Any reason not to deploy Apple packages from JSS?

[milesleacy]

Hey all,
I'm having trouble getting my 10.4 clients to see updates on my 10.5.5
Software Update Server. While I try to work this out with Apple support, I
was thinking of downloading the Apple packages, adding them too the JSS and
deploying them that way.

Since the general SOP is to have the JSS kick off Apple's softwareupdate, I
was wondering if anyone knows of any significant difference in deploying an
Apple package via softwareupdate, vs deploying it from the JSS.

Thanks,
Miles

[tlarkin]

I had the same problem with my clients seeing the updates. They would
successfully see the SUS but never pull down an update. I was going to
post this back to the list but haven't had time yet and I have had other
things to do. It had to do with my DNS settings on the SUS itself. For
some reason they weren't in proper configuration. Jesse from the
mailing list sent me this:

Actually, that will only work temporarily. As soon as a new update
comes out from apple or you change a setting in your Software Update server (within server admin) this config will get overwritten. What you need
to do to ensure that this will work properly is change an entry in the file:

/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/preferences.plist

This file is used by OS X server to write different configurations when using server admin. In any case, find the following piece of this file

<key>System</key> <dict> <key>ComputerName</key> <string>servername</string> <key>ComputerNameEncoding</key> <integer>0</integer> <key>HostName</key> <string>fullyqualifiedomain.com</string> </dict>

Using vi or some other text editor you can change the string under the 'HostName' key to be 'xs001?swu.kckps.org'. This will ensure that when
OS X server writes configurations in the future it will use that fqdm as its hostname. To ensure that this change is reflected immediately in your system type 'sudo hostname xs001?swu.kckps.org' in terminal.

That pretty much fixed it for me. The hostname string was wrong and
wasn't the whole FQDN that we had in our DNS database. Once i fixed
that, SUS worked like a charm and I am doing it through self service as
of right now.

---

Thomas Larkin
TIS Department
KCKPS USD500
tlarki at kckps.org
blackberry: 913-449-7589
office: 913-627-0351

[Bukira]

Hi,

I depoly all updates via the JSS,

1. It means i can control the updates better than via software update server,
2. I can then add them to the autorun for future reimaging
3. I use the same method for non apple updates, so i have only 1 update route

Criss

Criss Myers
Senior Customer Support Analyst (Mac Services)
Apple Certified Technical Coordinator v10.5
LIS Business Support Team
Library 301
University of Central Lancashire
Preston PR1 2HE
Ex 5054
01772 895054

[milesleacy]

Thanks!
Unfortunately, the plist appears to be correct. I don't manage DNS for my
organization, but the HostName string is the same fqdn that is returned by
nslookup on my SUS' IP address.

[tlarkin]

So Criss, you just literally download the pkg files and toss them into casper admin for software updates?

I think I almost like that idea better....

[#6]

I do that. The only time it's burned me is with the FCP6.0.4 update, which I believe Apple called the ProApps2.0(???) update. Casper reported that it had installed the package, but when we launched the applications, it clearly had not.

I believe it was because it was a mpkg, but I never took the time to investigate.

Thanks,
Damien

[#7]

And we did it on a test box with an OS update. Threw the MacOSXUpdCombo10.5.5.pkg on the JSS as-is, pushed it to a test box running 10.5.4, and required a reboot. It rebooted twice on its own, and was
running 10.5.5 with no apparent issues or problems. Too easy.

disclaimer: Have not gone beyond early testing at this point.

Matt Corippo
Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes
I.T. Dept.

[Bukira]

Ive done the 10.5.5 update as well as the Java update via JSS no problem, with testing

Criss Myers
Senior Customer Support Analyst (Mac Services)
Apple Certified Technical Coordinator v10.5
LIS Business Support Team
Library 301
University of Central Lancashire
Preston PR1 2HE
Ex 5054
01772 895054