Problems Deploying Avid Media Composer 8.4.5

[smcadmin]

Hello Everyone,

I am deploying Avid Media Composer with JAMF Casper JSS Server 9.8.1 to 100+ OX 10.10.3 machines.

Tried to snapshot. Tried extracting the installer pkg from the DMG and deploying it via policy. also pushed the factory DMG to the system drive and then launching via installer command.

In all cases after the JSS installs the package, the software runs and work fine with the exception of some additional background rendering services. (A server that runs separately from the application and handles rendering and transcoding) They only run under the admin account created when installing the os. In all other accounts, administrator or standard, the services will not launch and run.

If I install the software by running the installer manually from the logged in user account, I am prompted once for admin password as usual and the software and background services work fine for all users.

To test I built a clean install of OS 10.10.3. No JSS software installed.

I used terminal to install MC manually. If I use sudo in terminal to install Media Composer with root access using ( sudo installer -pkg /“Install Media Composer.pkg” -target / )

MC installs but Background Services/DMFService will only start up and run under the admin user account. Other users cannot run it.

If I use terminal and login as root ( su installer -pkg /“Install Media Composer.pkg” -target / )

MC installs and Background Services work fine under all users.

My guess is that JSS is not using root for every process in the installer pkg. “sudo” is allowing the installer to run as root, but the root privileges are not being passed/piped on where needed to other installers in the Install Media Composer package.

How can I ensure that the entire pkg installs under root authority?

Any help greatly appreciated.

[beneb]

I had a similar issue with the bg rendering in MC for users other than admin, not specifically related to imaging but similar nonetheless. I was able to modify the permissions on the client bg rendering folders that MC creates. Once I modified the permissions for those directories, the bg rendering was able to work again. If that could work for you, you could configure a policy or script to modify the permissions on those directories for the applicable user account. I know this doesn't answer your question directly but thought that it could help.

[smcadmin]

Hi,

Thanks for the response. Can you tell me what folders you are referring to?

[dfarnworth]

Bump

I'm likely to be building a new Avid facility soon and would be grateful to know the paths to the directories that you had to modify permissions on @beneb

Many thanks
Dan

[rrouleau]

I have deployed Media Composer From version 7.x to now 8.5.2 to over 150 clients (in our environment) without issue using a standard JSS policy. I have not had to modify directories (YMMV). We have deployed on 10.9.x, 10.10.x, and now 10.11.x

My standard MC policy includes (5 total packages):
--Avid supplied packages
• Avid Media Composer Install Package (Latest version we support)
• Avid AIR Creative Collection Effects Package (Latest version supported by MC)
• Avid License Support Package (App Manager Latest version)
--Custom supplied packages
• App Manager Preferences (Custom Prefs/Restrictions for our environment)
• AMA Plugins (Custom for our cameras)

[dfarnworth]

Thanks Rich @rrouleau

I'll give it a go once I'm underway. May pick your brains offline if that's ok.

[CapU]

My expirence is if the user is a Standard usr which all of our students are Avid Media Composer will start however M.C. will throw an error regarding not access to the hard drive. During installation in /Users/Shared/Avid/GlobalControl is created. After installation upon running Avid the first time, /Users/Shared/AvidMediaComposer with the folders Avid FatalErrorReports and Avid Users is created. I didn't have the correct permissions on these folders last year and Avid would complain that it couldn't write to the FatalErrors folder. Using Composer I captured these folders separately. I changed the /Users/Shared folder permissions to everyone and deploy to my machines. Without changing these permissions Avid will complain and not start.
My package installs Avid fully licensed as we use a Floating License Server and no need to reboot.
My Permissions package adds the following folders under AvidMediaComposer:
AMA Managment
Avid Attic
Avid SearchData
DSMLogFiles
Shared Avid Projects
Synced Avid Projects
If these folders get deleted avid will fail to launch

[skinford]

@CapU Good afternoon, hope all is well concerning your packaging for Avid Media Composer. How do you package the floating license address? I have been searching for the file that contains that info for a long time and have not found it.

Thank you for your time, have a great day!

[allanp81]

@skinford I would love to know this as well! I've found references to the address in the avid link plist in the user's preferences directory but just copying that across isn't enough.

[skinford]

@allanp81, Good morning,

When I did this it was version 8.6.3 so I'm not sure if the current version works the same way. But, in composer, I dragged the Licenses folder from the structure shown in the image below into a new session:

I dragged the entire Licenses folder that had the FTF and Pro_Editor folders in it, then I created the install package and pushed it to a Test system, it worked so, I pushed it to all the systems needing the license information. If you drag the entire Licenses folder even if you license it a different way it should put any additional folders in there that it creates and needs.

Let me know if this works for you. Have a very great day today!

[allanp81]

@skinford I was just looking on slack and someone else suggested something similar so I'm just in the process of imaging a device to try it out. Fingers crossed! I will update hopefully with good news.

We switched to a licence server and one of the justifications was ease of deployment as our technical staff are currently activating each client by hand!

[skinford]

@allanp81, that's what we were running.

Great to hear!

Currently, we are no longer teaching it but our internal college Media department runs about 20 licenses and it has always run from a License Server.

[allanp81]

@skinford Thanks for your suggestion, it seems to be working fine!

[user-CtkROTMRxu]

We're trying to deploy Avid's Media Composer First and are unable to figure out how to stop it from prompting for a log in on Avid Link. Any ideas?

[skinford]

Is it working fine without the login?  Or is it just an annoyance you want to get rid of?

Check out this video and see if it's what you are looking for, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dizVbYzX2cA

It's easy enough once you change that file to grab the file from that location package it up with composer and scope to all systems that need it.  If this is not what you are looking for let me know.

[SethRuss]

The video solution stops the Avid Link window from popping up when the computer first restarts/turns on.

We're running Avid Media Composer First in a computer lab environment with M1 iMacs. Media Composer First is "activated" with Avid user account (signed-in on Avid Link) on a local computer account. How can we prevent Avid Link from prompting a login on all other computer accounts when Composer First is opened? Essentially, can we save Avid user credentials and carry that saved login information over to other computer accounts without having to re-login in Avid Link?