JDS Installer 9.101.0 Not Available for Download

Please define "soon". We have seen that "soon" can be years in Jamf's case. ;-)

@michael.devins,

We're currently running JSS and JDS at 9.97.1488392992. Is it possible to upgrade the JSS to 9.101.0 and keep the JDS at 9.97.1488392992? Do you suggest waiting for this issue to be addressed and keep both on the same version instead?

Thanks!

@jriv

If your JDS is currently working, please do not update it.

The JDS and JSS versions do not need to match.

If your JDS does happen to stop working after you update your JSS to 9.101.0, please contact support for assistance.

Thanks!
Were Wulff
Jamf Customer Experience

@were.wulff ,

Have there been any reports of JDS (not on 9.101.0) not working after updating the JSS to 9.101.0? At this point, I'm more concerned about stability than new features. However, we do want to get ready for macOS 10.13 and it seems like we have to update at some point.

Also, any ETA on the new version of JDS?

Thanks.

@jriv ,

We have several PIs that can cause a previously working JDS to stop working on upgrade, though most are centered around JDSes running on a Mac. There is a KB article on how to fix that if it happens, but we still recommend not updating a working JDS as there is generally not a reason to do so if it's at least on version 9.96.

We also often see JDS failures after attempting to update the JDS happen on Linux JDSes. The JDS overall has several open product issues that can impact functionality or upgrades, and Support's recommendation is to not ever touch a working JDS.

There is no ETA on a new version of the JDS.

Thanks!
Were Wulff
Jamf Customer Experience

Hello! Please fix this urgent issue.
Using a smb share is not enough for my needs.

@jriv Just to let you know we tried updating our JSS to 9.101 and leaving our JDS at 9.99.0, both running on Ubuntu 14.04 and the JDS definitely stopped functioning. I haven't heard anything about other platforms but for Linux it will definitely break.

Thanks @michaellanfranco. Do you have a current work-around for your situation?

@michaellanfranco

If you weren't aware, Ubuntu 14.04 is not a compatible OS for the JDS, so we cannot guarantee it'll work (or that it will continue to work) on that particular OS.

The Casper Suite Administrator's Guide details which OSes are compatible with the JDS.

For Ubuntu that would be versions 10.04 and 12.04.

We've been aware of issues between the JDS and 14.04 since 2014, and removed 14.04 from the compatibility list around that time. While some customers don't have any issues running a JDS on 14.04, many do, even with JDSes that had been previously functional that just stop working properly without any warning or changes being made to the computer on which the JDS is installed.

If you'd still like to continue to use the JDS, it'll probably need to be on a different version of Ubuntu as we're not going to be able to guarantee it'll install or run on Ubuntu 14.04. You can certainly try, but if it doesn't work or won't install, Support's first recommendation is going to be to move to a supported OS and we likely won't be able to provide much support on an unsupported OS beyond that as we know that there are significant issues with the JDS on Ubuntu 14.04.

I'd recommend moving away from the JDS however, and using either a cloud based distribution point or an AFP or SMB based share.

Thanks!
Were Wulff
Jamf Customer Experience

@were.wulff We wanted to switch over to JDS as it can work federated etc. According to your last statement we should just stay with a SMB share, is that true?
Are there any future plans for JDS?

ChrOst/lrz

@LRZ_Jamf

Please do not switch to the JDS.

Support no longer recommends using the JDS and highly recommends customers using the JDS look into switching to other methods of file distribution due to numerous product issues, security issues, and stability issues with the JDS.

I have no information on future plans for the JDS, unfortunately. @michael.devins has said there will be updated information on JDS support coming soon, so we'll need to wait for that post.

Thanks!
Were Wulff
Jamf Customer Experience

Greetings,

We have just posted our announcement on JDS being discontinued, which contains details on why we have taken this direction. To echo the sentiments there, we know many rely on the JDS and that makes this a difficult announcement, but given the current state of the JDS, we want to provide clarity and direction to ensure your success.

Here is the link to the announcement.

JDS Announcement