Mac Imaging using Deployment Solution – Unicast to Multicast

Nice real world example of custom Mac imaging by a customer:

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/downloads/mac-imaging-using-deployment-solution-unicast-multicast

Deployment Solution 6.9 SP4

DS 6.9 SP4 adds Snow Leopard support.  See the Reference Guide below for detailed Mac imaging help.

DS 6.9 SP4 Reference Guide (https://kb.altiris.com/article.asp?article=52244&p=1)

Chapter 14: Building and Scheduling Jobs
Creating a Mac Image – page 159
Distributing a Mac Image – page 164

Chapter 19: Mac Imaging – page 221

Chapter 29: Mac Deployment Agent – page 263

Hiding the “opt” folder

When the Altiris Agent for Mac is installed, the ‘opt’ folder is now exposed in the Finder.  Despite the permissions being such that even local Administrators cannot delete the folder structure, it is still desired to have this “hidden” from users’ view.  Check out this KB article for a script that can be run to hide the folder structure from the Finder:

https://kb.altiris.com/article.asp?article=52407&p=1

Notification Server 6 Agent Update for Mac OS X 10.5 and 10.6

An update that provides support for Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) and 10.6 (Snow Leopard) by the Notification Server 6 Agent is now available. This update allows 10.5 and 10.6 clients to be managed by an NS and for retrieval of Basic Inventory from these clients. This only updates the agent. The solutions, i.e., Inventory and Software Delivery, do not support Snow Leopard.

The update can be found at: https://kb.altiris.com/article.asp?article=50717&p=1.

Supported platforms:

Previously supported Mac OS X versions will remain the same: 10.2.8 – 10.4.X. New platforms with agent-only support in this addon are:

Mac OS X 10.5 (ppc and x86)

Mac OS X Server 10.5 (ppc and x86)

Mac OS X 10.6 (Intel only platform)

Mac OS X Server 10.6 (Intel only platform)

Prerequisite: NS 6.0.6074 with Altiris Agent for Mac 6.2.1302.

Patch Management for Mac – Return Codes

If needed, during troubleshooting, this quick reference may be of assistance.  Below is a list of return codes that can be expected from client tasks within the default rollout jobs that are created with Patch for Mac.

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/blogs/patch-management-mac-return-codes

How to redirect Mac clients to a local Software Update Server (SUS)

It is recommended that you configure a local SUS server to manage Apple software updates.  The Altiris Patch for Mac solution can then simply pull the updates locally rather than have every client pull them individually from Apple’s web site.

https://kb.altiris.com/article.asp?article=47899&p=1

Installation – The Comprehensive Guide to the NS Agent for UNIX

More detailed – again, applies to the Mac

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/articles/installation-comprehensive-guide-ns-agent-unix

Overview – The Comprehensive Guide to the NS Agent for UNIX

Applies to the Mac as well.

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/articles/overview-comprehensive-guide-ns-agent-unix

 

Installing the DS and NS Agent for Macintosh

Nice write up on installing the available Altiris agents for the Mac.

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/articles/installing-ds-and-ns-agent-macintosh

Shell Scripts to Manage the Mac Agent debug_level, hold_queue and server-1 client.conf settings

 

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/articles/shell-scripts-manage-unix-linux-macintosh-debuglevel-holdqueue-and-server-1-clientconf-sett