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    • macOS Endpoint Management

    Owned by Margie Athol
    Last updated: Aug 09, 2024Version comment
    6 min read

    Apple device management (for macOS and iPadOS) is done using the central EPM tool Jamf. This page currently focuses on macOS computers.

     

    Compatibility with Endpoint Management

    Supported Operating Systems

    EPM and Apple only support the latest 3 operating systems.

    Currently supported operating systems:

    • macOS 14 Sonoma

    • macOS 13 Ventura

    • macOS 12 Monterey

    Hardware

    Compatible hardware to run the minimum required OS (macOS 12 Monterey) can be found here:

    https://support.apple.com/en-us/103260

    UT Self Service & CNS IT Support Hub

    To open UT Self Service:

    • Find it in the Applications folder at /Applications/UT Self Service.app

    • Directly access it from the CNS IT Support Hub or Jamf Connect menu bar icon drop down menus.

    To find CNS IT Support Hub:

    • Click the UT Tower icon found on the right side of the Status Bar

    UT Self Service

    Installed on all managed computers, UT Self Service is a curated app catalog that provides three main benefits to employees:

    Install & Update Third-Party Apps

    A number of the most commonly used third-party apps are available to install through UT Self Service at the click of a button and without needing admin permissions. Apps will be kept up to date for you by CNS OIT.

    Here’s a few popular apps available through UT Self Service:

    • Google Chrome

    • Mozilla Firefox

    • Slack

    • Zoom Workplace

    • Box Drive

    For a complete list of the apps available to you, check UT Self Service.

    Support Utilities for System Information

    There are also support utilities within UT Self Service that can be run to:

    • Get an overview of the computer’s information,

    • Find your VPN IP address,

    • View app install history,

    • Get basic network diagnostics,

    • and more

    Bookmarks to UT Sites

    Finally, UT Self Service has bookmarks to commonly accessed University sites, including:

    • Central ITS Service Status,

    • The CNS OIT wiki,

    • CNS IT Help Form,

    • UT Mainframe,

    • Stache,

    • Remote Support portal,

    • and more

     

     

    CNS IT Support Hub

    Available on macOS computers managed by CNS OIT, the CNS IT Support Hub provides quick access to:

    Computer information:

    • Computer name,

    • Computer model,

    • Serial number,

    • Current version of macOS installed,

    • Last reboot date, and

    • Storage used.

    Links to:

    • Submit a help desk ticket with CNS IT,

    • Open the ServiceNow website,

    • Open the UT Self Service app, and

    • Launch Cisco Secure Client to connect to the UT VPN

    A notification icon will be displayed on the CNS IT Support Hub when:

    • There are software updates available for the computer,

    • The computer has not restarted in over 14 days, or

    • The computer’s storage capacity reaches 90% used.

     

    Logging in with your EID

    macOS EPM utilizes Jamf Connect to authenticate using Microsoft Entra, allowing you to login to your computer using your UT Microsoft 365 account. This creates a standard user profile (an account without admin permissions) that you can then login to using your EID and EID password.

    Logging in for the first time

    You will be prompted with a Microsoft Single Sign On page where you’ll sign in using your IID as the email address (YOUR_EID@eid.utexas.edu) or your UT Microsoft 365 email address.

    NOTE: You must be connected to the internet. However, the utexas WiFi on campus won’t work because it can’t be connected to from a computer’s login screen.

    If the computer was just restarted or you're being prompted for a username and password, it’s likely that FileVault needs to be unlocked. Someone who has logged into the computer before will first need to use their EID and EID password to sign in.

    Screenshots of what you may see are on this page:

     

    If you’ve logged in before

    You can login using the Microsoft login, or select “Local Login” at the bottom of the screen to sign in with your EID and EID password.

    After a restart or turning on the computer, you’ll be prompted with a login page for FileVault. Select your account, then enter your EID and EID password.

     

    Logging in after changing your EID password

    For best results, change your EID password from your Mac

    From the Jamf Connect menu bar app, select Change EID Password then follow the prompts. This helps your computer know the FileVault password needs to be updated and sync the change.

    If you changed your EID password from the Jamf Connect menu, the FIleVault password will automatically update and you’ll be able to login to your computer using your new EID password immediately.

    If you changed your EID password from a different device, the FileVault password will likely still be your old EID password.

    After being connected to the internet for about 1 hour, your computer may prompt you to update your FileVault password and will guide you through doing so. The prompt will be given every 60 minutes until the steps are taken to sync your FileVault password with your new EID password.

    Or, contact CNS OIT to receive assistance updating the FileVault password to match your new EID password. In the meantime, you can continue using your old EID password to login to your computer and unlock FileVault.

    Administrative Access

    If you need to install software or make changes to your computer’s settings that require an admin username and password, administrative access can be used. You’ll remained signed into your standard account (EID login) the whole time.

    Using an admin-eid account

    Your admin-eid account would've been created for you by CNS OIT, most likely during computer deployment.

    The username will be admin-YOUR_EID and the password is one you created. If you don’t remember your admin password, check Stache or contact CNS OIT.

    When prompted for administrative credentials, use your admin username and password.

    NOTE: The computer is designed to malfunction if an admin-eid account is logged into from the login screen.

    Using Make Me an Admin

    Open UT Self Service and find the Make Me an Admin policy under Utilities or by searching for it. Click ‘Run’ to elevate your user account to an administrator for 15 minutes.

    Once run, use your EID and EID password when prompted for administrator credentials.

    NOTE: Run the Make Me an Admin policy before opening the app where admin permissions are needed— i.e. after Make Me an Admin has been run, then open Terminal to run sudo commands, launch the installer to run an app, or open System Settings to change a setting.

    • All actions performed during this 15 minutes are logged for IT reference.

    • Restarting or shutting down the computer will not circumvent the 15 minute time limit.

     

    Installing and Updating Applications

    By default, CNS OIT installs:

    • Rosetta 2

    • Cisco Secure Client (Cisco AnyConnect)

    • CrashPlan (Code42)

    • Microsoft Defender

    • Microsoft Office

    • Tenable Nessus

    Third party applications available from UT Self Service will have updates installed automatically— regardless of if they were installed from Self Service or independently.

    Some updates will be installed silently in the background with no user interaction, while others may display a notification in Notification Center that the app needs to be quit for the update to be installed. If a notification is displayed, you’ll have four days to defer before the app is forcibly quit and updated.

    For an example of what an update notification looks like, see:

     

    Operating System and Application Security Updates

    Using EPM, CNS OIT manages the installation of security updates for your computer’s operating system and certain applications.

    When new updates are available for macOS you’ll receive a notification in the form of a window in the center of your screen from an app called Nudge. You have 6 days to defer the notification and install the updates before the notification becomes persistent and you are forced to update without any further options for deferral.

    To see what this looks like, refer to:

    For steps to check for macOS updates and upgrades on your own, see:

    Additional information about why keeping your computer up to date is important is provided here:

     

     

    Need assistance or have questions?

    For assistance with your computer, submit a help request form, send an email to help@cns.utexas.edu, or call 512-232-1077.

    For questions about endpoint management, submit an Endpoint Management Questions request to create a ticket with our CNS OIT EPM team.

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