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- Herausgeber: Packt Publishing
- Kategorie: Fachliteratur
- Sprache: Englisch
Apple is pushing the capabilities of its technologies to help users achieve high performance, including improvements in its OS running across all Mac systems, macOS, and new technologies such as M1 Silicon chips. This book walks you through macOS from a system administration and support point of view, exploring its latest features.
The book starts by explaining macOS architecture, installation, and startup processes to enable you to get started with the OS. You'll learn how to manage users and discover techniques for user security and privacy. Moving on, you'll get to grips with the macOS file system and learn to manage disks, volumes, and partitions for effective file management. Most of the examples covered in this book are from an administrator's perspective; however, when relevant, a standard user's perspective is also presented. You'll find illustrations for Mac systems running macOS 11 (Big Sur), and when necessary, for macOS 10.15 (macOS Catalina). Finally, you'll explore advanced topics such as networking and using command-line tools for administration tasks.
By the end of this macOS book, you'll be well-versed with macOS features, administration tasks, and best practices. You'll also be able to apply the concepts to increase your chances of success in obtaining Apple certifications such as Apple Certified Support Professional (ACSP).
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The macOS User Administration Guide
Copyright © 2021 Packt Publishing
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews.
Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the information presented. However, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the author, nor Packt Publishing or its dealers and distributors, will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to have been caused directly or indirectly by this book.
Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all of the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.
Group Product Manager: Ashwin NairPublishing Product Manager: Pavan RamchandaniSenior Editor: Hayden EdwardsContent Development Editor:Aamir AhmedTechnical Editor: Deepesh PatelCopy Editor:Safis EditingProject Coordinators:Kinjal Bari, Manthan PatelProofreader: Safis EditingIndexer: Pratik ShirodkarProduction Designer: Alishon Mendonca
First published: April 2021
Production reference: 1220421
Published by Packt Publishing Ltd. Livery Place 35 Livery Street Birmingham B3 2PB, UK.
ISBN 978-1-83864-365-2
www.packt.com
To my husband, Martin, and my children, Luis, Kenaya, Stephanie, and Angie, for their immense love and support and for understanding that good things never come easy in life. To my parents, Waldo and Karin, for loving us so much and working so hard for us all these years, even today. To my sisters, Karen and Raquel, and my brother, Nelson, for their love and friendship and for being an example of what it means to succeed. And to my Father in Heaven, to whom I owe absolutely everything.
Contributors
About the author
Herta Nava is a technologies expert, with extensive experience in writing, reviewing, and localizing technical content. She's an Apple Certified Support Professional, with experience supporting corporate and personal clients with regard to Apple and other technologies. She has worked on producing courses for important online technical content providers, such as Pluralsight and O'Reilly Media.
Currently, Herta works as a third-party vendor in the localization of technical content, software, UI, and documentation for Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Office, Azure, Dell Technical Advisories (DTAs), and other similar content. She also produces and maintains a series of online video courses on macOS support for Pluralsight.
About the reviewers
Alex Farnsworth is an Apple Certified Support Professional with over 7 years of experience managing Apple devices. He first found his passion for working with macOS/iOS devices while working at Apple in 2013. He has built upon that passion by helping businesses architect and build solutions that focus on user experience while ensuring that management is efficient and scalable.
Adam Tomczynski has over 20 years of technical experience and started his career in information technology as a computer support technician. His interest in computers began at a young age and continued through his high school and college years. In an educational setting, he has supported Novell and Microsoft servers, centralized storage, mail archiving and backup solutions, endpoint protection, and more. Adam is Apple ACTC, ACSP, ACMT, and ACiT certified. He is a continuous learner.
Currently, Adam is employed with a school district in a Chicago suburb managing the Apple platform for the organization.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright and Credits
The macOS User Administration Guide
Dedication
Contributors
About the author
About the reviewers
Preface
Who this book is for
What this book covers
To get the most out of this book
Download the color images
Conventions used
Get in touch
Reviews
Overview of the macOS System, Architecture, and Features
Technical requirements
Overview of the macOS system and architecture
Overview of the macOS general features
Exploring the new features introduced in the latest macOS releases
New features introduced in macOS Big Sur
New features introduced in macOS Catalina
Touring macOS
Exploring the macOS version history
Comparing macOS to other leading operating systems
Exploring the industry standards used by macOS
Multicast DNS
Swift
Summary
Installing and Configuring macOS
Technical requirements
Requirements for macOS Big Sur
Requirements for macOS Catalina
How to find out your Mac model and specs
Installing macOS
Upgrading macOS
Automatic upgrades
Manual upgrades
Manual upgrades to macOS Big Sur
Through the internet
Reinstalling macOS
Reinstalling macOS via internet recovery
Reinstalling through the macOS Recovery system
What is the macOS Recovery system?
Accessing the macOS Recovery system with macOS Catalina and earlier (Intel Mac)
Startup Disk
Startup Security Utility
Network Utility
Terminal and Reset Password
Accessing the macOS Recovery interface with macOS Big Sur (Intel Mac)
Accessing the macOS Recovery interface in Macs with the M1 chip
How to perform a reinstallation with macOS Catalina Recovery
How to perform a reinstallation with macOS Big Sur Recovery
How to perform a clean installation
Using an external installer
Formatting the external volume or USB
Downloading a macOS installer from the App Store
Using the createinstallmedia command
Testing and using the bootable installer
Updating macOS
Software updates
Disabling update notifications
Automatic App Store updates
Manual App Store updates
System updates
Firmware updates
Configuring the macOS installation
The Setup Assistant process
Adjusting the system settings
Benefits of configuring iCloud
Summary
The Start Up Process
Technical requirements
Understanding the macOS start up process
Primary system initialization stages
Power-on or BootROM firmware
Booter
Kernel
System launchd
FileVault initialization
User session stages
loginwindow
Logout, shutdown, and restart
launchd
Files and processes involved in launchd
Visualizing the processes
User environment
Using energy-saving features
Sleep mode
Battery preferences (macOS Big Sur)
Safe Sleep and Standby
Waking up the Mac
Using start up modes
Safe mode
Verbose
Single-user
The T2 Security Chip and Secure Boot
Summary
User Accounts Management
Technical requirements
Types of user accounts
Local user accounts
Standard user account
Administrator user account
Root user account
Guest user account
Sharing Only user account
Group user account
Other user accounts
Network user accounts
Mobile user accounts
Managing user accounts
Creating standard user accounts
Initial setup of a new user account
Using your Apple ID or iCloud account
Creating a new Apple ID
Turning a Standard account into an Administrator account
Configuring additional account preferences
What are account attributes?
