Issue with Composer capturing OS 10.12.4?

[egill]

I have an image of 10.12.3, put it on a machine to update to 10.12.4, updated with no issues. Now Composer won't allow me to create an OS package, drives are greyed out and can't proceed. Anyone else have this issue? Is this some change with the 10.12.4 update? Thanks in advance!

Eric

[gskibum]

Might be another manifestation to a change Apple made with 10.12.4.

Discussion on that here.
[https://www.jamf.com/jamf-nation/discussions/23551/macos-10-12-4-upgrade-via-self-service-fails](link URL)

[scottb]

Oddly, @gskibum link comes back here...

Try this one: 10.12.4 Self Service Upgrade Fails

[egill]

Just an update, according to JAMF support, composer will no longer create OS packages on 10.12.4 and they are not sure if it will in the future. They recommended switching to AutoDMG, which is fine for a base image, but makes things difficult to have packages installed on the image, especially within a month of the school year end. Anyone have any good guides on this? Thanks again!

[PeterClarke]

While I am certain that there ARE limitations with macOS 10.12.4 and Composer.
I can verify that it does work with macOS 10.12.4 - as I have just this moment used it on macOS 10.12.4...

The main issue is anything involving SIP (System Integrity Protection) is NOT going to work
(Unless you have SIP disabled - which I don't recommend doing)

SIP protects certain parts of the system - But there are other parts of the system that you should, and would have access to.
So composer will legitimately not work in some situations. But in 'standard' cases it will work.

I would recommend 'moving with the times' - and using the most appropriate method for the job in hand.
- it's not always necessary to use Composer. You ought really, only use it in cases where it's necessary.

I find though - that it can also be useful to use as an 'analysis tool' - to see what it being changed where,
even if I end up not using the generated capture images.

Overall, where possible, PKG is the best 'format' to use, because it's versatile.
PKG's can easily be installed Manually, or using other tools, such as ARD. (Apple Remote Desktop) which is sometimes useful in LAB situations, as well as with Casper.

Manually installing a PKG, is a useful debugging method…
If you cannot install a PKG Manually - then no automation would be able to install it either..
- In this case there is 'something wrong' with the PKG..

Sometimes - especially for FUT/FEU, DMG's must be used. Sometimes MPKG's, have to be used (zipped up)
It all depends on the situation.

[egill]

@PeterClarke The issue is that composer can't capture and create an OS image from 10.12.4. Not just PKG's or DMG's in general.

Per JAMF support, "Thanks for reaching out to Jamf support regarding issues imaging 10.12.4 machines. With changes Apple has been making for OS infrastructure we've been seeing more and more issues with crating base OS images via Composer. We're recommending that customers use AutoDMG to create OS images."

My request was for guides on using software such as Packages, etc. in conjunction with AutoDMG to help install software onto my base OS image to help improve imaging times/efficiency.

[mking529]

Well, this just upset my stomach. Our organization has never done it any other way than using a "monolithic" image. We experimented with a package-based approach and it didn't work out very well. Granted this was several years ago when we first got the JSS and I never got proper training on how to do it, but our method works very well for us and we've had no trouble with images made via this method.

Maybe for us hold-outs, creating an image with Disk Utility would work adequately? Although it doesn't clear caches and such like Composer does(did?), but those things could be done manually if need be.

I am probably going to go ahead and send some comments to JAMF Support on this. I personally don't see the point in dropping support for this method unless Apple makes it impossible, which hasn't happened just yet. And what about when Apple forks builds for new hardware? Suddenly yanking the cord on us with no warning is going to put people in a bind. I'm lucky I saw this thread by accident.

[gachowski]

"unless Apple makes it impossible"

This is the key point and true, Apple has broken it for Apple . .. You can't build a working NetInstaller of 10.12.4 I would guess any tool using imagetool is broken.

With the APFS changes coming and more and more changes to the macOS the writing has been on the wall for a few years. No more monolithic imaging and I bet with the locking down of the OS it's going to be harder and harder to "thin" image, with non-app store apps. Don't follow Apple rules don't get installed.

C

I for one welcome our Apple overlords they are very very smart.

