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OS X Server Essentials 10.10: Introducing Account Management

May 6, 2015

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This excerpt from Apple Pro Training Series: OS X Server Essentials 10.10: Using and Supporting OS X Server on Yosemite discusses account management in OS X Yosemite, including level of management, managing preferences for users in a group, managing device group accounts, managing apps, delivering profiles, remotely locking or wiping a device, and which preferences can be managed.

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Apple Pro Training Series: OS X Server Essentials 10.10: Using and Supporting OS X Server on Yosemite

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Reference 11.1 Introducing Account Management

OS X Lion introduced the concept of profiles that contain configurations and settings, and OS X Yosemite expands on the idea. By assigning profiles to users, user groups, devices, or groups of devices, you can more effectively control them.

With profiles, you can achieve a range of results including but not limited to the following:

Controlling settings on mobile devices and computers
Restricting resources to specific groups or individuals
Securing device use in key areas such as offices, classrooms, or open labs
Customizing the user experience
Providing apps and books to the users

Levels of Management

You can create settings for four types of accounts:

User—This usually relates to a specific person. This is the account that the person identifies herself with when logging in to the computer. A user’s short name or user ID (UID) number uniquely identifies the user on a system.
Group—This represents a group of users, a group of groups, or a mixture of both.
Device—Similar to a user account, this is the singular entity that represents a given piece of hardware. This can be either a computer or an iOS device. Device accounts are uniquely identified by their Ethernet ID (MAC address), serial number, international mobile equipment identity (IMEI), or mobile equipment identifier (MEID).
Device group—This represents a grouping of computers or iOS devices or both. A device group can include other device groups nested in it or a mixture of both individuals and nested groups.

Not all management levels make sense for all purposes, so when setting policy, you have to decide what is appropriate. For example, you might want to define printers by device group because a typical situation has a group of computers located geographically close to a specific printer. You may want to set virtual private network (VPN) access via a group of users such as remote salespeople. And individuals might have specific application access rights granted to them.

Each level can have a default group of settings and then custom settings. Mixing and layering profiles with conflicting settings is not recommended. The results may not be what you expected.

If a user or user group has an assigned profile and the user logs in to the user portal website to enroll an OS X computer, the profiles assigned to that user will be applied to that computer regardless of who logs in to that computer. The same applies if they have an iOS device assigned to them as a user.

Managing Preferences for Users in a Group

Although you can set up preferences individually for users with network accounts, it’s more efficient to manage preferences for the groups to which they belong. Like with individual users, group management is applied if the user enrolling the device is a member of a group that has management set for it. Groups can also be used for applying Volume Purchase Program (VPP) enrollment to a wide swath of users rather than inviting users individually.

Managing Device Group Accounts

A device group account is set up for a group of OS X computers or iOS devices that have the same preference settings and are available to the same set of users and groups. You create and modify these device groups in Profile Manager.

When you set up a device group, make sure you have already determined how the devices are identified. Use descriptions that are logical and easy to remember (for instance, the description might be the computer name). This also makes it easier to find the devices to add them to the correct device group.

You can import lists of devices into Profile Manager via a comma-separated value (CSV) file The file needs to be structured like this:

name, serial number, UDID, IMEI, MEID

Leave a field empty if you’re not using that value.

Managing Apps

Apps—both Enterprise and those purchased via VPP—can be assigned to users and groups. Only Enterprise apps can be assigned to devices and device groups. Enterprise apps are ones that are developed “in-house” by a company, typically for internal needs, and are not distributed via the App Store.

Apps purchased through VPP automatically show up in the Apps pane in Profile Manager. Enterprise apps need to be uploaded into Profile Manager.

Click to view larger image

The VPP apps will be assigned to the devices at the next push, but in-house Enterprise apps get automatically pushed.

Delivering Profiles

Once created, profiles can be delivered in a number of ways:

Via the user portal website—Users log in to the portal with their account credentials and are presented with the profiles assigned to them.
Via an email to the user—The profile is a simple text file formatted in Extensible Markup Language (XML), so it is easily transported.
Web link—The profile can be published on a website for users to visit and download.
Automatic push—The profile gets automatically pushed to the device with no user interaction (the device must be enrolled for this to work).

Automatic push relies on the Apple Push Notification service (APNs). This service is hosted by Apple and is provided to allow secure push notification to client devices. Once a server is configured to utilize APNs, client devices enrolled for management in Profile Manager check in with APNs and wait for notification signals to be sent by the Profile Manager via APNs. No data is included in the notification beyond informing the client that Profile Manager has something for it. This keeps data secure between Profile Manager and the client.

