Apple unveils macOS Sierra

[Arthur]

Some interesting changes in Sierra.

 

Prepare your institution for iOS 10 and macOS Sierra

 

Changes coming with macOS Sierra

 

Portable home directories

Starting with macOS Sierra, you won't be able to create portable home directories. Mobile home directories, which have networks accounts that are cached locally, can still be created. However, their home folder will no longer sync with their network home directory.

 

VPN Protocol

iOS 10 and macOS Sierra won’t support PPTP connections for VPN profiles. Learn more about these changes to PPTP VPN.

 

Kernel Core Dumps

To gather kernel core dumps, you must use the nvram command to properly set boot-args NVRAM variable. Starting with macOS Sierra, you must be booted to the recovery partition to run this command.

 

Cryptographic Protocol

The SSLv3 cryptographic protocol and the RC4 symmetric cipher suite will be deprecated in iOS 10, macOS 10.12, tvOS 10, and watchOS 3.

 

After you update, by default, TLS clients or servers implemented with SecureTransport APIs won't have RC4 cipher suites enabled. They also won't be able to connect when RC4 is the only cipher suite available.

 

If you own a service or app which requires RC4, you should upgrade it to turn on cipher suites which are more secure.

 

Directory Integration

Starting with macOS Sierra, you might see warnings when using RC4 encryption for Kerberos. If you see these warnings, change your configuration in Active Directory to support macOS clients in the future. Learn how to prepare for this change.

 

Xsan 5

Once you update to macOS Sierra, the Xsan file system manager (fsm) upgrades your volume’s metadata to a newer format. Learn how to prepare for this change to Xsan.

 

Changes coming with Server

 

Software Update Server

Software Update Service is deprecated and will be removed in a future release. To set up the Software Update service in Server 5.2, use the View menu to turn it on first.

[Arthur]

Sierra is being released on 20th September.

 

[3s-gtech]

They've finally dumped our oldest Macs, Early 2009 iMacs and Late 2009 Mac Minis. Looks like we should be able to upgrade these with a patch, but we'll wait the customary twelve months anyway due to new Mac OS releases being like new Windows releases - barely functional IME.

[Arthur]

Sierra is out!

 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/macos-sierra/id1127487414?mt=12

 

macOS Server too...

 

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/macos-server/id883878097?mt=12

 

What's New in Version 5.2

 

Profile Manager

• • Integration with Apple School Manager to get Managed Apple ID and class information
  
• • Skip the iMessage & FaceTime Setup Assistant pane in iOS 10
  
• • Skip the Siri Setup Assistant pane in macOS Sierra version 10.12
  
• • Choose default app for audio calls for Contacts, Exchange, and Google accounts
  
• • Set Bluetooth Modification restriction on supervised devices
  
• • Set Apple Music; iCloud Keychain Sync; and Sharing to Notes, Reminders, or LinkedIn restrictions for macOS Sierra version 10.12
  
• • Set new IKEv2 authentication method option or specify IPSec disconnect on idle timeout for VPN
  
• • Restrict Cisco fast lane Quality of Service marking or disable captive network detection for Wi-Fi networks
  
• • Restrict unlocking a Mac using Apple Watch
  
• • Configure IP firewall
  

Caching Server

• Enhanced control over peer replication
  

SMB

• To improve security, SMB connections now require signing by default.
  

NFS

• AES is now a supported encryption type for Kerberized NFS
  

Xsan 5

• macOS Sierra and Server 5.2 include support for the Xsan 5 file system. Xsan 5 is compatible with the Quantum StorNext 5.3 file system.
  
• See Xsan Compatibility information before upgrading to Xsan 5.
  

Edited September 20, 2016 by Arthur

[Arthur]

By the way, there's a configuration profile available from the link below which will disable Sierra's new iCloud Drive and iCloud Document Sync feature (which uploads users Desktop and Documents folders to iCloud).

 

https://github.com/rtrouton/profiles/tree/master/DisableiCloudDriveandDocumentSync

 

PayloadContent

	
		PayloadDescription
		
		PayloadDisplayName
		Restrictions
		PayloadEnabled
		
		PayloadIdentifier
		B315497E-0527-4FD1-926C-7071895B6992
		PayloadOrganization
		Company Name Here
		PayloadType
		com.apple.applicationaccess
		PayloadUUID
		B315497E-0527-4FD1-926C-7071895B6992
		PayloadVersion
		1
		allowCloudDocumentSync
		
	

PayloadDescription
Prevents iCloud Drive and iCloud Document Sync from being enabled.
PayloadDisplayName
Disable iCloud Drive
PayloadEnabled

PayloadIdentifier
8942D1B1-C883-4EA2-8E3E-A3DB5ABD60B2
PayloadOrganization
Company Name Here
PayloadRemovalDisallowed

PayloadScope
System
PayloadType
Configuration
PayloadUUID
8942D1B1-C883-4EA2-8E3E-A3DB5ABD60B2
PayloadVersion
1

 

Edit. To disable Siri (and its menubar icon) use the following profiles.

