DEP & Pre-stage Enrollment or iCloud Restore

We have new iPads 7,5 and we are migrating staff from iPad Airs 2015.
Old and new are 32 GB.

Just beginning the process and having issues with iCloud restores.
Example:

Old iPad was at 11.2.6, lots of free space, newly created backup.
New was at 11.3.
Both devices are managed and supervised through DEP, using different pre-stages. Authentication required

Restore on new iPad has failed multiple times.
Restore did work to successfully restore the old iPad, which was inadvertently wiped before verifying the restore on new.

Have tried a newly created backup, nope
Have tried a newly created backup after updating both iPads to 11.3.1, nope.
Have tried restoring to a different NEW iPad which also failed.
During this last attempt, restore was chosen, Apple ID & PW entered, and it just skipped over the restore and was a pristine new activation.

Does anyone have any ideas about what else to try?
Are there new RULES about what iCloud will or won't do?
Might be crying wolf about one anomaly, or heading into fun...
sandy

@Sandy - was the iPad you are attempting to restore onto in the JSS ahead of time? I.E. does it exist as a device before you try to restore from backup on it? I ask because I have noticed that devices need to be in good standing with the JSS in order for an iCloud restore to work. If something gets hosed on a device and I need to DFU restore - the JSS doesn't know that. It thinks the device just isn't on WiFi and can't get commands right now, so commands will pile up and if I try to restore from iCloud backup in that state it doesn't work. I need to go through the setup assistant and set up as a new device, then send a wipe command through the JSS, then go back through the setup assistant and THEN I can restore from iCloud backup. Does that make sense?

Hi Jenny!

In order to upload Asset Tag #s, I am pre-activating w/ AC2, uploading asset tags, and then wiping from the JSS, so the new devices have records but JSS recognizes them as unmanaged.
I have migrated 4 staff members so far as part of our mini-pilot and seen 4 different scenarios to eventual success...

One important and annoying truth is that the iPads have to be at precise same iOS version to get an iCloud or itunes restore, at least so far in my experience. Sadly our new ones arrived with 11.3.0 and the day after I boxed and sent them to the schools iOS 11.3.1 was released...
We have also tried backing up in iTunes which did eventually work for the person whose cloud was too full to do a backup.
We use managed Apple IDs for our 1 to 1 students but not for staff since they all have purchased apps tied to their Apple IDs.

Also Apple Configurator 2 has a couple really annoying "Features" right now... I was able to download and put the iOS 11.3.1 ipsw in the correct spot so it now works. Every time I open Apple Configurator I get an error: Apple Configurator 2 Failed to initialize Global Restore Data. My current workaround is to delete everything Configurator item in the ~/Library/Containers folder.