Deleting user accounts
Restoring deleted user accounts from a disk image
Restoring deleted user accounts kept in the Users folder
Managing the root user
Enabling the root user
Logging in as the root user
Disabling the root user
Managing the Guest user
Adjusting the login options
Automatic login
What is fast user switching?
Using Screen Time (macOS Catalina and later)
Tracking usage
App Usage
Notifications
Pickups
Limiting usage
Downtime
App Limits
Always Allowed
Content and Privacy
Understanding user home folders
The user home folder structure
The Desktop folder
Using Stacks
Quick Actions
The Library folder
The Public folder
Deleting local user home folders
Migrating and restoring local user home folders
Migration Assistant
Your data is on a Windows computer
Your target Mac is running OS X Mavericks v10.9.5 or later
Restoring manually
Summary
Managing User Security and Privacy
Technical requirements
Understanding password types in macOS
User account passwords
Apple ID account and password
Keychain passwords
Resource passwords
System firmware passwords
Managing passwords in macOS
Changing local user account passwords
Changing account passwords through Users and Groups
Changing account passwords through Security and Privacy
Changing the root password
Resetting local user account passwords
Resetting account passwords with the Users and Groups preferences
Resetting account passwords with macOS Recovery
Resetting account passwords with the Apple ID
Resetting local account passwords and the login keychain
Resetting local account passwords with FileVault enabled
Using a recovery key
Using iCloud
Using the Reset Password assistant
Configuring a firmware password
Understanding the Keychain system and iCloud Keychain
Types of keychains
Default keychains
System keychains
Other keychains
How the default keychain works with iCloud
Enabling iCloud Keychain
Managing keychains
Creating a new keychain
Adding keychain items
Locking keychains
Changing keychain passwords
Safari keychain information
Managing privacy in macOS
Security and Privacy settings
Location Services
Protecting yourself from cross-site tracking
Privacy while using the Dictation service
Summary
The macOS File System: Disks, Volumes, and Partitions
Technical requirements
Understanding the macOS filesystem and storage
Understanding general concepts
What is formatting?
Differences between disks, partitions, and volumes
Disks and drives
Partitions
Volumes
macOS partition maps (schemes)
Understanding the macOS filesystem
What is a filesystem?
macOS volume formats
The advantages of APFS
Space sharing
Encryption
Defragmentation
Additional filesystems supported by macOS
File system domains in macOS
Managing disks, volumes, and partitions
Examining storage
About This Mac
Disk Utility
System Information
Managing partitions
Examining and modifying partitions
Formatting/partitioning a disk/volume
Adding a non-APFS partition
Erasing/reformatting disks
Resizing/deleting a non-APFS partition
Using APFS volumes
Converting volumes to APFS
Adding a volume to an APFS container
Deleting/erasing an APFS volume
Mounting, unmounting, and ejecting disks/volumes
Unmounting and ejecting
Mounting
Optimizing storage space
Store in iCloud
Optimize Storage
Empty Trash Automatically
Reduce Clutter
Summary
Further reading
Understanding Ownership and Permissions
Technical requirements
Understanding ownership and permissions
What are ownership and permissions in macOS?
Access Control Lists (ACLs)
Access hierarchical rules
Case 1
Case 2
File flags
macOS's filesystem security policy
Managing access and ownership
Verifying an item's ownership and permissions
Changing an item's ownership and permissions
Ownership in non-system volumes
Granting and changing permissions
Deleting permissions
Permission customization examples
Example 1: Restricting access to an item
Example 2: Propagating folder permissions
Using macOS shared folders
The Public and Drop Box folders
The Shared folder
Summary
System Resources and Shortcuts
Technical requirements
Understanding system resources
Types of system resources in macOS
Extensions
Frameworks
Fonts
Preference files
LaunchAgents and LaunchDaemons
Logs
System resource domains
Sandboxing
Managing system resources
Uncovering hidden files and folders
Accessing the Library folder temporarily
Accessing the Library folder permanently
Managing font resources
Installing fonts
Font location preferences
Resolving duplicate fonts
Disabling/removing fonts
Understanding shortcuts in macOS
Types of shortcuts
Aliases
Symbolic links
Hard links
Creating shortcuts
Summary
Understanding Metadata and Searching
Technical requirements
Understanding metadata in macOS
Types of metadata available in macOS
File flags
File system tags
The AppleDouble file format
Additional extended attributes
Using macOS tags
Viewing tagged items
Using tags
Creating tags
Creating tags from the Finder
Creating tags from a file preview
Deleting tags
Advanced tag management
macOS searching tools
Using Spotlight
Using Siri
Summary
Managing Apps and Documents
Technical requirements
Understanding apps in macOS
Supported macOS environments
Native macOS
Universal macOS binary
Unix-based
Open source
App compatibility
Compatibility with 32- and 64-bit apps
Universal and Intel apps
iOS and iPadOS apps (Apple M1 silicon)
Using the App Store
The App Store and your Apple ID
Logging in to the App Store
Creating an Apple ID
Creating an Apple ID without a payment method
Managing your account
Installing and managing apps
Installing apps
Installing from the App Store
Installing iOS and iPadOS apps (Apple M1 silicon)
Other installation methods
Drag and drop
Using packages
Examining packages and bundles
Updating apps
App Store
Automatic updates
Manual updates
Uninstalling apps
Launchpad
Dragging to the Trash
Custom uninstaller
Exploring installed apps
Exploring app preference files
Monitoring open processes and apps
CPU
Memory
Energy
Disk
Network
Managing app extensions
Types of extensions
Finder
Sharing menu
Managing app extensions and widgets
Sharing apps
Family Sharing
Enabling Family Sharing
Purchase sharing
Start sharing purchases
Stopping purchases and Family Sharing
Managing documents
Using the Launch Services, Quick Look, and Quick Actions features
Launch Services
Quick Look
Quick Actions
Using the Autosave, Versions, Locking, and Resume features
Autosave
Versions
Locking
Resume
Using documents in iCloud
Summary
Backups and Archiving
Technical requirements
Archiving in macOS
ZIP archives
Disk images
Creating disk images with the Disk Utility
Changing a disk image's format
Restoring a disk image to a disk
Using Time Machine for backups
Understanding Time Machine
Where can you store your backups?
