Mavericks Server Admin: Use Profile Manager
Profile Manager consists of four parts that work together to let you specify how apps and books are distributed, how clients are configured, how to administer devices, and how to deliver the configurations to users and devices.
- Administration portal
The administration portal is a website where you manage app assignments, configure settings for devices, manage enrolled devices and device groups, manage users and user groups, and execute or monitor tasks on enrolled devices.
- Self-service user portal
The user portal is a secure website for distributing settings you define using the administration portal. Users connect to the portal using their devices. Then, after users log in, the settings that you assigned to them are available for download and installation. Users also use this site to enroll devices for mobile device management, if you’re using Profile Manager as a mobile device management service.
- Mobile device management service
Profile Manager provides a mobile device management service that lets you remotely manage enrolled OS X and iOS devices. After a device is enrolled, you can update its configuration over the network without user interaction and perform other tasks.
- App and book distribution
Profile Manager can distribute iOS in-house enterprise apps and apps and books purchased through the Volume Purchase Program (VPP).
- In the Profile Manager pane, click the On button. Wait a moment while Profile Manager service starts.
- To enable Profile Manager to act as a mobile device management service, click Configure next to Device Management.
To use mobile device management, the server must be an Open Directory Master and have valid certificates for SSL and Apple Push Notification. For information about mobile device management, click Open Profile Manager and choose Help from the User menu.
- To assign apps and books purchased through VPP, select “Assign apps and books from the Volume Purchase Program.”
For information about how to assign apps and books purchased through the VPP to users or groups, click Open Profile Manager and choose Help from the User menu.
- To sign profiles using a certificate, select “Sign configuration profiles,” then choose a certificate from the Certificate pop-up menu.
If the certificate is not available in the menu, select Import from the Certificates pop-up menu and import a certificate.
- To include configurations for services on your server in your default configuration profile, select “Include configuration for services.”
You can change the name of the configuration profile by clicking the Edit button next to Name.
- To send the URL of the Profile Manager server to a user so he or she can log in and download the configuration profiles you assigned, click the arrow next to Visit User Portal, and then copy the URL from the browser window that opens. For information about how users interact with Profile Manager, click Open Profile Manager and choose Help from the User menu.
- To specify settings and assign them to users, devices, and groups, and to manage enrolled devices, click Open Profile Manager. When Profile Manager opens in your web browser, log in with your administrator name and password.