 

https://github.com/rtrouton/profiles/tree/master/DisableSiri

 

Disable Siri

PayloadContent

	
		PayloadContent
		
			com.apple.assistant.support
			
				Forced
				
					
						mcx_preference_settings
						
							Assistant Enabled
							
						
					
				
			
		
		PayloadEnabled
		
		PayloadIdentifier
		MCXToProfile.9c7380d2-5bfe-4e60-bad3-25ad86d6150d.alacarte.customsettings.fb958d96-a431-4536-84d0-1be482385fb2
		PayloadType
		com.apple.ManagedClient.preferences
		PayloadUUID
		fb958d96-a431-4536-84d0-1be482385fb2
		PayloadVersion
		1
	

PayloadDescription
Stops Siri from being enabled.
PayloadDisplayName
Disable Siri
PayloadIdentifier
DisableSiri
PayloadOrganization

PayloadRemovalDisallowed

PayloadScope
System
PayloadType
Configuration
PayloadUUID
9c7380d2-5bfe-4e60-bad3-25ad86d6150d
PayloadVersion
1

 

Disable Siri menubar

PayloadContent

	
		PayloadContent
		
			com.apple.Siri
			
				Forced
				
					
						mcx_preference_settings
						
							StatusMenuVisible
							
							UserHasDeclinedEnable
							
						
					
				
			
		
		PayloadEnabled
		
		PayloadIdentifier
		MCXToProfile.c63974a1-41a3-4ab0-9ad3-7321dd9dbecf.alacarte.customsettings.04cc1d5a-5e3f-41d0-9eb3-0ba4e61464b0
		PayloadType
		com.apple.ManagedClient.preferences
		PayloadUUID
		04cc1d5a-5e3f-41d0-9eb3-0ba4e61464b0
		PayloadVersion
		1
	

PayloadDescription
Blocks Siri's menubar icon appearing.
PayloadDisplayName
Disable Siri menubar icon
PayloadIdentifier
DisableSiriInMenubar
PayloadOrganization

PayloadRemovalDisallowed

PayloadScope
System
PayloadType
Configuration
PayloadUUID
c63974a1-41a3-4ab0-9ad3-7321dd9dbecf
PayloadVersion
1

Edited September 20, 2016 by Arthur

[3s-gtech]

How long until anyone is brave enough to deploy it in school? I've found every version of Mac OS has needed at least a couple of updates to become usable on a network. Maybe they'll fix that, going from the very sound El Capitan.

[Arthur]

I've found every version of Mac OS has needed at least a couple of updates to become usable on a network.

The first update is out.

 

10.12.1 is now available for Mac users for download through the App Store app. (It’s a good idea to backup your Mac before installing the update) The update is 1.25GB.

 

According to Apple’s release notes, the update includes the following:

 

• Adds an automatic smart album in Photos for Depth Effect images taken on iPhone 7 Plus.
  
• Improves the compatibility of Microsoft Office when using iCloud Desktop and Documents.
  
• Fixes an issue that may prevent Mail from updating when using a Microsoft Exchange account.
  
• Fixes an issue that caused text to sometimes paste incorrectly when using Universal Clipboard.
  
• Improves reliability of Auto Unlock with Apple Watch.
  
• Improves security and stability in Safari.
  
• Fixes an issue that may cause Mail to display unnecessary password prompts for AOL accounts.
  
• Improves compatibility with Fujitsu's ScanSnap scanning software.
  
• Addresses a "Filter Failed" error when printing to some Canon printers.
  
• Fixes an issue that may prevent Grapher files from opening.
  
• Brings back the Safari option to “never use font sizes smaller than” for displaying fonts on webpages.
  

Apple also has details on the security content of macOS Sierra 10.12.1.

 

Source: www.macworld.com/article/3134043/macs/apple-issues-macos-sierra-10-12-1-update.html

[Arthur]

10.12.2 is now available to download.

 

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT207307 (Combo / Delta)

 

The macOS Sierra 10.12.2 Update improves the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac, and is recommended for all users. This update:

 

• Improves setup and reliability of Auto Unlock.
  
• Allows addition of a Chinese Trackpad Handwriting button to the Touch Bar Control Strip.
  
• Adds support for taking screenshots of the Touch Bar using the Grab app or Command-Shift-6 shortcut.
  
• Fixes an issue that caused the Touch Bar emoji picker to appear on the display.
  
• Resolves graphics issues on MacBook Pro (Late 2016) computers.
  
• Fixes an issue where System Integrity Protection was disabled on some MacBook Pro (Late 2016) computers
  
• Improves setup and opt-out experience for iCloud Desktop and Documents.
  
• Fixes an issue with the delivery of Optimized Storage alerts.
  