Configuring Time Machine
Stopping Time Machine backups
Restoring a Time Machine backup
Using the Time Machine interface
Restoring only specific items
Using the Migration Assistant
Using macOS Recovery
Summary
Networking in macOS
Technical requirements
Understanding networking concepts
Networking models
The OSI reference model
TCP/IP model
Fundamental networking concepts
Host
What are network interfaces?
Ethernet
Wi-Fi
FireWire
Thunderbolt Bridge
Bluetooth
USB
VPN
PPPoE
6to4
How to identify which network interfaces are available?
LAN and WAN
What is a MAC address?
IP addresses and subnet masks
IPv4
IPv6
Subnet masks
Router address
Network protocols
What is DHCP?
What is DNS used for?
TCP and UDP
ICMP
macOS network configurations
Initial network configuration
Connecting to Wi-Fi
Other types of networks
Ad hoc networks
Enterprise
What are network locations?
Configuring additional network services
VPN configuration
Bonjour
Advanced network configurations
Custom Wi-Fi configuration
Manual TCP/IP configuration
NetBIOS/WINS
802.1X configuration
Network proxies
Manual Ethernet configuration
Summary
Further reading
Using macOS Network Services
Technical requirements
Using network services in macOS
Understanding network services in macOS
Types of network services in macOS
Network services accounts
Notes
Calendar
Network calendar services
Reminders
Contacts
Messages
FaceTime
Safari
Configuring network services and apps
Automatic configuration for essential apps
Manual configuration for essential apps
Adding additional email accounts
Configuring services with an iCloud account
Configuring Messages
Continuity
Sidecar
Continuity Markup and Sketch
Text Message Forwarding
Cellular Calls
Continuity Camera
Auto Unlock
Handoff
Universal Clipboard
AirDrop
Apple Pay
Instant Hotspot
Summary
Using macOS Sharing Services
Technical requirements
Understanding sharing services
What are file-sharing services?
Network file service protocols
Using file-sharing on macOS
Enabling file-sharing on macOS
How to connect to file shares
Automatic discovery
Authentication
Manual connection through SMB and AFP
Manual connection through NFS, WebDAV, and FTP
Creating automatic connections
Disconnecting from a mounted share
What is AirDrop?
Remote controlling and screen sharing
Remote controlling via System Screen
Connecting
Authenticating
Controlling
Adjusting settings
Remote controlling via Messages Screen Sharing
Remote controlling via Apple Remote Desktop (ARD)
Other sharing services
Internet Sharing
Printer Sharing
Bluetooth Sharing
Remote Apple Events
Remote Login
Media Sharing
Summary
Managing Security in macOS
Technical requirements
Understanding System Security
macOS security features
Recommended security measures
Bonjour/zero-configuration and mDNS security concerns
What is System Integrity Protection?
Understanding hardware security
Firmware password
T2 Security Chip (Intel-based Macs)
Secure Boot
External Boot
Activation Lock
Macs with the Apple M1 silicon chip
Understanding application security
Application security technologies
App sandboxing
Code signing
File quarantine
Gatekeeper
Malware detection
Notarization
Verifying app security settings
Opening a non-notarized or unidentified app
Understanding Data security and encryption
Types of encryption
What is FileVault?
FileVault Recovery
Enabling FileVault
Turning off FileVault
Changing your recovery key
Recovering FileVault access
Using your iCloud account
Resetting with the local Recovery Key
Resetting using the regular user account password reset methods
Encryption with the Apple M1 chip
Encrypting external media
Understanding User security
The iCloud Security Code and two-factor authentication
Login options
Automatic login
Display of usernames
Enabling the firewall
Screen Time
Find My
Locating your Mac on a map
Playing a sound
Locking your Mac
Erasing your Mac
Guest accounts
Family Sharing
Summary
Using the Command Line
Technical requirements
Using the command-line tool
When and why you should use the command-line interface
Understanding the structure of a command-line string
The sudo command
The command-line interface in macOS
Using macOS Terminal
Creating customized profiles
Using marks and bookmarks
The default shell on macOS
Terminal shell commands
Common commands
Uncovering hidden files and folders
Hiding specific files and folders
Monitoring and diagnosing the system
Summary
Further reading
Troubleshooting Tips
Troubleshooting app issues
Troubleshooting disk and volume issues
Troubleshooting system and startup issues
Troubleshooting network issues
Troubleshooting network services issues
Troubleshooting with logs
Summary
Further reading
About Packt
Why subscribe?
Preface
macOS is the current generation of operating systems running on all Apple Mac computers. In this book, we will explore the capabilities and tools it offers for system administration and support tasks. Although many features of the Mac's interface are covered, this book is not intended to explain all the basic aspects of the hardware and user interface, but rather the areas pertinent for a user acting as an administrator.
