserver is just training wheels to make sure you set the settings right. Usually it is just changing something in the PPD to True or for double-sided printing long-edge binding etc.

I found out how to do this from a fellow employee who used it in 10.2 or 10.3 back in the day, so I’m guessing it been around for a while.

[mattzago]

I was seeing strange things using OEM discs as well. Using instadmg with a retail cd + 10.5.6 has worked well on uni-body macbooks in our environment.

[mattzago]

We set double-sided printing via the PPD. Using vim, bbedit, or whatever text editor you want you could alter the ppd itself to have duplex on. The problem is you have to make no mistakes when you alter the ppd to use duplex. To get around this I use Mac OS X’s CUPS web interface to modify ppd options.

I first setup the printer whose model I want to use.
Then I change the ppd to use double-sided printing via the cups web interface (http://localhost:631). You just click “Manage Printers” and then “Set Printer Options” for each printer PPD you want to alter. You can also change whatever other options you want via this interface.

After this is done cups will alter the ppd stored for that printer in /etc/cups/ppd/.

So if you changed the double-sided printing for a printer called “HP_Office” the ppd should be /etc/cups/ppd/HP_Office.ppd.

Okay finally I take the ppd from /etc/cups/ppd and find the name of the ppd Mac OS X uses to install a printer. For example in Leopard /Library/Printers/PPDs/Contents/Resources has a file called “hp color Laserjet 9500.gz” for the installation of the Laserjet model. So the tricky part is you need install your customized copy of the ppd from /etc/cups/ppd/ to whatever the model is in /Library/Printers/PPDs/Contents/Resources. If it has a .gz extension then you’ll need to gzip the file.

We push these files out with a package to make sure people print double-sided and B&W by default to save trees and toner (and $$$).

There might be an easier way of doing this, but this is how I do it.

[mattzago]

Installease also has a nice feature to create an iceberg project for you. Just note that if you use installease only to create a package, that if you have to remove a file from that package later you have no packagemaker project or iceberg project to edit. So future proofing things by making sure you have an iceberg project instead of only the .pkg files is a good idea.

[mattzago]

Don’t be hard on yourself. Everyone has to start from somewhere.

For LANrev make a package using your favorite program (Iceberg in my case).

Here is what I bundle:

/Library/Application Support/LANrev Agent
/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.poleposition-sw.LANrevAgent.plist
/Library/PreferencePanes/LANrev Agent.prefPane
/Library/Preferences/com.poleposition-sw.lanrev_agent.plist

The plist in the preferences folder should have all the LANrev settings you need (staging server etc). So make sure you have them set before you create the package. If you still need help with creating packages the Peachpit book on Apple Deployment for 10.5 has a pretty good overview of most topics.

[mattzago]

I have been putting together a build for Late- 2008 Aluminum Macbooks. Using the Leopard 10.5 Retail DVD image with 10.5.6 and all the other updates after that (Front Row etc), My build works well, but I noticed two quirks. First the machine is booting in verbose-mode by default. Someone else on the MacEnterprise forums saw the same thing. If you select the HD as the startup disk using systemsetup from the CLI (or the Startup Disk system preference pane) this issue goes away. The second issue I noticed is that mach_kernel is not hidden in /. I’m thinking the 10.5.6 combo update failed to mark the file as hidden (I am using chflags hidden in a startup script to do this for me).

A much less important detail is that my build does not have the new Energy Saver icon (I just have a package that changes this).

MZ

[mattzago]

Save yourself a lot of headaches and throw dockutil on your builds. It is program that is very very easy to script to change a dock It is available at: http://code.google.com/p/dockutil/. It has great syntax and you can alter stack views, dock icon positions, and a lot of other things.

[mattzago]

The macbook pro’s appear to be the 9F2114 build. I’d say people have two choices:

1) Split your builds until 10.5.6 etc comes out. So you have your build that worked with everything pre-late-2008 macbook/macbook pro. And you have specific builds using the restore discs from macbooks and macbook pros. Building instadmg images isn’t too traumatic so this approach should get us through the crunch if you just ordered a bunch of new machines.

2) Live on the edge using a build from the aluminum mb/mbps restore dvds, and possible have a surprise when things don’t work on unsupported machines.

The first option seems the best to me. A bit more work in exchange for being bleeding edge.

[mattzago]

For pushing out the user profile specific files with Instadmg, I’ve just been sticking what I need into /System/Library/User Template/English.lproj. When a new user logs in the system creates the home folder from that template. Just make sure to have the pkg you create for the user customizations be in the CustomPKG folder AFTER any packages you have that create users (otherwise the user will be created before the template has the good stuff).

When you create this package just follow the permissions already set for the User Template folder and you should be fine.

[mattzago]

If you want a book that is readable then check out:

http://www.apress.com/book/view/1590593766

I have had nothing but a great experience working through that book because it doesn’t assume anything (which is great for scripting newbies).

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