Building package and forcing preferences to default user template

[#1]

How do I build a package and force the preferences I set to the default template?

I already setup a account on the laptop and copy its library preferences to the default user template. this makes the dock and all preferences assign to all new users on the mac.

I want to build each package and do the same so all new users get those preferences.

Lannie R. Schafroth
Technology Director
South Hamilton CSD
www.s-hamilton.k12.ia.us
515.827.5418 (W)
515.240.8343(C)
515.827.5368 (F)

[jarednichols]

When you upload the preferences package with Casper Admin, just check off the "fill existing users" and "fill user template" checkboxes in the package information. This way new users will get the setting as well as existing users on the box.

j
---
Jared F. Nichols
Desktop Engineer, Client Services
Information Services Department
MIT Lincoln Laboratory
244 Wood Street
Lexington, Massachusetts 02420
781.981.5436

[#3]

thank you! I bet that info is in the documentation right? ;)

Lannie

Sent from my android device.

[tlarkin]

In Casper Admin you check the box that says FUT and FEU. These are options when you view the package info in Casper Admin.

-Tom

[#5]

I found the settings.looks pretty easy. will test it later today.
thank you

Lannie

Sent from my android device.

[talkingmoose]

thank you! I bet that info is in the documentation right? ;)
On 9/28/11 8:40 AM, "Lannie Schafroth" <lannie_schafroth at s-hamilton.k12.ia.us<mailto:lannie_schafroth at s-hamilton.k12.ia.us>> wrote:

Yep, it is. ;-)

If the preferences you're trying to set are in .plist format then you can more than likely use Managed Preferences in the JSS instead. You would only have to set them once there and then apply them to the machines you choose. No packaging required other than for the application itself.

--

William Smith
Technical Analyst
Merrill Communications LLC
(651) 632-1492

[karthikeyan_mac]

Hi,

Only package created as dmg has option to "Fill Existing Users(FEU)" and "Fill User Templete(FUT)" in the package configuration.

In our environment we create package as .pkg or .mkg, we use the postinstall or postflight script to copy the preferences to Existing Users and Fill User Templatesand change the permissions to the file.

#!/bin/sh # # Copy stuff to existing/future users, set ownership and permissions. # # Example used here is USERCRAP which represents top level of user directory # (change name to make relevant to package being deployed!). We are pushing # user resources to /tmp/USERCRAP directory. Items in this folder will be # merged with existing directories, and any existing resources will be # overwritten.

# Copy to User Template and set root:wheel ownership

/usr/bin/ditto /tmp/USERCRAP /System/Library/User Template/English.lproj /usr/sbin/chown -R root:wheel /System/Library/User Template/English.lproj

# Copy to existing user directories and set ownership and permissions.

for i in $(/bin/ls /Users | sed -e '/Shared/d' -e '/Deleted Users/d' -e '/.localized/d' -e '/.DS_Store/d' -e '/.com.apple.timemachine.supported/d' -e '/Adobe/d' -e '/Library/d');

do

/usr/bin/ditto /tmp/USERCRAP /Users/$i /usr/sbin/chown -R $i:staff /Users/$i

done

exit 0

P.S:- We create as .pkg or .mpkg to install it manually if required. Because .dmg created using composer cannot be installed manually.

Thanks & Regards,
Karthikeyan M

[rockpapergoat]

also, those "fill user" options are only available for payloads prepared as dmgs from composer.

you're better off using managed preferences, either way.

[#9]

the preferences I use in Firefox for example;
set home page
set download prefs
set tab prefs
set update checking prefs
place on dock

can all of those be done in managed prefs?

Sent from my android device.

[CasperSally]

As far as I know, no. Firefox is it's own beast setting prefererences in js file.

[rockpapergoat]

no, for firefox, you want to use the extension described here:

http://managingosx.wordpress.com/2010/10/06/firefox-global-extensions-again/

follow those steps, distribute the plugin, and you should be good.

[tlarkin]

Yeah you want to use CCK and follow Neagle's advice on that blog. I honestly gave up managing firefox because of how much of a hassle it is. I don't want to spend hours to days every time an update comes out to repack firefox exactly how I want it.

-Tom

[stevewood]

Problem with using the Global Extension add-on is that if you don't set
On Wed, Sep 28, 2011 at 9:10 AM, Nate St. Germain <nate at techsuperpowers.com>wrote:
extensions.newAddons in the .js files in the FF package, your users will be
prompted that a new add-on has been added. If you look in the comments on
that page you'll see Greg's comments about it.

A cleaner solution, one that does not alert the user, is to use this one
that Greg outlined:

http://managingosx.wordpress.com/2010/01/11/firefox-default-settings-revisited/

If you follow his instructions it should work fine. I just used it to lock
down 6.02 so that my users don't get update dialogs.

Steve Wood
Director of IT
swood at integer.com

The Integer Group | 1999 Bryan St. | Ste. 1700 | Dallas, TX 75201
T 214.758.6813 | F 214.758.6901 | C 940.312.2475

[donmontalvo]

Out of the box, this is correct. But as Karthikeyan correctly pointed out, a bit of crafty scripting can easily replicate the desired behavior (in a reliable and manageable way) so companies that are forced to use PKG/MPKG format packages can have their cake and eat it too.

So where a DMG package is only usable via Casper, by using PKG/MPKG format the package us usable by the many groups that comprise the support structure in some global enterprise environments.

Don

[talkingmoose]

This is an excellent plug-in. Used it for a year or two now.
On 9/28/11 9:10 AM, "Nate St. Germain" <nate at techsuperpowers.com> wrote:

You still have to package and push the final settings to each machine but
they go into the /Library folder where they're applied to everyone using
Firefox.

--

William Smith
Technical Analyst
Merrill Communications LLC
(651) 632-1492

[talkingmoose]

Because we use Active Directory, this is the solution that works for me.
On 9/28/11 9:44 AM, "Don Montalvo" <donmontalvo at gmail.com> wrote:

The Fill Existing Users (FEU) feature doesn't work with user folders
created by directory accounts, so any time that I need to deploy something
like this (QuarkXPress preferences for example) I create a package with a
script to copy the payload to each user folder.

Works well.

--

William Smith
Technical Analyst
Merrill Communications LLC
(651) 632-1492

[jarednichols]

::shudder::
---
Jared F. Nichols
Desktop Engineer, Client Services
Information Services Department
MIT Lincoln Laboratory
244 Wood Street
Lexington, Massachusetts 02420
781.981.5436