[egill]

@mking529 We have always done our imaging this way as well. So, to have this happen a couple weeks before school is over when teachers need their new, shiny Sierra image for the summer, it's been a bit of a shock. I might push out our image for 10.12.3 and start working on a workflow to push out future software updates, which needs to be put in place anyway, but it wasn't how I planned the next couple weeks to go.

I asked my JAMF Buddy about this and he said that they don't plan on stopping support for Composer, but it seems as though they have no time frame for when it will be working again. Who knows what other surprises that Apple will through JAMF's way though. I think it's time to start learning some other options for imaging and updates. With no formal training, I'm sure I'm behind the times! ;)

[egill]

Haha @gachowski .. All Hail Apple!

I don't disagree with things changing, I just wish I had a bit more of a heads up before Composer quit working. We'll see what the future brings I suppose.

[gachowski]

I would be shocked big time if Composer didn't use the built-in imagetool and I would guess that it will be working for 12.5

I opened a ticket with Apple about 12.4 in the 1st few days and my support person already knew that there was an issue.

C

[egill]

Yeah, unfortunately 10.12.5 will be too late for most of my teachers images, possibly even student computer images.

[Nix4Life]

@mking529 you might want to look at what the Team at Facebook is doing with AutoDMG . They are prebuilding a monolithic image with AutoDMG and Munki, here and University of Calgary here.

[mking529]

Well, if this is a bug in macOS which it sounds like it might be, that's somewhat a relief I guess? Haha. I guess now I'm just glad i was able to make a 12.12.4 NetBoot with AutoCasperNBI successfully since we just got new MacBook Airs for our high school.

@gachowski I agree with most of your comments. The writing has been on the wall. I've been waiting for macOS to change into something more like iOS since they began the yearly release cycle, and I wish I had the time to research newer, better imaging methods but that hasn't really happened this school year. I can't even offer a comment on package-based imaging because I haven't really worked with it since we first had the JSS installed several years ago. At this point it might be just as easy or even easier than what I'm doing. It's honestly a simple lack of knowledge on my part. We're a smaller school and I'm kind of a one man army when it comes to the nitty gritty parts of our IT. JSS is only a piece of my pie. :/

@LSinNY Thanks for the links, I'll definitely have a look at them and educate myself. :)

In the meantime, I've booted into my External HD which has an installation of 10.11.6 on it, and it seems to be capturing my Teacher image of 12.12.4 just fine using Composer 9.98. Is it only when you are creating an image while booted into a 12.12.4 installation that Composer refuses to cooperate? If that's the case, I can breathe easy and do it the ancient way for one more year, but when 10.13 comes out I will definitely make time to start playing with it immediately and see what Apple's new OS and file system make us do. Thanks all for your comments.

[egill]

@mking529 Yes, if you are booted into the machine it won't allow you to capture the OS image. We don't use AutoCasperNBI so I'm not able to NetBoot and pull an image. I guess it's time to learn new and exciting ways of doing things haha!

[CasperSally]

Not sure if this applies to what you're seeing but see this other thread mentioning PI-003061. I created 10.12.4 base image via AutoDMG without issue after giving up on Composer. Gotta love paying for a tool you can't use. Casper Admin with the drop/drag issue is barely usable at times, too.

https://www.jamf.com/jamf-nation/discussions/22871/building-10-12-3-touch-bar-macbook

[egill]

@CasperSally Thanks for the heads up. I've starting diving into AutoDMG as well. I wish there was a better way to add packages/software into the image. Let me know if you run into any useful tools. I've started looking at Packages and AutoPkgr, but I'm not sure they will actually help with adding software into the AutoDMG image. Thanks again for shedding some more light on this.

[CasperSally]

@egill I use autodmg to build base image only and then build separate packages for everything else built into configurations with casper admin. The good news about doing it this way is when a new OS comes out, you can have an image built with latest OS within an hour.

If you're creating packages using DMGs, you can install packages in Netboot. You can then compile the configurations in casper admin which essentially makes a monolithic image that comes down faster.

Most admins don't recommend DMGs and instead use vendor provided PKGs, or create packages as PKGs with composer and they select 'install on boot volume' in preferences in casper admin for those pkgs. Those will install with the computer reboots and would not be included in compiled images.