Here is the push notification process:

An enrolled device makes contact with APNs and keeps a lightweight communication going between them. This happens any time the enrolled device has a network chance, as would occur when being turned on, changing networks, or switching network interfaces.
The Profile Manager service contacts APNs when it needs to notify an enrolled device or group of devices of a new or changed profile. APNs has the ability to send feedback to the Profile Manager service.
APNs notifies the device to get in touch with the associated Profile Manager service in which it is enrolled.
The device communicates with the Profile Manager service once notified.
The Profile Manager service sends the profile to the device.

Click to view larger image

A list of installed profiles is available in OS X in Profile preferences. An equivalent list is available in iOS when you tap Settings > General > Profiles.

Remotely Locking or Wiping a Device

Once enrolled, a device or group of devices can be remotely locked or wiped. In this example, a remote lock will be performed. A remote wipe can be attempted, but do it only on a device you don’t mind reconfiguring. Administrators can lock the device via Profile Manager, and users can lock it via the user portal website.

Upon requesting a lock, a confirmation pane will appear, a passcode will be requested, and the lock command will be sent. Mac computers are shut down, and an Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) passcode is set, so it needs to be entered to use the computer again. For iOS devices, the screen is locked, and the passcode is enforced.

There are two ways devices can be locked or wiped:

Profile Manager—Log in to the Profile Manager web app, and select the device or group of devices to be locked. In the Action (gear icon) pop-up menu, choose Lock. The content of the Action menu will vary depending on whether it is a device or device group.
User portal—Once users log in, each device they enrolled will be displayed in the Devices pane. The lock and wipe choices are presented in each device listed.

Click to view larger image

Which Preferences Can Be Managed?

In addition to various other settings for user, group, device, and device group accounts, Profile Manager provides control over the preferences in Table 11-1. Table 11-2 describes the manageable preferences payloads for devices and device groups.

Table 11.1 Manageable Preferences Payloads for Users and Groups

Preference	OS X	iOS	Description
General	✓	✓	Profile distribution type, how the profile can be removed, organization, and description
Passcode	✓	✓	Define passcode requirements such as length, complexity, reuse, and so on
Mail	✓	✓	Configure email settings such as servers, account name, and so on
Exchange	✓	✓	Configure Exchange ActiveSync settings
LDAP	✓	✓	Configure connection to LDAP server
Contacts	✓	✓	Configure access to CardDAV server
Calendar	✓	✓	Configure access to CalDAV server
Network	✓	✓	Configure network setting on the device, including wireless and wired
VPN	✓	✓	Configure VPN settings: L2TP, PPTP, IPSec (Cisco), CiscoAnyConnect, Juniper SSL, F5 SSL, SonicWALL Mobile Connect, and Aruba VIA
Certificate	✓	✓	Allow the installation of PKCS1 and PKCS12 certificates
SCEP	✓	✓	Define connection to Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol (SCEP) server
Web Clips	✓	✓	Display defined Web Clips as application icons
Fonts	✓	✓	Distribute fonts
Airplay	✓	✓	Define which AirPlay devices can be used
Global HTTP Proxy		✓	Define a proxy to be used by the device
Airprint		✓	Define settings for the device to connect to AirPrint printers
Content Filter		✓	Define which URLs can be reached by the device
Domains		✓	Define email domains that won’t be marked in Mail and web domains from which documents will be considered managed
Security and Privacy	✓	✓	Control if diagnostic and usage data gets sent to Apple; define password and lock restrictions, plus whether user can override Gatekeeper (OS X only)
Identification	✓		Configure identification information of user
Restrictions	✓	✓	Define application and content restrictions (separate OS X and iOS versions)
Subscribed Calendars		✓	Configure calendar subscriptions
APN		✓	Configure carrier settings such as the access point name (advanced use only)
Messages	✓		Configure connection to Jabber or AIM chat servers
AD Certificate	✓		Specify the settings for retrieving a certificate for your computer from Active Directory
Login Items	✓		Specify applications, items, and network mounts to launch at login
Mobility	✓		Define mobility settings for OS X clients to allow cached credentials and portable home directories
Dock	✓		Configure Dock behavior
Finder	✓		Configure Finder settings
Printing	✓		Configure printing settings and access to printers or print queues
Parental Controls	✓		Define settings for Parental Controls such as content filtering and time limits
Accessibility	✓		Manage Accessibility settings
Single Sign-On		✓	Configure Kerberos settings
Custom Settings	✓		Apply custom preferences for items not defined in other payloads; similar to applying preference manifests in WGM