This book will walk you through the world of macOS from a system administration and support point of view. You will be able to take advantage of the resources macOS offers for a large variety of common administration tasks. In addition, you will be empowered to configure key services and perform essential troubleshooting. More importantly, you will have a good understanding of the macOS environment and its tools for system administration tasks. For this reason, most of the examples provided will be from an administrator's perspective. However, when relevant, a standard user's perspective is also presented. The examples and illustrations we show in this book are from a Mac running macOS 11 (Big Sur), and sometimes, when necessary, we refer to other macOS versions, such as macOS 10.15 (Catalina).
On the other hand, we are all aware of the incredible pace at which technology is changing today. In particular, Apple is implementing improvements and new technologies at a rapid pace, and this includes its operating systems, such as macOS, the subject of this book, and its Mac models, with the introduction of the M1 silicon chip, which will introduce significant changes as its implementation across models advances. In that respect, we have done our best to make this book useful for all the most recent macOS versions, and we will do our best to update and review any topics that are improved or changed over time. However, bear in mind that sometimes it is not possible to do this as soon as changes or improvements are implemented.
We will start by understanding how macOS is different from other leading operating systems, as well as exploring its main and most recent features. Then, we will move on to installing and configuring macOS, including the use of the recovery system. Next, we will examine the start up process. After that, we will learn how to manage users, including important information on user security and privacy. Following that, we will describe the filesystem to understand the logic behind it, including managing disks, volumes, and partitions. Next, we will cover ownership and permissions in macOS and how to manage them. Then, we will jump into managing system resources, apps, and documents, including backups with Time Machine. In the final part of the book, we will touch on more advanced topics, such as network configuration, network services, and sharing services. There is also a chapter dedicated to the tools available for securing the system. And, finally, we will look at examples of how to use the command-line tool for administration tasks. An Appendix that includes troubleshooting steps designed to help you solve various potential issues and common scenarios is also included.
Who this book is for
The information this book provides is intended for system administrators, support professionals, technical coordinators, or advanced users looking to learn about the tools macOS offers for system administration and support. At the same time, if you are intending to take the Apple Certified Support Professional (ACSP) examination for supporting and troubleshooting macOS, this book can be a great study guide since it covers all the topics you need to know to increase your chances of success.
What this book covers
Chapter 1, Overview of the macOS System, Architecture, and Features, is an introduction to macOS. It explores how macOS is different from other leading operating systems, reviews its main and most recent features, and explores the basics of its architecture.
Chapter 2,Installing and Configuring macOS, explores the installation of macOS in various scenarios and the system configuration during and after installation. We also learn how to use the recovery system to reinstall macOS or to perform a clean installation.
Chapter 3,The Start Up Process, covers the different stages of the macOS start up process. It describes the audio and visual cues that happen during the process.
Chapter 4, User Accounts Management, describes the types of users available in macOS and how to manage them.
Chapter 5,Managing User Security and Privacy, includes key aspects of managing user security and privacy.
Chapter 6,The macOS File System: Disks, Volumes, and Partitions, describes the macOS filesystem, and this includes managing disks, volumes, and partitions.
Chapter 7,Understanding Ownership and Permissions, explains how ownership and permissions work in macOS and how to manage them.
Chapter 8,System Resources and Shortcuts, explores what system resources are and how macOS uses them to optimize the system.
Chapter 9,Understanding Metadata and Searching, examines the tools macOS provides for the effective use of metadata (such as tags) and searching (with tools such as Spotlight).
Chapter 10, Managing Apps and Documents, shows the resources that macOS provides for managing apps and documents efficiently.
Chapter 11, Backups and Archiving, describes the methods available in macOS for creating backups, more specifically, through the Time Machine app, and archiving.
Chapter 12, Networking in macOS, reviews basic networking concepts for understanding networking configuration in macOS.
Chapter 13, Using macOS Network Services, explains how to take advantage of the network services macOS provides for key services such as mail, as well as features such as Continuity for seamless work across Apple devices.
Chapter 14, Using macOS Sharing Services, explores the sharing services macOS provides for useful tasks, such as file sharing, remote controlling, and screen sharing.
Chapter 15, Managing Security in macOS, covers system, hardware, application, and user security topics. It discusses measures and suggestions to improve security in all these areas.
Chapter 16, Using the Command Line, describes the macOS command-line tool called Terminal and includes several examples of how to use it for advanced administration.
Troubleshooting Tips, provides tips and suggestions for troubleshooting various frequently asked questions.
To get the most out of this book
You will need a Mac with macOS installed—the latest version, if possible, which, at the time of publication of this book, is macOS Big Sur. There may be differences in the UI according to the Mac machine model you are using, whether you are using a Mac with the Apple M1 silicon chip, with the T2 chip, an iMac, and so on, and we have tried to point out those differences in most of the examples. However, it is not always possible to do so every time, or the differences are not significant.
Since this is not a Mac or a macOS user guide, it would be very helpful to be familiar with the Mac hardware and the macOS environment. If you are new to the world of Mac and macOS, it might be helpful first to check out a Getting Started guide. There are many good examples available on the internet that will walk you through the basics of using a Mac for the first time.
Download the color images
We also provide a PDF file that has color images of the screenshots/diagrams used in this book. You can download it here: https://static.packt-cdn.com/downloads/9781838643652_ColorImages.pdf.
Conventions used
There are a number of text conventions used throughout this book.
CodeInText: Indicates code fragments, folder names, filenames, file extensions, and pathnames. Here are two examples:
Enter the
csrutil disable
command.
Both
can be accessed from the
/Applications/Utilities/
folder.
A block of code is set as follows:
softwareupdate --install-rosetta
Bold: Indicates a tool, an app, or an important word that you see on screen. For example, words in menus or dialog boxes appear in the text like this. Here is an example: "Select Edit from the File menu."
Get in touch
Feedback from our readers is always welcome.
