Remotely Erase and Install Specific Image?

[mattmghost]

Hi all. So we've got some Macs in the data center that we use and probably will be getting more eventually. As we grow, is it possible to use either Jamf or some other software to remotely erase the Macs, reinstall the OS from scratch, and have a user ready to go at any time we want? That way our engineers can ask for a clean macOS in case someone does something dumb or they want just a clean slate on that box. Is there either something in Jamf that'll let us do that or some other software I could use in tandem with Jamf to get this working? Or is it just not possible? We use Intel Mac Minis at the moment but obviously as we get our code working on M1's, we'll eventually be using those.

[scottb]

Lots of possibilities, but I would look into Graham Pugh's #erase-install.

Erase-Install Github 

[sdagley]

@mattmghost As @scottb mentions, erase-install is a great tool for this, and will even accommodate the prompt for the Secure Token required for M series Macs.

Once your environment gets to macOS Monterey as the standard things will get much simpler because you'll then be able to use the Erase All Contents and Setting feature it added (see https://support.apple.com/guide/deployment/whats-new-dep950aed53e/1/web/1.0) which will remove the user partition while keeping the OS partition intact which gets you back into the Setup Assistant for a fresh configuration without having to erase the drive and do a re-install, typically in les than 5 minutes.

[scottb]

As @sdagley states - "EACS" will make everyone's life better!  You can reset a Mac in minutes and have it ready to roll.  It's a godsend for testing as well!

[mattmghost]

I see that's a feature, but the engineers are more looking for a "erase and then reinstall a specific image" type of use case. Is there software I can deploy that would do something similar, like what Apple has in their stores that resets their Macs back to a previous state after a certain time that instead can be triggered manually?

[scottb]

Well, if the above doesn't answer it, then get the "engineers" to figure it out? There's so much possible with the info above that I sense you've not tried any of it yet. Between the above and the Jamf Pro Admin Manual, you should be able to get started on something...

[sdagley]

@mattmghost Unfortunately the --eraseinstall option for the startosinstall tool embedded in Apple's macOS installer apps does not allow downgrading the OS on a Mac so that isn't an option. I don't know if MDS from TwoCanoes (https://twocanoes.com/products/mac/mac-deploy-stick/) addresses that situation, but it's probably worth a look.