Apple macOS and iOS System Administration (2025)

Introduction to the course and a welcome message from the instructor.

In this lesson we touch on the state of Apple platforms in 2022 including the transition to Apple Silicon, as well as updates to iOS and macOS versions.

This lesson provides a basic overview of modern Apple device management and touches on the concept of Mobile Device Management (MDM) and the transferrable skills that you will learn in this course using the Mosyle MDM solution.

In this lesson we briefly cover the general structure of the course to provide students with a roadmap of what they will be learning and how.

In this lesson we review the required and optional hardware and software you will need to successfully complete this course.

This lecture covers the topics of iPhone and iPad Forced Reset, putting your device into iOS Recovery Mode, and Device Firmware Update (DFU) mode and why you may need to use it.

This lecture covers the topic of monitoring iPhone and iPad battery health and utilization.

In this lecture students learn the concepts of storage management on iOS devices.  Topics like Offload App vs Delete App are discussed and students are shown how the sandbox app environment handles user created documents and data.

This lecture explores the concept of backing up iOS devices and covers local backup vs iCloud backup, encryption, and more.

This lecture discusses AppleIDs, Managed AppleIDs, Family Sharing, iCloud Accounts, and Shared AppleIDs and the best practices of using these accounts.

This lesson demonstrates how to interact with an iOS device in Recovery Mode.

In this lesson students are introduced to Apple's transparency, consent, and control policy and the associated Settings for managing Security and Privacy in iOS 15.

In this lesson the use of Screen Time restrictions are demonstrated.  These device restrictions are also available via MDM payloads but students should be aware of how to configure these interactively on device as well.

This lecture discusses the process of iOS device activation and introduces the Activation Lock feature. 

This lesson demonstrates how to view an iOS device's MAC address for the WiFi network adapter, how to configure a static IP address on an iOS device, and how to modify the DNS server on an iOS device.  Configuration of the built-in VPN on iOS is also explored.

This lecture briefly discusses enabling Accessibility features such as VoiceOver and then demonstrates how to configure Guided Access mode to setup an iPad as a single-use kiosk.

In this lesson we explore ScreenTime restrictions and demonstrate how to manage a child's iPad remotely from an adult's iPhone using the ScreenTime feature.

This lecture briefly discusses additional features available on iPadOS that are not supported on iOS including Sidecar, Stage Manager, Apple Pencil and mouse/cursor support.

This lesson introduces students to the Apple Configurator application and provides an overview of what it does and when you would want to use it.

This lesson walks the student through installing Apple Configurator.

This lesson provides a brief overview of the various aspects of the Apple Configurator interface that will be used in the various upcoming lessons.

This lesson introduces students to Mobile Config Profiles and the concept of Supervised iOS Devices.

In this lesson students learn how to export specific device information to a CSV file for white-listing and asset management/inventory purposes.

In this lesson students will build a Blueprint for an iPad that automatically updates the device to the latest iOS version, renames the device, installs custom wallpaper, and installs a suite of apps.

In this lesson, students will create a Blueprint for a single-use iPad device deployment and place it in Single App Mode to restrict access to only one specific app.

This section introduces the Intel architecture and hardware troubleshooting for diagnosing and fixing common Mac problems.

This lesson introduces the Apple Silicon hardware architecture and on some of the differences from the Intel architecture.

In this lesson we introduce students to macOS recovery and the tools available there to diagnose issues and repair your Mac.

In this lesson we introduce Recovery OS, which is basically macOS Recovery for Apple Silicon.  There are some subtle differences between the two pre-boot environments (Intel v Apple Silicon) that are explored here.

In this lesson students will create a bootable USB drive that contains a full install of macOS that can be used as a utility drive for field service work or for testing purposes.

In this lesson, students will use the Terminal to create a bootable USB installer for macOS Monterey.

In this lesson we give students a brief overview of the basic macOS user interface.  We discuss the the desktop, dock, and menubar along with essential navigation and customization of the Finder.

In this lecture students dive into the deep end of macOS client administration.  Topics include using the option-key modifier to expose hidden Menu options, exploring hidden files and folders, and mapping network drives among other foundational principles.

In this lesson students are introduced to the idea of hidden folders and how to toggle their visibility as well as how to create their own hidden folders.

This lesson introduces students to macOS System Preferences.  A few common System Preferences are explored in more detail.

This lesson explores various system utility applications in the Applications/Utilities directory and the System/Library/Core Services/Applications directory.

In this lesson students begin to use the Terminal app and become familiar with navigation and file management commands.  This lesson is the foundation for scripting exercises that are used throughout the course.

This lesson introduces students to strategies for keeping their Macs patched with the latest macOS updates using the GUI.

This lesson demonstrates the way that connected disks are managed in macOS.  Topics such as the file system, restore snapshots, and formatting/partitioning are explored in detail.

In this lesson students will become familiar with the three computer names every Mac client has on a local area network and how to update/change them.

Apple Silicon Macs have an iOS-like feature for quickly erasing and reinstalling macOS. This lesson explores this concept and how to use it to rapidly re-stage a Mac.

In this lesson students explore the Users and Groups system preference, including the hidden Advanced Options, and learn how to enable and disable the 'root' user account.

In this lesson students learn about login items and processes that are allowed to run in the background.