General feedback: If you have questions about any aspect of this book, mention the book title in the subject of your message and email us at [email protected].
Errata: Although we have taken every care to ensure our content's accuracy, mistakes do happen. If you have found a mistake in this book, we would be grateful if you would report this to us. Please visit www.packtpub.com/support/errata, selecting your book, clicking on the Errata Submission Form link, and entering the details.
Piracy: If you come across any illegal copies of our works in any form on the internet, we would be grateful if you would provide us with the location address or website name. Please contact us at [email protected] with a link to the material.
If you are interested in becoming an author: If there is a topic that you have expertise in, and you are interested in either writing or contributing to a book, please visit authors.packtpub.com.
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Overview of the macOS System, Architecture, and Features
Exploring the macOS operating system, its architecture and features, and the industry standards it uses is essential to understanding what sets macOS apart from other leading operating systems, and places you in a better position to help users with their support questions or problems.
In this first chapter, you will explore the fundamentals of the macOS system and architecture. Also, you will see the general features, as well as the newest features, apps, and enhancements, introduced to macOS in the latest version releases at the time of the publication of this book.
More specifically, we will cover the following topics in this chapter:
Overview of the macOS system and architecture
Overview of the macOS general features
Exploring the new features introduced in the latest macOS releases
Touring macOS
Exploring the macOS version history
Comparing macOS to other leading operating systems
Exploring the industry standards used by macOS
Before we start, let's see the technical requirements for this chapter.
Technical requirements
To proceed with this chapter, you will need the following:
Basic knowledge of the macOS environment
General knowledge of operating systems and development terminology
Overview of themacOS system and architecture
This section describes the essential components of the macOSarchitecture. Although this book does not intend to explain the macOS architecture in depth, as a Mac system administrator, support professional, coordinator, or advanced user, you must be familiar with the underlying components of macOS and how it was conceived and built. These concepts are necessary to understand how the system works, perform administrative tasks, and provide better support to end users.
So, let's jump right into the technical aspects of the system.
macOS can be better understood if seen as a layered architecture including key technologies that are continually improved. New features, bug fixes, and other improvements and enhancements are added regularly.
macOS is built on the foundation of the 64-bit Mach kernel, which manages processor resources, memory, and other low-level processes. There is a modified version of the BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution) operating system on top of the kernel, which provides interfaces to interact with the lower-level processes. In general, the higher layers include lower-level technologies for appbehavior,and the lower layers include more specialized technologies.
Perhapsthe best way to visualize this is through a graphic. In Figure 1.1, you can see a representation of this layered architecture and the scope of each layer:
Let's dive a bit deeper into these layers:
Cocoa application layer
:
T
his layer is where the macOS appearance, user interface, and behavior components are located, including all the features related to the user experience, such as notifications, Siri, Spotlight, and many more.
Graphics and Media layer
: Here are the technologies responsible for 2D and 3D graphics, animations, image effects, and audio and video functionalities. Most recently, a
dvanced 3D graphics are possible, thanks to the introduction of the Metal framework and API. The Metal framework is an advanced technology designed for the highest performance of graphics and computation from GPUs and
eGPUs
(
external GPUs
) for amazingly realistic 3D rendering (even live). This technology works great with development platforms such as Unity, for example.
Core Services layer
: This layer provides the essential services required by apps not related to the user interface. It's where you will find iCloud storage services, MapKit for embedding maps into your views and windows, speech recognition technologies, and much more. More recently, machine learning and model training functionalities have been added through a new Apple technology called Create ML, which works best in combination with Swift to create powerful apps.
Core OS layer
:Here is where
low-level service
technologies and frameworks related to hardware and networks are found, including security features. It's where you will find Gatekeeper, App Sandbox, and code signing, which we will be reviewing in detail in
Chapter 15
,
Managing Security in macOS
.
Kernel and Device Drivers layer
: This is the lowest layer, and it is where you will find core infrastructure technologies: the kernel, drivers, and BSD-related components.
InFigure 1.2, you can see the specific features each layer is responsible for in more detail:
As technology advances in giant leaps, many changes are happening in Apple's system design, both hardware- and software-wise, the latest being the introduction of the new Apple silicon (an M1 chip that will progressively replace the Intel chip), and the new macOS Big Sur, optimized for M1's performance. Developers need to take into account that they might need to recompile their code for theARM64architecture. If you want to know more about what developers need to take into account for app development for Macs with the M1 chip, this series of articles is very helpful: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/apple_silicon.
Now that you have a general idea of what lies behind the macOS architecture, let's see what this means in terms of features and capabilities.
Overview of the macOS general features
macOS is the name used for the current generation of operating systems for Mac computers. Apple's macOS team introduced it after the long-running OS X generation, which lasted from 2001 to 2016.
Here's a summary of the essential features:
Mac App Store
: It is one of the largest marketplaces for apps specifically designed for the Mac computers. Most of the apps you will ever need can be found here. It is a safe and convenient way to download apps without the need for passwords or activation procedures. Apple's team recently redesigned it, and we will be covering it in more detail in
Chapter 10
,
Managing Apps and Documents
.
Built-in apps
: These are essential apps that allow you to be productive from day one. They are built into macOS, bundled with the installer, and require no additional licenses. Examples of these apps areMail, Messages,
Reminders,
Safari, Notes, and Contacts. We discuss many of the new and advanced features of these apps in
Chapter 13,
Using macOS Network Services
.
Continuity
:
This feature is available from OS X Yosemite and later. It
lets you work seamlessly between devices within the Apple ecosystem. The current continuity features available are Handoff, Universal Clipboard, iPhone cellular calls, SMS/MMS messaging, Instant Hotspot, Continuity Camera, AirDrop, Apple Pay, Sidecar, and Auto Unlock. For example, you can start writing a message on your iPhone, and using Handoff, continue working on it on your nearby Mac before sending it.
