New to using Jamf Pro for Macs - Cannot figure out how to deplot Adobe CC to machines

[Scourch]

Good afternoon, everyone.

I've been using Jamf Pro a little over a year now for mobile devices and have been fairly successful at getting that to work as needed, now I need to figure out how to use it for Mac computers. Currently I am trying to deploy the Adobe CC package I've made via Jamf and from all the threads I have read here on this, nothing is working for me. Mainly in that a lot of these threads commenters are saying to just upload the .pkg that is in the Build folder once I unzip the package. I don't have any .pkg file??

I am working off a Microsoft machine, not a Mac.

My process has been this:

1. Go to Adobe CC Admin
2. Create Package
3. Package downloads, and I unzip the folder
4. Go to Jamf Pro and go to Packages
5. Create New
   1. Fill out Display Name
   2. Category
6. Go to  Filename and 'Choose File'

This is where I go to look for a .pkg file. In the zipped folder I have both Build and Exceptions folders and 3 loose files: .DS_Store, a .ccp file and PackageInfo text document. When I go into the Build folder I have FileName_Install and Filename_Uninstall folders that do end .pkg, but they are folders, not files. When I click on the Install folder there is a Content folder and an Icon_ file. From there is just becomes a rabbit hole of more nested folders, none that I can find that are .pkg.

So I don't really know what I am doing, lol. I could really use some help in making this work. Thanks.

[jamf-42]

you need to use a Mac. download from Abobe. Run locally, on a Mac. This will create installers. Upload to JAMF.

You can't admin JAMF /Macs on Windows. You need a Mac, for so many reasons.. 

[Scourch]

Thanks, I had a suspcion this was the case. I work for a municpality where the IT department services both town and school, and in both institutions we are a Google/Microsoft environment. Yet all town and school issued mobile devices are Apple products, and for Macs it is just the high school that has a singular Mac Lab as well as the seven art teachers in that wing of the high school that use school issued Macbooks in lieu of the HP laptops all other staff use. So for all the MDM stuff in Jamf Pro, I've used my laptop just fine.

That being said I do have a newer Mac desktop for Apple Configurator and for testing purposes. Guess I'll be using it for the mac side of Jamf.

[jamf-42]

depending on how you want to provide this you users, you can just install the CC 'nub' that provides the menu bar option and login. Once logged in the user will then be presented with what-ever adobe apps you've allowed via Admin.

This saves you packaging up everything.. but of course requires the user to download and install. its.. an option. 

[jcarr]

If memory serves, the Adobe admin portal gives you a .dmg (disk image) file, not a package.  You will need to download this disk image to a macOS device and open it to get the .pkg installer (and uninstaller if I remember correctly).

Alternatively, you can deploy the individual apps via the Jamf App Catalog, although I'm not sure how the license is handled in this case (the user launches the app and log into their Adobe ID perhaps?).

[jamf-42]

this is what I ment .. brain / keyboard interface failing me.. 😎

[AJPinto]

Adobe likes to change things and not document anything. Once you have the source files, you need to open the folder and you will find your package in the build directory. The .pkg just needs to be uploaded to JAMF. There is no longer a dmg or a zip file to be uploaded, now its just a package, not sure when that changed but it did.

When on the admin console making the thing to download the source files, make sure to select Adobe Creative Cloud or there wont be a package in the files downloaded. Adobe CC used to be automatically added, but again that changed at some point.

I am not sure how this will differ if performing the steps on Windows. MacOS source files come down as a dmg which windows cannot open, and you need to run an .app to actually download the package which windows also cannot open.

[Scourch]

Thank you, between this and Jamf-42's comment about needing to use a Mac, I built the package. However, while it shows that the Mac has 2 policies in scope, one being the Adobe CC one. It's not installing, and I think that is because the distribution point? It's set to "each computers distibution point". Another new thing for me. I don't know what this is or what it means. I read the Jamf document on them but I didn't really understand it. Is this another thing I need to setup in order for these packages to self-install?

[Scourch]

EDIT: I spoke with my sys admin and I get what a distribution point is now. Does the .pkg have to live on there first and the loaded into Jamf Pro? I guess I thought by putting the .pkg into the package creator it and attaching that package to a policy it would just auto install Adobe CC.

[AJPinto]

We all got to learn somehow :).

Just making the policy, and adding the package as a payload does not do anything. It needs to run on a device, the devices it would run on is called the scope and what tells it to run is called the trigger. Your scope was 2 devices, so only those 2 devices had the ability to run the policy depending on what the trigger is (selfservice, recurring checkin, etc).

[Scourch]

In the policy I made, called "Adobe CC" the scope is a department called "Mac Lab". Triggers are Login and Recurring Check-In with a timer of Once per user  The one Mac I've gotten enrolled into Jamf I attached to this department. So right now that mac is in the department "Mac Lab" and I have 3 config profiles scoped to that department and this policy.

[AJPinto]

I suggest using one per device rather then one per user. Most applications install in /Applications which is user agnostic anyway. However, when testing a selfservice trigger may be better as you can check selfservice to see if the scope is working right.

