Alternative way to take a Mac through re-enrollment

[myu]

So we're new to Jamf Pro and obviously we're doing trial and error on some settings (actually combination of settings) so see what it will result in. Part of this is the PreStage Enrollment settings. We need to be able to take the laptop through the whole process from the very start to see the user experience so for now, we're initiating a WIPE from Jamf Pro which ends up taking us through the BigSur install over the Internet which takes over 2hrs to complete.

We're wondering if there is a faster way to do this (taking the laptop through the enrollment process) without us having to reinstall the OS every time since this is only for testing purposes. Obviously, when we need to actually re-issue the laptop to another user, we're fine with OS reinstall.

On that note also, what's the best practice when we need to re-issue the laptop to someone else (we're mostly 1:1 so the only time this happens is when the original user leaves and someone replaces them)? Is wiping the disk and reinstalling the OS the way to go?

[garybidwell]

If you're managing macOS 12 Monterey then the new erase settings command will be your new best friend.
Prior to that, then this blog works really well and can make use of the macOS installer held on a local DP or use Apple Caching servers to speed this up dramatically 

https://www.jamf.com/blog/reinstall-a-clean-macos-with-one-button/

[pkleiber]

Hi @myu before I had the macOS Monterey option described by @garybidwell
I made me a bootable Big Sur USB Stick
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201372

Then entered Recovery mode in a Macbook Pro, started disk utility and deleted the Macintosh HD Volume group.
After that booted from the USB Stick via Option key and reinstalled BigSur. This is in my Opinion much faster then the linked Jamf method. On newer Macs with T2 Chip you have to allow the Installation from an external device first, which you can change in Recovery Mode.

Another Option would be to test your Prestage Enrollment in a virtual Machine with VMware Fusion.
Check out this guide here for example:
https://hcsonline.com/support/white-papers/how-to-create-a-never-run-vm-snapshot-with-vmware-fusion-...
You can also optimize the VM performance with some tweaks:
https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/81657

The VM Solution is very quick to test your setup then rewind to start again.

Hope this helps 🙂

[falbrecht]

There are a few different ways to do this but to be honest now that Monterey is out the new Erase all Content option is a breeze and eliminates any value in wasting a bunch of time finding/testing a way to do this with Big Sur.