Table 11.2 Manageable Preferences Payloads for Devices and Device Groups

Preference	OS X	iOS	Description
General	✓	✓	Profile distribution type, how the profile can be removed, organization, and description
Passcode	✓	✓	Define passcode requirements such as length, complexity, reuse, and so on
Fonts	✓	✓	Distribute fonts
Single App Mode		✓	Define an app that will be the only one the device will open
Global HTTP Proxy		✓	Define a proxy to be used by the device
Airprint		✓	Define settings for the device to connect to AirPrint printers
Content Filter		✓	Define which URLs can be reached by the device
Domains		✓	Define email domains that won’t be marked in Mail and web domains from which documents will be considered managed
Airplay	✓	✓	Define which AirPlay devices can be used
Mail		✓	Configure email settings such as servers, account name, and so on
Exchange		✓	Configure Exchange ActiveSync settings
LDAP		✓	Configure connection to LDAP server
Contacts		✓	Configure access to CardDAV server
Calendar		✓	Configure access to CalDAV server
Network	✓	✓	Configure network setting on the device, including wireless and wired
VPN	✓	✓	Configure VPN settings: L2TP, PPTP, IPSec (Cisco), CiscoAnyConnect, Juniper SSL, F5 SSL, SonicWALL Mobile Connect, and Aruba VIA
Certificate	✓	✓	Allow the installation of PKCS1 and PKCS12 certificates
AirPlay	✓	✓	Define AirPlay destination settings
SCEP	✓	✓	Define connection to Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol (SCEP) server
Web Clips		✓	Display defined Web Clips as application icons
Identification	✓		Configure identification information of user
AD Certificate	✓		Specify AD certificate settings
Directory	✓		Specify OD server settings
Restrictions	✓	✓	Define application and content restrictions (separate OS X and iOS versions)
Subscribed Calendars		✓	Configure calendar subscriptions
APN		✓	Configure carrier settings such as the access point name (advanced use only)
Login Items	✓		Specify applications, items, and network mounts to launch at login
Mobility	✓		Define mobility settings for OS X clients to allow cached credentials and portable home directories
Dock	✓		Configure Dock behavior
Printing	✓		Configure printing settings and access to printers or print queues
Parental Controls	✓		Define settings for parental controls such as content filtering and time limits
Security and Privacy	✓	✓	Control if diagnostic and usage data gets sent to Apple; define password and lock restrictions, FileVault, plus whether user can override Gatekeeper (OS X only)
Custom Settings	✓		Apply custom preferences for items not defined in other payloads (similar to applying preference manifests in WGM)
Directory	✓		Configure binding to directory services
Time Machine	✓		Configure Time Machine preferences
Single Sign-On		✓	Configure Kerberos settings
Login Window	✓		Configure login window options, such as messages, appearance, access, and Login/LogoutHooks
Finder	✓		Configure Finder settings
Software Update	✓		Define an Apple Software Update server to be used by the computer
Accessibility	✓		Manage Accessibility settings
Energy Saver	✓		Define Energy Saver policy such as sleeping, timed actions, and wake settings
Xsan	✓		Define Xsan membership
Custom Settings	✓		Apply custom preferences for items not defined in other payloads; similar to applying preference manifests in WGM

Layering and Multiple Profiles Considerations

In previous versions of OS X management, you could create different behaviors by layering management techniques reflecting users, groups of users, devices, and groups of devices. Although Profile Manager also shows those same four management levels, you need to be careful when building profiles.

The general rule is to avoid layering profiles that manage the same preferences, but this is not a strict rule. Some profiles can be additive, and others can collide, so you need to be aware of which are which.

Multiple profiles that contain different settings for the same preferences result in undefined results. There is no order of preference applied to the multiple profiles, so you will not have a predictable outcome.

Payloads that should remain exclusive include the following:

AD Certificate
APN
Directory
General
Global HTTP Proxy
Identification
Restrictions
Security & Privacy
Single App Mode
Single Sign-On
Xsan

Payloads that can be combined include the following:

Accessibility
AirPlay
AirPrint
Calendar
Certificate
Contacts
Content Filter
Custom Settings
Dock
Domains
Energy Saver
Finder
Fonts
Exchange
LDAP
Login items
LoginWindow
Mail
Messages
Mobility
Network
Passcode
Parental Controls
Printing
SCEP
Software Update
Subscribed Calendars
Time Machine
VPN
Web Clips

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