[Scourch]

Thank you. Based on all that, though, do I still need a distribution point? I guess what I am wondering is when I create the package and choose to "select file" for the .pkg do I need to do it off the distribution point? When I created this package I had downloaded and un-zipped the .dmg on my own work Mac and use the .pkg on there to load up into the package I was creating in Jamf Pro.

Also, I don't see the Jamf Self-Service app anywhere on this Mac.

[AJPinto]

You have a lot of good questions, but I am not sure if we will be able to answer them in this medium. It may be a good idea to go over JAMF's training catalog and go over the courses involving macOS Policies. 

You need a distribution point if you plan on deploying custom apps like Adobe CC. You need a way to get the files from your device, to the users Mac and JAMF uses the distribution point for this.

Package Deployment - Jamf Pro Administrator's Guide | Jamf

Jamf Cloud Distribution Service Communication - Technical Articles | Jamf

SelfService is not an automatic install on MacOS unless you set it to install automatically. You may need to go to JAMF Settings > MacOS SelfService and enable installing SelfService Automatically. For existing devices you can download a SelfService package, and install manually or deploy with a policy.

[Scourch]

Thank you so much for all your help. I took the mobile side much easier, because I think it's much simpler. Even with all the ABM and ASM stuff, tokens, licenses, etc. But this Mac stuff is a whole new world. But I'll figure it out!

[AJPinto]

You are very welcome. The pure MDM side of things is the same for macOS and iOS/iPadOS. JAMF's Binary adds the ability to deploy non-AppStore App to Macs, and that is where things diverge. Honestly once you get the hang of it, policies are really simple (until they are not, some applications are a pain). Just wait until you get in to scripting, that is where the magic happens :).

If you have a distribution point configured and devices can talk to it you really dont ever need to think about it again until its time to clean stuff off. Make the packages upload them, then go to the policy, and build things out. Even the AppStore apps use a "distribution point", its just a distribution point managed by Apple called the AppStore :P. 

[AlexHoffman]

So the easiest way to do this for you on a PC is to use the Jamf App Catalog to deploy Adobe CC to macs. Jamf Pro > Computers > Mac Apps (yes I know it says Mac Apps but its not just for app store apps anymore). Click New in the upper right corner and then Jamf App Catalog. It has all of the apps included in creative cloud. Create a policy for all the apps you need and then scope in your groups and you are done. You can even make those available in Self Service now. 

Otherwise, you will need to use Composer to repackage the DMGs from Adobe as .PKG files and upload them to jamf yourself and that is a PAIN. 

[Scourch]

Hey! So I've been meaning to come back to this and ask you... are you having issues with this? I've spent the last several days trying to get Adobe CC to install onto my test Mac; setting up a distribution point, creating the package, making the policy to scripting options. Nothings worked, and I suspect much of it has to do with my inexperience. But going to Computers > Mac Apps > Jamf App Catalog > New is simple and straightforward.

But nothing I pick and push down to self service works. I've tried Chrome, Firefox, and a few other simple applications. I see them show up in Self Service and can choose to download them, yet the spinning circle to indicate installation time is very fast and when I go to open an app they all give the samer error message: "this application is unavailabe"

Are you also experiencing this? Am I missing something?

[jamf-42]

JAMF Mac Apps deploy via MDM framework.. so they are not instant.. despite what Self Service says.. you have to wait.. you can check via the device history.. check - History - Management History 

then look for - InstallEnterpriseApplication - Adobe (what-ever you are installing) 

if its pending.. it won't be installed.. 

you can watch the process on the device via terminal 

tail -f /var/log/install.log 

EDIT: and if its a large install, then it will take time.. depending on network connection and Mac spec.. 

EDIT2: you can setup a smart group with 'Application Title' IS 'Adobe (what-ever you are installing)' 

Add to dashboard / send email, then you will know its done.. 

Note to moderators .. im quite done on clicking on bikes / sidewalks / bridges.. please fix this.. 

[Scourch]

Haha, the reCaptcha is indeed a pain. I dids the waiting thing and sure enough, it worked. Though, I also read about making sure you don't have "Require admin password to install or update apps" in a restriction. I don't know how true that is, but I unchecked it for the time being. Anyways...

I managed to install Adobe Illustrator. But, unfortunately, still no go.

When it loads up and asks for a credential and I choose Google as we use Google SSO for Adobe CC, I had our student intern use her credential. After all, I am doing this because we need Photoshop and Illustrator pushed down to 21 Macs in a lab for student use. Well her cred worked, but it said she had a 7 day free trial. Building a package via Adobe's admin console and including the apps I need, that works but I don't want to manually put this package on every Mac and run it.

[jamf-42]

time to check backend in Adobe admin portal for licensing.. and how that configured.. does that have Google SSO setup and are the users that need to use it assigned a license? this is all outside of JAMF..

but.. hey you asked for Adobe Apps.. and you have them.. 😎

[Jay_007]

I use Installomator to install Adobe Creative Cloud. It just makes it so much easier to manage and users are always getting the latest package available, which means you don't need to worry about .pkg files.  

Just add Installomator as a script and create a policy with the script added. You can then make it available in Self Service or deploy as a required installation with Recurring Check-in as the trigger and set the Frequency to once per computer. 

I also remove the uninstall app using Files and Processes, so users aren't tempted to try and remove it themselves.