"Often" setting in config profiles

[davidacland]

It's been noted that we shouldn't use the Often key in custom profiles. If we need to manage a third party plist where the "always" option is incompatible, and we need to ensure the setting is persistent, any ideas what should be used instead?

[RobertHammen]

This is where I avoid profiles, and use a LaunchDaemon or LaunchAgent and script combo. My script can do a defaults read and change the setting if need be.

[davidacland]

I've been trying to push profiles a bit more recently. I get a feeling things are moving further in that direction. I worry that we end up with MDM being the only management method for OS X and iOS in a few years!

When I find myself working on more complex plists using plistbuddy and others, trying to kill cfprefsd, it seems profiles are a better fit.

It's just the "Once / Often / Always" thing that's bugging me.

[SGill]

Overall I've been having good luck with Profile Management files for basic and some more advanced OS X settings, but I can't imagine an environment where PM was the only control we have for our Macs...hope that's not happening!

[davidacland]

Just out of interest, is the Once setting ok to use? From memory I think it still used the often setting but just wondered what other people's thoughts were.

[daz_wallace]

Thinking out loud, with the once setting, I believe you need to specify a date and that date (at least from memory) is always in the past.

What if you were to build a 'Once' profile but with the date set way into the future?

Darren