MUT v5 Beta 2 ready for download!
Well folks, you've asked and I've fought tooth and nail listened. MUT will now update multiple attributes at once.
I will go into more detail below, but here's the tl;dr:
- Head out to GitHub to download Beta 2 here: https://github.com/mike-levenick/mut/releases/tag/5.0.0-beta2
- v5 depends HEAVILY on CSV templates (similar to inventory preload). When you first launch the app, you will be prompted to download these templates
- Do not delete columns or rearrange columns from the templates. MUT will not like that. Yes, I know inventory preload lets you, but MUT doesn't.
- If you want to update Extension Attributes, add extra columns to the end of the template in the format of "EA_#" with # being the number of EA to update. For example, to update Extension Attribute 15, add a new column "EA_15" and put the value below it.
- Cells left blank will be ignored/not updated/not changed. So if you want to JUST update usernames, only fill out the username column
- To REMOVE a value, populate that cell with the phrase "CLEAR!" (including exclamation point). These should appear RED on the preflight check
- To update a static group, simply create a single column CSV (with any header) with a list of Serial Numbers (or usernames for users), and use the dropdowns provided to tell MUT what to do
- When updating object attributes (computers, mobile devices, and users), MUT will determine what you're looking to update based off the header row. There is no longer a need to populate dropdowns at all, thanks to the new CSV templates
- Documentation and videos will be coming soon
- If you have any issues, or discover any bugs, please list them on the "issues" section of GitHub: https://github.com/mike-levenick/mut/issues
- Authentication check is now handled by generating a JPAPI token. If you're using a very old version of MUT, which does not have the JPAPI, MUT v5 may no longer work for you
MORE DETAILS:
There are a LOT of changes. We hope you really like them. The app got a bit more complex to use, but with that complexity comes a TON of power.
MUT v5 has been rebuilt from the ground up (again.. ugh). Our goal is to have some folks test out the beta this week, spend next weekend through Tuesday fixing issues, and hopefully release in time for "day zero" support for Jamf Pro 10.14, which has some new features that I think you'll like.
When you first launch the app, you'll be given this screen. It looks fairly "dumbed down", but as soon as you feed MUT your CSV, it will take you to a new screen for the specific type of update you're looking to do.
The first thing you're going to want to do is hit that little "download CSV templates" button. That will create a "MUT Templates" directory inside ~/Downloads, which will contain all the templates you will need.
Once you've fed it a CSV, it will give you a screen that looks like this, which automatically does your pre-flight check if you're updating an object record (user, mobile device, or computer). Things that say "(unchanged)" in blue were left blank in the CSV, and will not be updated. Things that say "CLEAR!" in red will have their value deleted.
Physically click on object identifiers in the left table to view the changes that will take place for that object. Some objects will have most fields unchanged, like seen here. This is especially true if all you want to do is update usernames across your devices or something like that.
When you hit the submit button, a progress bar will appear letting you know how things are going. There is no longer success/failure status in the GUI. This was done to make room for all the additional information needed during pre-flight. We are assessing options to utilize the pre-flight window to display status during update runs for future versions.
That said, you may see that it says to "See MUT.log for additional details". In the MUT Templates directory, you will find a "MUT.log". The MUT.log will contain MUCH more information than you had access to before, and we're excited for the troubleshooting possibilities that this will provide users of MUT v5.
MUT v5 handles authentication by generating a token in the JPAPI now. The good news is that ALL users are able to generate JPAPI tokens, and their permissions are tied to the token generated--which means there is no longer a need to "bypass authentication". This option has been changed to an "allow insecure SSL" checkbox, to give you the option to use a non-trusted certificate if you wish--but MUT will default to performing default SSL checks via App Transport Security protocols.
I've got a new friend!
You may notice that I've been using the phrase "we" a lot in this post. MUT is no longer a solo project. @ben.whitis has joined the MUT team, and did the majority of the leg work on the new GUI, while I handled a lot of the back-end code logic. He is also going to be writing most of the documentation, and should be able to answer questions on usage and features.
Ben is a a wicked smart dude, and MUT would not be the app that it is today without his assistance. Be sure to give him a high-five if you see him at JNUC.
v5b2 Known Issues:
There are a couple small known issues so far with MUT v5b2. These will for sure be fixed prior to the GA release, along with anything else that folks find. Known issues are:
- Computer display name updates do not seem to be happening. We are investigating the root cause.
- The templates to guide user for group updates are missing
- User updates will always attempt to update the user's username to the provided identifier. This means that: -- You cannot update a user's username at will -- If you submit user updates using ID as the identifier, the user's username will be set to their ID.
What if I like the old, simpler MUT?
We know there are a LOT of changes here. And some of the feedback I got in a Q&A was that folks preferred the simpler MUT with only one attribute to update. There is also a lot of comfort there.
Our solution: "MUT Classic". MUT Classic is basically a rebranded version of MUT 4.3, which will be available on the App Store in parallel with MUT v5 (as well as future versions).
While MUT Classic is currently approved and pending developer release on the App Store, there likely will not be much continued development on MUT Classic, as we focus our efforts towards v5, as well as other projects to help Jamf help you succeed with Apple. That said, 4.3 has been a very solid and stable release, and we expect MUT Classic should do a great job of filling the role that folks have come to know and love--if they are not interested in the new, powerful features of v5+.
That's about it
Feel free to download the app, test it out, let us know what we can do better, and we'll hopefully have the GA out there for 10.14 support on day zero.