In this lesson students are introduced to POSIX security and how to set permissions on files using both the Finder and the Terminal.

This lesson introduces students to GateKeeper, Firewall, and FileVault and how to create an Institutional Recovery Key for large scale FileVault deployments.

In this lesson we briefly discuss the Privacy tab of the Security & Privacy system preference and discuss Apple's TCC policy and whitelisting.

In this lesson we bind (join) a Mac to a Windows Active Directory domain and sign in with a Network user account.

In this lesson we sign in with an Active Directory hosted Network account and map a shared Windows printer and a Windows network share.

In this lesson students will use best practices to configure network settings on a Mac that is intended to be used as a server.

In this lesson students learn how to configure VNC and SSH on a Mac for remote administration over a LAN.

In this lesson students will configure a Mac as a File and Print server.

This lesson introduces the Content Caching service and how to enable it on your Mac.

In this lesson students are introduced to the Apache Web Server built into macOS and how to enable the server to host their own websites on their Mac.

In this lesson students are introduced to Media Sharing and how to enable it with macOS.  Turning your Mac into an AirPlay receiver is also explored.

This lesson introduces students to the Apple Remote Desktop product and why you may want to add it to your macOS support tool kit.

In this lecture, students learn how to configure macOS clients for Remote Desktop and add them to the ARD Console.

In this lesson we explore the organization of our ARD Console utilizing Lists, Groups, and Smart Lists.

This lecture demonstrates the basics of navigating the Apple Remote Desktop user interface.

In this lesson students will become familiar with the capabilities that ARD provides system admins for remotely managing macOS systems.  Remote control, power control, live chat, and configuration setting changes are covered.

In this lesson we demonstrate how to install Applications via Apple Remote Desktop using three different methods: UNIX shell script, *.pkg Installer, and via Copy Items to the /Applications directory.

This lesson introduces the reporting features of Apple Remote Desktop and how they can be leveraged for IT business decision-making.

This lecture covers the Apple Mobile Device Management Framework and how it enables remote management.

This lecture introduces students to the concept of Mobile Device Management and explores how technologies like Apple Push Notifications and Declarative Device Management enable remote device management.

In this lesson students learn how to configure the connection between Apple Business Manager and their MDM as well as the general features of Apple Business Manager / Apple School Manager.

This lesson introduces students to the various enrollment and 'ownership' models and the impact on device management capabilities.

Students are introduced to the concept of Managed Apple IDs / Apple Accounts and how they differ from traditional personal Apple IDs / Accounts.

This lesson introduces students to the Apple Business Manager / Apple School Manager web portals and how it enables integration with Mobile Device Management and Identity Provider solutions.

In this lesson students get an overview of how to use Apple Business Manager / Apple School Manager.

In this demonstration, students are shown how to integrate an Identity Provider to automate the creation of Managed Apple Accounts at your own domain.

In this lesson students are shown how to participate in the Apple Apps & Books program where they can redeem licenses for managed distribution through an MDM.

Students will explore the device management features of Apple Business/School Manager and learn how to update MDM assignments and more.

In this lesson I demonstrate how to add a Mac and an iOS device that wasn't purchased directly from Apple into my organization's DEP database.

A new and useful feature, Apple Business/School Manager now provides system administrators with the ability to control Activation Lock via the web portal.  Students will learn when and how to use this feature.

This lesson revisits the concepts of MDM and discusses the pros and cons of various MDM platforms.

Students will learn how to create, download, and configure an Apple Push Notification for Mosyle MDM in this lesson.

In this lesson students will configure Apps and Books (VPP) with Mosyle to setup an integration between the MDM and Apple Business Manager for content distribution.

In this lesson we configure Mobile Device Management enrollment integration between Apple Business / School Manager and Mosyle MDM.

In this lesson students learn how to configure User Enrollment for iOS devices in Mosyle.

Students will learn about how to manually add users & groups in Mosyle in addition to integrating a third-party Identity Provider (like Microsoft Entra ID) to sync organization user data to Mosyle.

This lesson introduces students to Device Enrollment, including Automated Device Enrollment for company owned Apple devices.  Students will learn how to configure a default enrollment profile for onboarding devices into Mosyle through Apple Business / School Manager integration.

In this lesson students learn to configure device groups, assign apps and configuration profiles to the device group and confirm that the settings and apps install correctly on the target devices.

In this lesson students will create an Install App management profile and assign Apps that have been licensed through Apps and Books on a managed device.

In this lesson students will learn how to create and upload PKG files into Mosyle MDM to install applications that are not available in the Mac App Store.

In this lesson we deploy the Single Sign-On Extension to a Mac and demonstrate how to authenticate to a Windows Server AD account for single sign-on.

In this lesson students will configure Enterprise SSO on an iOS device to enable Single Sign-On with an enterprise Microsoft Entra ID tenant.

Platform SSO extends enterprise single sign-on to the login window on macOS.  This lesson demonstrates how to configure Platform SSO with Mosyle and integrate Microsoft Entra ID authentication on the Mac.

In this lesson students will explore Lost Mode and using the Mosyle MDM console to locate a lost or stolen device.

Students will learn how to remotely remove a device from management using the Mosyle MDM console.

This lecture briefly introduces students to the seven class 'code along' projects that we will be using in this course to gain real-world experience with using Mosyle MDM to manage Apple devices.