We will discuss the Continuity feature in detail in
Chapter 13
,
Using macOS Network Services
.
iCloud
: This is a file storage service that lets you store your files in the cloud and access them from any device. We discuss this tool in
Chapter 10
,
Managing Apps and Documents
.
Siri
: It's Mac's intelligent personal assistant for tasks and multitasking. Siri can automate tasks, remind you of what you need to do, and make your life on the go much easier and simpler. We will talk more about Siri in
Chapter 9
,
Understanding Metadata and Searching
.
Notifications
: This feature lets you stay updated on calendar events, new messages, incoming emails, and more. You can perform actions such as
replying to a message
directly from the notifications. We will see more about this feature in
Chapter 10
,
Managing Apps and Documents
.
Spotlight
: This is the macOS tool that allows you to perform powerful searches. It lets you search for many kinds of information, including items on your Mac, as well as on the web, Maps, and more. It also offers many other cool features, such as performing calculations and currency conversions. We will cover this tool in more detail in
Chapter 9
,
Understanding Metadata and Searching
.
In the next section, we will see the newest features introduced in the latest macOS releases.
Exploring the new features introduced in the latest macOS releases
In this section, we will explore the new features introduced in the latest macOS releases, namely macOS Catalina (version 10.15.x) and Big Sur (version 11.x).
Let's start with the latest version launched as of the publication of this book: macOS Big Sur.
New features introduced in macOS Big Sur
Apple introduced the newest version of macOS, also known as Big Sur, at the World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC)2020. The version number of this release is the transition from the long-running generation of OS X and macOS version 10.x to version 11.x. The improvements are significant in terms of design and look, new features, new system sounds, and improvements to apps.
These are some of the features presented by Apple at the WWDC 2020:
Optimized for the M1 chip
: macOS Big Sur is designed for the advanced power, efficiency, and performance that are offered with the new Macs with the M1 chip, including hardware-verified secure boot and high-performance encryption. Apple will be transitioning all its new Mac machines to this new chip, specifically designed by Apple for Mac. If you want to learn more about the M1 chip, as well as details of which Mac computers include it currently, follow this link:
https://www.apple.com/mac/m1/
.
Improved look
: The user interface has been fully improved with a more modern and refined look with more features at the tips of your fingers. The Dock has a new floating and translucent design, the top menu bar is also translucent instead of the typical gray, there's a Control Center that offers quick access to frequently accessed features, and notifications now appear grouped.
Control Center
: This is a new feature accessible through the top menu bar, which by default includes quick access to
Wi-Fi
,
Bluetooth
,
AirDrop
,
Do Not Disturb
,
Keyboard Brightness
,
Display
, volume settings, and more (
Figure 1.3
). You can customize it to include or exclude settings appropriate to your activities:
Battery preferences
: This new preferences pane replaces the Energy Saver preferences, and it includes a section on battery usage history, optimized charging settings, and even scheduling in Mac laptops (
Figure 1.4
):
Safari
: macOS' web browser also
has lots of new features.
The start page has been improved to be customizable and to show what you want to show, and you are now able to set custom background images. A new privacy button in the toolbar allows you to see what information the websites you are visiting are tracking and collecting. There is also a new translation button in the address bar that allows you to translate a web page to seven major languages easily. Safari tabs now show you a preview of the open pages in those tabs when you hover over them. Also important is that
Safari extensions are now available through the App Store:
App Store
: The App Store now includes a dedicated category for Safari extensions. It also provides information on the privacy practices of the apps you want to download so that you know exactly what to expect.
App improvements
: Apps such as Messages, Maps, Weather, Reminders, and Notes have also been significantly improved in look and added functionalities, such as effects in Messages (
Figure 1.6
):
These are just some of the new features introduced by Apple in macOS 11, Big Sur. There are many more improvements that you can explore at your own pace.
In the next section, we will explore the features introduced in the previous version of macOS: Catalina.
New features introduced in macOS Catalina
Apple introduced the following features in macOS Catalina:
New music, TV, and podcast apps
: Perhaps the most significant change in macOS Catalina was that now there are three dedicated apps specifically for all the user's entertainment needs:
Apple Music
,
Apple TV
, and
Apple Podcasts
(
Figure 1.7
). They replace the well-known
iTunes
, so it was a big change. If you would like to see how the switch from iTunes to
the new apps
impacts users, you can check out the following article about the changes to iTunes (
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210200
):
The
Apple Music
app is where you can now organize the music you had in iTunes by artist, album, and song, as well as other useful categories. You can subscribe to the paid service to access the entire music catalog, or you can use it for free to listen to your previously purchased music. You can also listen to Apple's free radio station, Music 1, or tune in to local radio stations. You can check which countries the service is available in at this link:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204956
.
The
Apple TV
app is where you can watch, buy, or rent movies and TV shows. Here, you will also find p
opular streaming services and cable TV providers.
In the
Podcasts
app, you can listen to your favorite podcasts, subscribe to shows, download episodes, and more.
Apple Arcade
: This an "all-you-can-play" subscription service with access to up to six family members through
Family Sharing
(covered in
Chapter 10
,
Managing Apps and Documents
).
Photos
: This app was redesigned to bring you a smarter experience for browsing, highlighting important milestones, and showing your best shots.
Notes
: The gallery view was redesigned to help you find your notes quicker and more easily. You can use folders to share your notes with others, and a checklist option lets you mark notes as completed, as well as move those you don't need anymore to the end of the list.
Reminders
: This app was also redesigned to make it easier to manage reminders. Additional capabilities were added as well, such as the option to add attachments.
Sidecar
: This is a new feature introduced in macOS Catalina, which allows you to extend or mirror your screen using an iPad as your second display. This feature works well with
Apple Pencil
, a precision pencil for drawing and marking (for newer versions of the iPad).
