Saturday, August 19, 2017

Mac Server: Unable to update Server

After updating the OS on a Mac Mini to 10.12.6 and downloading Server.app 5.3.1 we encountered an error:


It turns out that not all OS/Server.app versions allow direct updates; in some cases you must do a data migration.  Apple posts an upgrade matrix here.

The quick fix, if you don't mind configuring the server again, is to simply trash the Server.app from Applications and remove the /Library/Server folder.  Once this has been done, you can re-install Server.app and it will launch the configuration manager.

If you get the "unable to update server" error and you need to keep your settings then you are in for a bumpy ride.  You have no choice but to do a data migration between two devices.  The procedure is explained in the same link as above and entails building a new system, target booting, doing a data migration and then installing Server.app.  Honestly, Apple couldn't have made it any harder if they tried.

Saturday, May 13, 2017

Egnyte Desktop Sync Errors With Keynote Files

Egnyte, and indeed most non-Apple file systems, have difficulty saving Keynote files.  The structure of Keynote files are atypical and as such Egnyte tends to see a directory structure rather than a single file.

Keynote has the option of saving files either as a "Single File" or a "Package" and for the purposes of file system compatibility, we recommend using a "Package."  From within Keynote go to File/Advanced/Change File Type:


Note: As a rule-of-thumb, we recommend that any Keynote file larger than 1GB be zipped before being saved to Egnyte.

By default, Keynote saves everything as a Single File.  If you go to Terminal and look at the file attributes you will notice that it actually appears as a directory rather than a single file:


This can cause problems with both Egnyte Desktop Sync and the Web UI.  The Web UI will  show Keynote data not as a single file but as a directory.  This makes the file unreadable from the Web UI and can cause syncing issues with Desktop Sync.  In Desktop Sync, you may see an error such as this:


Simply saving the file as a "Package" from within Keynote does not always resolve the problem, it may simply return a different error:

If you see this error you will need to change the permissions on the Keynote file in order for it to Sync.
  • Save the Keynote file as a Package
  • Open Terminal
  • Navigate to the folder containing the Keynote file
  • Type "chmod 744 [file name]
    • Example:  chmod 744 myfile.key
 If you type "ls -la" you will see that the file permissions have been set to allow the file owner (you) to Read/Write/Execute:


Normal Mac file permissions are 644 and look like this:






However, for some reason, Keynote files sometimes need the extra "execute" permission in order to get Egnyte to sync them correctly.

After changing the permissions, trigger a sync and it should complete without errors.



















 




Friday, March 17, 2017

Setting the default home page in Safari with Casper


The first step is to create a .plist file:



Save the file as plain text with a name "com.apple.Safari"

Log into the JSS
  • Create a new Configuration Profile
  • On "General" tab set the"Level" to "Computer Level"

  • Select "Custom Settings" from the left-hand column
  •  Upload the .plist file you created earlier
  • Ensure the "Preference Domain" is "com.apple.Safari"
  • Scope it to the computers you want the preference applied to
We have had good luck with this method.