Can I control Apple?

[MacGeek]

During the DEP process in Monterey, I'm seeing many startup screens from Apple and I want to eliminate as many as possible. These windows include Accessibility and Select your Time Zone. There are several others like Select your Country which I would think the OS could figure out depending on your location and then maybe I would have the option to change it if I needed to? The Remote Management window is also kind of a waste of time because the only thing you can do there is select Continue if you want to use your Mac. Thanks for your help!

[sdagley]

@MacGeek The Setup Assistant screens can be configured in your PreStage Enrollment configuration. The screens before the Remote Management screen (Locale and Accessibility) cannot be disabled, and it looks like the Time Zone/Location Services screen is required as well. The Remote Management screen is Apple's balancing user privacy against corporate ownership, and is really to remind the user the Mac will be managed.

[MacGeek]

sdagley,

Thanks much for the information. Where is the PreStage Enrollment configuration located on the Jamf console?

[sdagley]

@MacGeek Select PreStage Enrollments under the Content Management section of the JSS Menu (dark bar on left side of the JSS Console), select a PreStage enrollment, select the General SideTab, select the Options tab across the top, scroll down to Setup Assistant Options

[Bol]

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@sdagley wrote:

The Setup Assistant screens can be configured in your PreStage Enrollment configuration. The screens before the Remote Management screen (Locale and Accessibility) cannot be disabled, and it looks like the Time Zone/Location Services screen is required as well. The Remote Management screen is Apple's balancing user privacy against corporate ownership, and is really to remind the user the Mac will be managed.

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Great answer. Here's a picture for reference and yes, you can eliminate Location Services (Timezone) and add a line to your enrollment complete policy; 

/usr/sbin/systemsetup -settimezone Country/City -setusingnetworktime on -setnetworktimeserver time.apple.com

[sdagley]

@Bol Does that work for you? I have _never_ seen the Location Services page _not_ come up when configuring Big Sur or Monterey systems, and I _do_ have it set to not be displayed in my Setup Assistant Options (my enrollment script enables it programmatically, at least on Catalina systems)

[Bol]

I used to have it set exactly the same as you and expect the same to happen, I even used to leave Location Services unticked as I knew it was coming anyway.

Yes, on Big Sur or Monterey it works although I changed my workflow to not include an Configure Account Settings and I auto advance. It gets held up on the user creation screen! but reboots out from my background Enrollment Complete tasks.

I believe there's a known issue filed for Jamf on the user creation screen error. Beside that, it does auto advance and place me on our login screen until a policy calls a shutdown.

[Bol]

@sdagley  I went back to test, stopping my policy from breaking out of Setup Assistant with a reboot, I do in fact still see the Location Services / Time Zone screen (even though it is ticked to skip). 

Auto advance drops me at the create a user screen even though I do not have an Account Settings payload in my Pre-Stage or Require Authentication. I believe i'm seeing PI-008848

Note PI-004334, perhaps that screen is triggered on purpose.

[MatG]

I would recommend to keep Location Services, as this sets the clock on the Mac

[Bol]

SYSTEMSETUP(8)            BSD System Manager's Manual           SYSTEMSETUP(8)

NAME

     systemsetup -- configuration tool for certain machine settings in System

     Preferences.

SYNOPSIS

     systemsetup [-getdate] [-setdate mm:dd:yy] [-gettime] [-settime hh:mm:ss]

                 [-gettimezone] [-listtimezones] [-settimezone timezone]

                 [-getusingnetworktime] [-setusingnetworktime on | off]

                 [-getnetworktimeserver] [-setnetworktimeserver timeserver]

/usr/sbin/systemsetup -settimezone Country/City -setusingnetworktime on -setnetworktimeserver time.apple.com