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Question

Caching Server vs. SWUS (either on Apple Server app or NetSUS)

  • December 2, 2017
  • 5 replies
  • 47 views
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Hi folks,

Anyone use Caching Server instead of regular SWUS?

We currently run SWUS service for Sierra clients on Server app 5.2 over OS X 10.11.6 on an XServe (not kidding, see image).

This setup has worked well for us since the OS X Leopard days. However, we've reached the end of the line of supported OS on that machine, and Server app 5.4 requires High Sierra. We're exploring replacing this setup with NetSUS on CentOS, or running a Caching server on a Mac mini.

The reason to consider the Caching server is that we do get some apps from the Apple App Store using our VPP account, so it'd be nice to save on bandwidth, and have the apps install from there. This is especially true if it's an app we'd want to deploy to everyone automatically.

I see a lot of discussions on using non-Apple SWUS, but I haven't seen anything on Caching server. Anyone here actually use this service?

    5 replies

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    • psliequ
    • Contributor
    • December 4, 2017

    Content caching is great. It solves a different set of problems than an internal SUS and presents new ones.
    If you can let go of the need to control which specific updates are available to a Mac client, content caching ‘just works,’ and is highly scalable and configurable (especially on High Sierra.) If your network architecture is very complex it can be more difficult to set up. For instance, if Mac clients reach the internet through multiple public IP addresses you have to create DNS records to make them aware of any content caching servers internally. Content caching is also the only game in town for iOS, so if you are managing many of those now or will be in the future I wouldn’t even consider an internal SUS.
    An internal SUS is simpler from a network architecture perspective (it’s just a web server at the end of the day) but much more day to day administration is involved as you have to make a decision about every update in the catalog.
    You might ask if you can just use both. This might be possible now, but in Sierra at least this didn’t work properly. It’s maybe worth testing in 10.13.

    G
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    • GabePPS
    • Esteemed Contributor
    • December 4, 2017

    There are some caveats however. We found having a caching server at each building site is great, except that it sometimes causes issues with MDM (mac app) pushes specifically making the Mac App stuck trying to load. Otherwise it really reduces the load on our network.
    Gabe Shackney
    Princeton Public Schools

    GabePrinceton Public Schools
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    • lehmanp00
    • Valued Contributor
    • December 4, 2017

    I can second was gshackney said as well. We started with a few caching servers 2 years ago and now have at least 1 per building (4 at the High School). Usually they work fine, but sometimes apps just stop installing and we have to go into that buildings caching server and 'reset' the cache to get things going again.

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    • GabePPS
    • Esteemed Contributor
    • December 4, 2017

    I keep meaning to open a ticket with Apple about this. Somebody mentioned to me me about certain DNS settings that could help this issue. But I've not found time to try it.

    Gabe Shackney
    Princeton Public Schools

    GabePrinceton Public Schools
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    • itupshot
    • Author
    • Valued Contributor
    • December 7, 2017

    Thank you all for your responses. This gives me a better idea if it'll be something we want to implement.

    My company is all in one location, and we have 180 managed Macs. We don't have managed iOS devices, but we're thinking of getting a few iPads.

    @psliequ I think I've read somewhere that it is possible to have both, but I can't remember the details now. I don't think I bookmarked the page.

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