Posted on 03-31-2010 12:09 AM
Support guys, devs, and fellow admins:
In my Casper environment: a multi-office, multi-department, creative enterprise, I have need of the the ability to build Configurations, Smart Configurations, and Sub-Configurations underneath; nested smart configurations, or smart configurations of smart configurations.
In this environment, every Mac is imaged with the same Base Image, Office Suite, and Anti-Virus, and some other basic settings. After that, each individual office then has its own Base Config which always contains these items, but for multiple reasons has a different office-wide software loadout, and even after that a separate loadout for each department underneath that. I end up building 6-7 of the same Base Config for each office just to make some small or subtle change that one office has over another, but we’re all managed by the same Casper server. It would be immensely helpful if I could create a Base Config with those Core Items, and Smart Config for each office, and Sub-Configs for the individual departments/people.
My first reaction is obviously to build a compiled config of the Base, Office, and AV. But for us this defeats the purpose of using Casper. If Office or AntiVirus gets updated I need to rebuild and compile the image again. This is not a sufficient solution either. I know I’ve asked for this before at a Casper User’s Group and been told that you didn’t see the need, and I’m CC’ing the list because in a hope of drumming up support for a measure like this. I’m hoping that you can please consider this request for such large and diverse environments such as ours.
Respectfully,

Posted on 03-31-2010 12:14 AM
I forgot to mention my initial reason for writing this:
I now find myself in need of doubling the amount of Base Configs I need to build. For every config I currently have, I need to build a parallel Snow Leopard Configuration, as we still deploy both brand new machines, and PowerPC machines. This will bring me well over 40 Base and Smart Configs combined.
It’s just getting a little overwhelming. Sorry for the rant.
Regards,
-Sean Hansell
Posted on 03-31-2010 12:52 AM
I'd second adding nested smart configs.
I looked for this functionality right after we setup Casper and didn't
find it. I manage 8 buildings and each have the same base but different
apps depending on department within so I end up doing exactly what Sean
has done.
- JD
Posted on 04-01-2010 05:01 PM
Sean,
I agree with the nested smart configs, I would also like to have a smart config as a base.
A couple of thing that could help here, firstly the info on the dmg has an ability to install according to hardware, I.e. If not intel install ppc.dmg instead of intel.dmg.
The second way I have found to use base config and smart config is to have the applications as the base config and the Os as the smart config, the priority will look after the install order. This will allow you to have a base build (apps, settings etc) followed by an Os in testing. This is also good for testing an soe on a new Os build.
I still like the idea of nested smart configs.
Tomos Tyler
National Project Manager
Computers Now
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Posted on 04-02-2010 01:25 AM
I agree as well, love the idea
Posted on 04-19-2012 07:49 AM
Yes, this is a must. We have a structure like follows:
Base Configuration
- Building 1
-- Building 1 additions
--- config 1
--- config 2
--- config 3
- Building 2
-- Building 2 Additions
--- config 4
--- config 5
--- config 6
- Building 3
-- Buidling 3 additions
--- config 7
--- config 8
--- config 9
... and so on ...
We would definitely benefit from level 1 smart config, level 2 smart config, level 3 smart configs and so on. Thanks for the suggestion Sean, this is huge.