Support for APFS in macOS High Sierra
With Apple's transition to macOS HIgh Sierra and their new APFS file system protocol, I would like to see native support for APFS when creating a Mac KBE netboot. As Apple recommends moving to APFS with High Sierra, it is not good practice to continue hobbling along with the older file system format.
Steve
shared this idea
We have implemented a number of requests related to macOS imaging in the past, and while this specific remaining request has some votes we cannot proceed with moving this further into our development process, and here’s why:
For macOS (10.14+), imaging is considered a deprecated technology and is no longer supported. The APFS file system, which is now mandatory for macOS, means imaging is no longer possible. And the newer Apple T2 chip prevents net booting, which is another requirement for imaging. Apple’s recommended replacement for macOS Imaging is provisioning through Modern Device Management and transitioning from the SDA to KACE Cloud Mobile Device Manager for macOS device management can provide similar and added benefits, such as:
• Zero-touch Enrollment
• Built in OS support—including support for 10.14+
• Remote Access Benefits
• Post-Deployment Management
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Brandon
commented
If not APFS support then offer Mac OS MDM control through Kace Cloud MDM
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Richard Heffern
commented
This is indeed a very serious problem and the user community needs an expected resolution date. My administrators are very unhappy and are seriously looking into deployment systems by other companies.
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Anonymous
commented
This should be a more well known issue. Essentially there's no way to use this product with any new MAC's this needs to be resolved.
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Andrew McNaughton
commented
Do the commenters know that APFS is only for SSD's? It's not a replacement for HFS+ on HDD's. Many of Quest's customers won't have huge swathes of SSD's in their Macs yet.
You could run a post install task with:
diskutil apfs convert <relevant partition/slice reference>
but you might want to build some intelligence around it to detect whether there is an SSD there in an environment where you have both HDD and SSD Macs.
There can be complications with older Macs that need their firmware updated to be able to read APFS. These firmware updates are embedded in the Install macOS app and not officially available as standalone updates. This could be an additional hurdle for Quest to get around. Some folks have come up with a standalone method to apply the firmware updates, but I haven't personally tried this yet. You'd need to get the firmware updated prior to conversion.
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Anonymous
commented
Any word on this? K2000 has always been the goto for Mac up until the handoff to Quest. Now it seems Mac support has gone by the wayside. Really need this yesterday.
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Anonymous
commented
We are now transitioning our entire company to High Sierra and because APFS is not supported, we cannot use K2000 for anything. It is a complete waste of money. We really need to have this or we will need to find a new product.
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Anonymous
commented
I agree. When is this going to happen? This could turn off a lot of people moving to Quest.
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Steve Kent
commented
Complete agree with the poster! The answer from Quest/KACE should not be "stick with the old" HFS+ and don't follow what Apple says is the proper way to setup a Mac. Screw that -- Quest/KACE update your product or we're moving on!!