ADPassMon 1.10.0 deployment

[AVmcclint]

I’m trying to deploy ADPassMon 1.10.0 with a .plist and a LaunchAgent using Casper. I created the plist and launchagent files with TextWrangler and saved them as plain old text format. I packaged them up using Casper Composer in a .dmg file. When I deploy the .dmg (either via Casper remote or by a Policy pushes from the server) none of the settings of the plist and launch agent work. When I double click on the files in the Finder, I can read them just fine and everything is exactly as I set them. HOWEVER, if I use the ```
more
``` command in Terminal to view the files, I get a message telling me the files are binary and asks me if I want to view them anyway. I tell it Yes I do want to view and it comes up as binary gibberish. If I take the text files I created and manually copy them to the locations they need to be in, it works just fine and they remain as text files. So obviously something is happening to the plist and launchagent files that is changing it from text to binary and ADPassMon can’t read them. Does anyone have any tips for resolving this?
We're on JSS 9.62 and using the corresponding version of Composer.

[AVmcclint]

MORE INFO: When I look at the .plist files that are on the DMG that Composer built, and use the more command to view those, I get the message about them being binary. So it is definitely something in Composer that is converting them from plain text files to binary when it builds the DMG file. i've looked in the Composer preferences and I don't see any settings relating to converting to binary. Is this a bug in Composer? Is there a way around this?

[pblake]

I used Lingon X to create my launch deamons for ADPassmon. Worked perfectly.

Launch Daemons have to have very particular permissions. Usually Root:Wheel and 644.

[davidacland]

I generally use lingon as well.

If you need the files to be plain text you can convert them with:

plutil -convert xml1 /path/to/file

[AVmcclint]

I know there are tools to convert them but the point is that the 2 files were created in TextWrangler as just plain old ordinary text files and something in the Composer DMG building CHANGED the files to binary. Why would it do that? I even did a test of pretending that I needed to deploy a regular text file with the cafeteria's menu... having nothing to do with plists or launch agents... file.txt. When I put it into Composer and had it build a DMG, it was changed to binary as well. I need Composer to handle the files EXACTLY as they are without modifications so that I don't have to run other tools to change them back to the way they're supposed to be.
Using Lingon or other tools to create the launch agents is irrelevant because when I manually take the files I created and copy them to the correct locations on another computer, the launchagent and .plist files do exactly what they are supposed to. When the files go through Composer, that's when they break.

[pblake]

I still think it is permissions. View the permissions of the files when installed from Casper. Then later after you copy them. That is my thought.

[AVmcclint]

In Composer I set the permissions on the files to 777 and the permissions are retained when they are pushed to the client machines. it definitely is not a permissions issue. I have tested and repeated at least a dozen times now. it is absolutely verified that the files are being converted to binary from text format and that is what breaks it and stops ADPassMon from working. I need the files to not be converted to binary.

[davidacland]

I've just tried it on my Mac with 9.62 version of Composer. The file stayed as an XML in my case so it might be a bug for you.

I tested a couple of other general text files. No conversions going on.

I would contact JAMF support to see whats going on.

[pblake]

Do a ls -al on the files in composer. See if they have extra attributes or characters that are hidden by the finder.

[AVmcclint]

There are no extra attributes on the files in Composer or anywhere else.
@davidacland, when you checked your files, did you verify in Terminal? I am able to open the files just fine in TextWrangler or TextEdit just fine, but Terminal reports they are binary.

[bentoms]

@AVmcclint, can you run the following on the plist:

plutil -convert xml1 some_file.plist

It shouldn't matter anyways as should take.

But you can also deploy the ADPassMon settings via a Config Profile, which can be scoped at either a Computer or User level.

I'd suggest that route.