JSS MCX settings vs. WGM MCX

[#1]

So I am still debating on whether or not to enable full casper management via Managed Preferences. Is there any intention of allowing full System Management that is available via WGM? Or will it simply still be User Level only Management? I am seeing some problems with using the User Level at Login preferences that I don't see with my WGM MCX prefs. Is it possible to take a machine that is managed by WGM, import all of the .plist files from /Library/Managed Preferences/ into the JSS and have it actually push at the System Level? or is the JSS and Casper Management not capable of doing this? If the Casper Management were capable of performing this level of management then I would be glad to move all of my PHDs over to the JSS and stop using WGM as it continuously drops off when students are no longer in our buildings (and sometimes when they are in the buildings).

Sincerely,

Joseph Morris
AASP, ACTC 10.5 - 10.6, APP
iChat: jmorris411 at me.com, e-mail - joemorris411 at gmail.com (cell) 402-201-9591

[talkingmoose]

So I am still debating on whether or not to enable full casper management via Managed Preferences. Is there any intention of allowing full System Management that is available via WGM? Or will it simply still be User Level only Management? I am seeing some problems with using the User Level at Login preferences that I don't see with my WGM MCX prefs. Is it possible to take a machine that is managed by WGM, import all of the .plist files from /Library/Managed Preferences/ into the JSS and have it actually push at the System Level? or is the JSS and Casper Management not capable of doing this? If the Casper Management were capable of performing this level of management then I would be glad to move all of my PHDs over to the JSS and stop using WGM as it continuously drops off when students are no longer in our buildings (and sometimes when they are in the buildings).
On 10/14/11 8:53 AM, "Joseph Morris" <jmorris411 at me.com<mailto:jmorris411 at me.com>> wrote:

Casper does computer level management. In fact, I use only computer-level management and don't use user-level at all.

I know of no way to export from WGM and import into Casper.

Keep in mind that some preferences are computer-level only, some are user-level only and some are even at-next-login only.

--

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

[tlarkin]

This is my approach, and no it isn't necessarily the best, but it is most efficient in my environment. Since we are an OD shop I use OD for MCX. I use a guest computer for almost all MCX preferences and a small number of systems use computer groups, and do go into computer list groups. Then I bind my client to the nearest replica server, physically speaking, and go from there.

all accounts are PHDs, with home sync of the ~/Documents folder only. I set my users to use the local template over the network user template and then I make sure my local template is how I want in my image. Which to be honest I rarely edit the user templates.

Then my imaging process goes like this:

1) create master OS X image via instaDMG and catalog scripts, no users prebaked, pristine never been booted image 2) Image client machine, when done reboots runs post image script 3) post image script creates local accounts runs a bit of clean up, then done

During the post image script I actually exported a MCX file and put it on my Casper Share and have the dscl command import into my local guest account. The local account called student, has full access to applications, can create and save data just like any other user account but has zero options in system preferences and is not allowed to change anything. So, for all portable accounts I use OD MCX, and on local accounts I use local MCX and deploy the MCX as per a user basis locally via scripts. Though my local accounts that need these MCX files are the same across thousands of Macs, so that is why I chose this method.

-Tom