• Improves audio quality when using Siri and FaceTime with Bluetooth headphones.
  
• Improves the stability of Photos when creating and ordering books.
  
• Fixes an issue where incoming Mail messages did not appear when using a Microsoft Exchange account.
  
• Fixes an issue that prevented installation of Safari Extensions downloaded outside the Safari Extensions Gallery.
  
• Adds support for new installations of Windows 8 and Windows 7 using Boot Camp on supported Macs.
  
• Fixes an issue that prevented some screen resolutions from being available on third-party displays.
  
• Adds support for more digital camera RAW formats.
  

Enterprise content:

• Improves performance when searching the Global Address List for a Microsoft Exchange account in Contacts.
  
• Improves reliability of Calendar when using delegate calendars and snoozing Microsoft Exchange events.
  
• Improves support for smart card authentication at the login window.
  
• Allows 802.1X clients configured to use System Mode to automatically reconnect to the network when users log out.
  
• Resolves an issue with pushing VPN payloads to MDM clients via a configuration profile.
  
• Improves management of background software updates and Safari Internet plug-ins via configuration profiles.
  
• Allows administrators to disable a security feature that requires confirmation before connecting to certain network volumes.
  
• Fixes a Calendar issue that prevented delegated calendars from appearing in the Calendar shortcut menu when Control-clicking an event.
  
• Fixes an issue that prevented the Partition Disk function of System Image Utility from working when deploying a system image over the network.
  
• Fixes an issue in Xsan 5 where a rolling failover might prevent Xsan clients from accessing files on the volume.
  
• Prevents a potential kernel panic when searching a DFS namespace in Finder.
  

[Martyn_OIAM]

Been running it for a while now on our IT suite - no problems come across.... touching wood...

 

I created a tech machine and put it on that and got various users (staff,student, created a localuser) tested it fine.

[Arthur]

10.12.3 is out.

 

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207462

 

The macOS Sierra 10.12.3 Update improves the stability and security of your Mac, and is recommended for all users. This update:

 

• Improves automatic graphics switching on MacBook Pro (15-inch, October 2016).
  
• Resolves graphics issues while encoding Adobe Premiere Pro projects on MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (13- and 15-inch, October 2016).
  
• Fixes an issue that prevented the searching of scanned PDF documents in Preview.
  
• Resolves a compatibility issue with PDF documents that are exported with encryption enabled.
  
• Fixes an issue that prevented some third-party applications from correctly importing images from digital cameras.
  

Enterprise content

• Resolves an issue were network or cached user accounts (such as Active Directory accounts) using the maxFailedLoginAttempts password policy were becoming disabled.
  

[Arthur]

10.12.4 has been released.

 

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT207536 (Combo / Delta)

 

The macOS Sierra 10.12.4 Update improves the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac, and is recommended for all users. This update:

 

• Adds Night Shift for automatically shifting the colors in your display to the warmer end of the spectrum after dark.
  
• Adds Siri support for cricket scores, schedules, and player rosters from the Indian Premier League and International Cricket Council.
  
• Adds Dictation support for Shanghainese.
  
• Improves right-to-left language support for the Touch Bar, toolbar, and visual tab picker in Safari.
  
• Resolves several PDF rendering and annotation issues in Preview.
  
• Improves the visibility of the subject line when using Conversation View in Mail.
  
• Fixes an issue that may prevent content from appearing in Mail messages.
  
• Adds support for more digital camera RAW formats.
  

Enterprise content:

• Adds the tethered-caching command, which optimizes certain downloads for iOS devices tethered via USB. For details, enter man tethered-caching in Terminal.
  
• Updates the security command to include the delete-identity option, which deletes both a certificate and its private key from a keychain. For details, enter man security in Terminal.
  
• Updates the profiles command to include the -N flag, which displays a device-enrollment notification that prompts the user to complete Mobile Device Management (MDM) enrollment. For details, enter man profiles in Terminal.
  
• Fixes an issue that causes notebook computers connected to certain docking stations to display a blank screen instead of the macOS login window on the built-in display.
  
• Fixes an issue that causes a newly changed user-account password to be rejected at the macOS login window, if FileVault is turned on.
  
• Adds the ability to automatically renew certain certificates delivered via a configuration profile.
  
• Includes numerous Xsan fixes.
  

See Apple Security Updates for detailed information about the security content of this update.

[Arthur]

10.12.6 is available to download. It should now be possible to image the new mid-2017 Macs too.

 

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT207835 (Combo)

 

The macOS Sierra 10.12.6 Update improves the security, stability, and compatibility of your Mac, and is recommended for all users.

 

Enterprise content:

 

• Resolves an issue that prevents making certain SMB connections from the Finder.
  
• Fixes an issue that causes Xsan clients to unexpectedly restart when moving a file within a relation point on a Quantum StorNext File System.
  
• Improves the stability of Terminal app.
  

See Apple Security Updates for detailed information about the security content of this update.