Screen Time
: This new app, also introduced in macOS Catalina, allows you to monitor and schedule screen usage (
Figure 1.8
). In combination with the
Family Sharing
feature, it enables you to set limits to your family members' communication activities. We cover Family Sharing in
Chapter 10
,
Managing Apps and Documents
:
Find My
: This feature replaces Find My Mac. The difference is that it combines Find My iPhone and Find My Friends into a single app that works on Mac, iPad, and iPhone.
Voice Control
: This feature offers advanced capabilities for voice-activated tasks, such as app navigation through numbered labels and verbal commands for more accessibility possibilities. In fact, Voice Control allows you to fully control your Mac with your voice.
Safari
: Safety and privacy enhancements were introduced to Safari. Also, the start page now includes your favorite bookmarks, reading lists, iCloud tabs, and more.
Sign in with Apple
allows you to sign in to participating apps and websites using your Apple ID. You can learn more about this feature and the requirements to use it in this article:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210318
.
The introduction of
Mac Catalyst
, a set of tools and APIs, is a big deal for developers as it helps them bring their iPad apps to the Mac natively and seamlessly. You can find more information on Mac Catalyst here:
https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/ios/overview/ipad-apps-for-mac/
.
Dark Mode
: Apple introduced this feature in
macOS Mojave
. In macOS Catalina, there is an additional option when configuring dark mode, the
Auto
mode, which switches between light and dark mode automatically. These appearance modes are available from the
General
preferences, which you can access from the
Apple menu (
) by
selecting
System Preferences
, as seen in
Figure 1.9
:
Apple's macOS team introduced the following security and privacy enhancements in macOS Catalina:
Activation Lock
: A feature similar to that of an iPhone or iPad. When the lock is active, you will be the only person able to reactivate it. More on this feature can be found in
Chapter 15
,
Managing Security in macOS
.
Dedicated system volume
: macOS Catalina introduces a dedicated read-only system volume, separate from the rest of the data, thus significantly enhancing data security.
DriverKit and
k
ernel extensions (kexts)
: Starting from macOS Catalina, kexts have become deprecated. This means that hardware peripherals that used kexts before to run in macOS will now run separately from the operating system. More on this can be found in
Chapter 8
,
System Resources and Shortcuts
.
If you would like to see an overview of the macOS features directly from your own Mac, be sure to check out the next section.
Touring macOS
You can take a guided tour of macOS through the Finder to learn more about what's new, learn about the basics (if you are new to Mac), and obtain information on your MacBook Pro if you own one.
You can do that by clicking on the notification popup that will appear after installing macOS ( Figure 1.10):
If you don't see the notification, just go to theHelp menu in theFinder top menu and select one of the options, such as See what's new in macOS. You will then see a screen such as the one in Figure 1.11 that will start the guided tour:
Now that you have a pretty good idea of the new features in your Mac, let's review the version history that brought macOS to where it is today.
Exploring the macOS version history
The road to get to the current version of macOS, with all the features it has today, has been long. In case you are wondering which versions of the operating system Apple has launched so far, the following is an updated list at the time of the publication of this book. This information is also useful when you are dealing with the requirements of certain apps and features; you will most likely read something such as OS X Yosemite and later, so you need to know which versions come later or earlier:
Version name
Version number
macOS Big Sur
11.0
macOS Catalina
10.15.6
macOS Mojave
10.14.6
macOS High Sierra
10.13.6
macOS Sierra
10.12.6
OS X El Capitan
10.11.6
OS X Yosemite
10.10.5
OS X Mavericks
10.9.5
OS X Mountain Lion
10.8.5
OS X Lion
10.7.5
Mac OS X Snow Leopard
10.6.8
Mac OS X Leopard
10.5.8
Mac OS X Tiger
10.4.11
Mac OS X Panther
10.3.9
Mac OS X Jaguar
10.2.8
Mac OS X Puma
10.1.5
Mac OS X Cheetah
10.0.4
We are now familiar with the versions that led us to where macOS is today, as well as the new features introduced in the latest versions. But you might be wondering how these features, or macOS for that matter, are different from other leading operating systems. Let's explore this question in the following section.
Comparing macOS to other leading operating systems
To begin with, macOS was designed with a different logic in mind. Its design was centered on a clean, easy-to-use user interface with the tools the user needs to start working right away. In fact, Apple pioneered the free installation of the major operating system upgrades, which the rest of the industry thenquickly followed. Until then, the prevailing model was to pay for those upgrades. And it wasn't cheap! No doubt, Apple implemented this to ensure customers had a great motivation to keep using Macs, no excuses! But, because customer satisfaction is at the very core of Apple's philosophy, they also implemented this new model to make sure users could access the improvements and new features, and not let price be an obstacle to enjoy those benefits. The introduction of the Mac App Store was key to making these updates and upgrades not only available to end users but also easier to obtain. Ultimately, the benefit was mutual: end users could access updates and upgrades for free easily, and Apple increased its user base and made sure critical security updates were accessible and installed regularly:
Apps
:macOS includes a variety of apps, bundled with the macOS installer, that have essential productivity functionalities, such as Mail, the Safari browser, Notes, Reminders, Contacts, and Messages. In addition, in the App Store, you will find thousands of apps, many of them free, including an entire productivity suite that can easily replace any other office suite. Of course, we are talking about the iWork suite with its Pages, Numbers, and Keynote apps. Apple was a pioneer in this type of app management and integration with an operating system as well. In fact, the App Store remains one of the largest application marketplaces around. And with more than 20 million developers reported by Apple (WWDC 2018 Keynote), the variety and flavors of apps will only continue to grow and diversify.
Boot Camp
:While you can install macOS on your PC, something
that is
knownin the community as a Hackintosh, the process is long and involves many steps and third-party tools. That aside from the fact that Apple does not authorize its operating system to be installed on machines other than Mac computers. On the other hand, installing a Windows operating system on a Mac is easy and quick, thanks to a macOS built-in utility called Boot Camp. The Boot Camp Assistant makes the process painless and quick.
