OS X Server within the Local Authority

[churchy112]

Good morning,

 

We use a number of MDM's in our schools and the number of iPads are growing, reducing bandwidth. I have been looking at the OS X Server or Apple Caching Server and I was wondering if anyone else uses it in their schools? My worry is that all of our schools have the same public IP address.

 

Does anyone know if this is IP Based or do the iPads initially check for a local server before accessing the web?

 

Many thanks

[Norphy]

We have a caching server and it works well. However, we also have our own public IP address which isn't shared with anyone else.

 

The way caching servers used to work (and may still but it may have changed since I read about this) is that when you install a caching server, it registers the public and private IP address that the caching server uses with Apple. Once that happens, if a device which also uses that public IP address requests an update from Apple, Apple's servers reply that there is a caching server available on $privateIP and that they should look there for their updates while they're on that public IP.

 

Of course, in a situation where multiple entities are sharing an IP address, it messes them up. It works for the first entity that registers a caching server but breaks updates entirely for everyone else.

[churchy112]

It'll be an issue from the sounds of it. I've contacted apple, I'll update my findings if anyone else is in a similar situation.

 

Does the caching server link to your MDM? How does it gather which apps you use? If you don't mind me asking

[Norphy]

It doesn't link to the MDM as such. iOS apps get downloaded from Apple whether the device is joined to an MDM or not. If a device requests an app or update, it sends the request to Apple. If there is a caching server registered on the public ip, the device gets redirected to the caching server. If the caching server doesn't have the requested app, it downloads it then sends it to the device.

[churchy112]

I see. So if you wanted to 'prep' for a large project you would need to set one ipad up the day before ensuring all apps have downloaded?

 

It sounds like if a school independently got their own caching server it'll slow down the process for other schools as Apple would direct all schools to a caching server they cannot access. Little worrying!