I've been avoiding third party Mac management solutions since I was burned
by the discontinuation of NetOctopus. When I was given the reigns for the
Mac environment at Morgan Stanley (IBD Creative Services) just before 9/11,
I had my first opportunity to clean up sneaker-net managed 50 Mac
environment. I requested a budget for the only real solution at the time,
NetOctopus/Timbuktu.
In less than 30 days, I was able to create one OS9 image that would work on
any computer we had (only the Extension Set had to be changed to on
predefined for that model computer). I used Disk Utility and ASR to image
computers (as opposed to dragging folders). I was able to "package" software
for distribution using FileScripter Pro (bundled with NetOctopus, allowed
you to snapshot and compile InstallerVISE installers that NetOctopus could
push out to workstations). I automated a good amount of the workflow (using
my predecessor's QuicKeys shortcuts, modified and expanded to handle more
tasks).
Then came 9/11, and two years of waiting for the economy to recover. During
that time, I guess NetOctopus kind of died. Then OS X came out and started
to mature. I was forced to look into a new solution. I looked at Radmind
(steep learning curve, difficult to find techs who understand it). I looked
at FileWave, and I looked at Casper. While I was looking, I couldn't help
but worry about how I could be left out in the cold if any of these
solutions stopped being developed. So for the past few years, I've stuck to
the Apple toolset (NetBoot, NetInstall, OD, UNIX/Apple scripts, etc.)
logGen/pkgGen/Iceberg.
Well, NetRestore is now history (I know, rolled into 10.6 server...). So
I've revisited and decided to dig into Casper. As clean and mature as Casper
is turning out to be, I'm still not convinced it will be here in N years,
after I've deployed it (and thus created huge dependencies on it). That
said, I'm going to take the leap. I have a few questions...and no, I haven't
taken the time to sift through the list archives (sorry, it'll take weeks -
would rather just pop off a few questions)...
Where does one get Casper training? I called JAMF and they only offer
Jumpstart training if you purchase their solution. Doesn't seem fair to the
client, since JAMF is essentially forcing techs to learn on the clients'
dime. JAMF also suggested 6 or more months of real experience before going
for certification. There seems to be a HUGE lack of resources for techs who
want to learn Casper...I would think JAMF would see the value in providing
training, if only to help their product get out there. Are there any Dallas
area Casper user groups?I see several Casper suites. I'm currently most interested in
imaging/packaging/distribution. I've got years of imaging, packaging and
distribution experience, so it shouldn't take long to learn the JAMF
toolset. Can one buy the Casper suite to run in a LAB environment? Training
is fine - but you do need to LAB test before deploying (initially, changes,
etc.).Can I get some input from those who have deployed Casper to
managed/integrated environments? How is AD/OD integration impacted by
Casper? Can our clients continue to use OD for policies? Can our legacy
packages/scripts be used if Casper is deployed?How comfortable is everyone that Casper isn't going to be the next
NetOctopus? Is there more than one person steering Casper development? Or is
there a chance one person can leave JAMF to start his own company, and leave
all Casper deployment folks out in the cold?
Thanks,
Don