Integrated ecosystem
:There is no other ecosystem of integrated devices like Apple's Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and Apple Watch. Moreover, AirPlay lets you share videos, photos, music, and more from Apple devices to your Apple TV or AirPlay 2–enabled smart TV. Through the Continuity feature, you can work on all of them and switch from one to the other seamlessly without downloading or uploading files.
Security and stability
: Although macOS is not immune to attacks, it is well acknowledged that other operating systems are much more often targeted by malicious software and attackers than macOS. Of course, this is true in part because of the broader community of users of other mainstream operating systems, but it is also true because of the operating system design, which makes it harder to penetrate.
macOS is a unique operating system but, at the same time, it has embraced industry standards in its design to make it easy for users to configure and integrate with other systems. In the next section, we describe some of those standards.
Exploring the industry standards used by macOS
macOS is compatible with the most relevant industry standards: two of the most important ones are multicast DNS (mDNS) for networking and the Swift programming language. Let's briefly describe each of them.
Multicast DNS
mDNS is a technology developed to facilitate IP networking configuration. It's related to a concept you have probably already heard of: zero-configuration networking, or zeroconf. We know zeroconf in Mac as the Bonjour protocol created by Apple to facilitate device configuration for local networks.
TheInternet Engineering Task Force(IETF) maintains the mDNS standard. The technical definition of mDNS, as stated in IETF's RFC document, is the following: "Clients performing DNS-like queries for DNS-like resource records by sending DNS-like UDP query and response messages over IP Multicast to UDP port 5353."
While that might sound like a mouthful, what's important about this technology is that it allows three significant advantages:
Little or no configuration required to set up DNS names.
It works even when there is no infrastructure present.
It will work during an infrastructure failure.
In other words, Bonjour in Mac computers uses mDNS to perform DNS-like queries in the absence of a Unicast DNS server. What this means is that users will not have to worry about setting up a networking configuration on their Mac machines.
Take into account that there are some security concerns with the use of mDNS. We will discuss those risks and address how to reduce them inChapter 15,Managing Security in macOS, of this book.
Another tool used by macOS is the Swift programming language, which is what we will see next.
Swift
Swift is the programming language embraced by developers to create apps for macOS, iOS, watchOS, and more. What's important about Swift is that it is developed openly by a large community of developers. The claim is that Swift makes it easier to write code for apps that are faster and safer.
Swift's main features are the following:
It produces clean code
.It uses a clean and intuitive syntax that is easier to read, understand, and maintain.
Its design takes security into account
. For example, it eliminates entire classes of unsafe code.
Swift was conceived from the beginning to be fast
.One of the ways it achieves this is through the use of the LLVM compiler technology. The LLVM Project, which started as a research project at the University of Illinois, is a collection of modular and reusable compiler and toolchain technologies (
https://llvm.org/
), which makes it possible to transform Swift code into optimized native code.
Cross-platform compatibility
.Swift can be used to program all Apple platforms: iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS. It is also compatible with Linux, and the community is working to make it available on even more platforms.
It's free
.Because it's open source, it has no cost.
And with this review of the industry standards used by macOS, we have reached the end of this first chapter, which introduced you to the exciting world of macOS. Be sure to read the following summary for a recap of the main points covered here.
Summary
Now that you have completed this chapter, you can describe the generalities of macOS, and you are also aware of the new features introduced in the latest macOS versions. Also, you know the fundamentals of the macOS architecture and what each layer of its design is responsible for. This information is essential for you to understand how Macs and macOS are different from other industry-leading products, as well as their capabilities and features. This information enables you to explain those features and differences to other users, to whom perhaps you will be providing support.
In the next chapter, we will move on to the practical aspects of managing macOS, starting with the essential tasks of installing and configuring macOS.
Installing and Configuring macOS
Installing, configuring, and updating macOS are perhaps some of the most common and essential tasks you will encounter in your job as a support professional or an administrator. It all starts with installing the macOS system or updating it if you already have it installed. Following installation, the configuration of macOS is the next important task required to personalize the user's experience.
In this chapter, you will learn how to install, update, upgrade, and reinstall macOS, as well as how to perform the necessary checks, and the requirements to do so. Next, you will see how to configure the macOS installation and adjust the settings post-installation. You will also learn how to do other practical tasks, including creating an installer for specific cases such as clean installations. As mentioned earlier, the tasks related to installation you will see in this chapter are probably what you will encounter more frequently when supporting users. Therefore, the information and examples provided here will help you master all the possible installation scenarios.
More specifically, this chapter will cover the following topics:
Installing macOS
Upgrading macOS
Reinstalling macOS
Updating macOS
Configuring macOS
Before we start, let's see the technical requirements for this chapter.
Technical requirements
For this chapter, you will require the following:
Basic knowledge of the macOS environment
A Mac computer with administrator privileges
An Apple ID (optional for enabling iCloud services)
A USB flash drive or external volume
Before performing the tasks assigned in this chapter, it is essential to be aware of the system and hardware requirements regarding the installation of macOS. Here, we detail the requirements for the most recent versions of macOS.
Requirements for macOS Big Sur
The current requirements for installing the latest version ofmacOS 11.0.x (Big Sur) are as follows:
System requirements:
OS X 10.9 (Mavericks) or later.
4 GB of memory.
35.5 GB of available storage space on macOS Sierra or later. If upgrading from an earlier version, macOS Big Sur requires around 44.5 GB of available storage space.
Apple ID (recommended).
An internet connection to download the installer.
Hardware requirements:
MacBook 2015 or later
MacBook Pro Late 2013 or later
MacBook Air 2013 or later
iMac 2014 or later
iMac Pro 2017 or later
Mac Pro 2013 or later
Mac mini 2014 or later
Requirements for macOS Catalina
The requirements formacOS 15.6.x (Catalina)are the following:
System requirements:
OS X 10.9 (Mavericks) or later for a direct upgrade*.
