Synology is able to do everything a macOS Server could do, and more. So if you need to move your VPN service, it’s worth looking at a number of different solutions. The most important question to ask is whether you actually need a VPN any more. If you have git, mail/groupware, or file services that require remote access then you might want to consider moving these into a hosted environment somewhere. But if you need access to the LAN and you’re a small business without other servers, a Synology can be a great place to host your VPN services. Before you setup anything new, first snapshot your old settings. Let’s…
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Install Directory Services on a Synology
People who have managed Open Directory and will be moving to Synology will note that directory services really aren’t nearly as complicated was we’ve made them out to be for years. This is because Apple was protecting us from doing silly things to break our implementations. It was also because Apple bundled a number of seemingly disparate technologies into ldap. It’s worth mentioning that LDAP on a Synology is LDAP. We’re not federating services, we’re not kerberizing services, we’re not augmenting schemas, etc. We can leverage the directory service to provide attributes though, and have that central phone book of user and group memberships we’ve come to depend on directory…
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Install the RADIUS Server on a Synology
Don’t let the name fool you, RADIUS, or Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service is more widely used today than ever before. This protocol enables remote access to servers and networks and is frequently a fundamental building block of VPNs, wireless networks and other high-security services that have nothing to do with dialup bulletin boards from the 80s. I’ve run RADIUS services on Mac servers for years. But as that code starts to become stale and no longer supported, let’s look at running a basic RADIUS service on a network appliance, such as a Synology. To get started, open Package Manager, click All in the sidebar and then search for RADIUS. Click Install for…
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Export DNS Records from macOS Server
DNS is an integral service to most modern networks. The Domain Name System, or DNS is comprised of hierarchical and decentralized Domain Name Servers, or DNS Servers. This is how we connect to computers and the websites that reside on computers by their names, rather than having to memorize the IP addresses of every single computer out there. So you get to type https://krypted.com/ and come to my website instead of typing the IP address. Or more likely, Facebook.com, but just because my website is older, I’m not mad about that. No really… So you have a macOS Server and you need to take your DNS records out of it…
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Update Packages on Synology
Services that run on a Synology are constantly being updated. Software updates for the binaries and other artifacts can quickly and easily be updated. To do so, open the Synology web interface and then open Package Center. From Package Center, click Update for each or Update All to upgrade all services at once, as seen below.You will then be prompted to verify that you want to run the update. Any services that are being updated will restart and so end users might find those services unresponsive or have to log back in after the service comes back online.
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Python Script to Pull Salesforce Information Using Identity URLs
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Move DHCP Services from macOS Server to Synology
The first step to moving services from macOS Server for pretty much all services is to check out the old settings. The second step is to probably ask if where you’re going to put the service is a good idea. For example, these days I prefer to run DHCP services on a network appliance such as a Synology. And so let’s look at how to do that. Here, we’ll use the serveradmin command to view the settings of the DHCP service: /Applications/Server.app/Contents/ServerRoot/usr/sbin/serveradmin settings dhcp The output is an array of subnets with different settings per subnet. dhcp:static_maps = _empty_arraydhcp:subnets:_array_id:22217FF5-4DDB-4841-A731-EF5DA080E672:WINS_primary_server = ""dhcp:subnets:_array_id:22217FF5-4DDB-4841-A731-EF5DA080E672:dhcp_router = "10.15.40.1"dhcp:subnets:_array_id:22217FF5-4DDB-4841-A731-EF5DA080E672:WINS_secondary_server = ""dhcp:subnets:_array_id:22217FF5-4DDB-4841-A731-EF5DA080E672:net_range_start = "10.15.40.2"dhcp:subnets:_array_id:22217FF5-4DDB-4841-A731-EF5DA080E672:net_range_end = "10.15.43.253"dhcp:subnets:_array_id:22217FF5-4DDB-4841-A731-EF5DA080E672:dhcp_domain_name =…
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Replace the macOS Server DHCP Service with bootp
View Your Old Settings The first step to moving services from macOS Server for pretty much all services is to check out the old settings. The second step is to probably ask if where you’re going to put the service is a good idea. For example, these days I prefer to run DHCP services on a network appliance. But it can absolutely be run on a Mac. And so let’s look at how to do that. Here, we’ll use the serveradmin command to view the settings of the DHCP service: /Applications/Server.app/Contents/ServerRoot/usr/sbin/serveradmin settings dhcp The output is an array of subnets with different settings per subnet. dhcp:static_maps = _empty_array dhcp:subnets:_array_id:22217FF5-4DDB-4841-A731-EF5DA080E672:WINS_primary_server =…
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Configure Access To File Shares On WD MyCloud
The WD MyCloud is a pretty single-purpose device. It’s a disk with a network interface, and as with Direct Attached Storage, the MyCloud Network Attached Storage is pretty easy to connect to. First, let’s look at connecting to the web interface via the menu item, where you can drag and drop files to the device. Once the device is configured, use the WD menu item to see your device. From there, click on the name of your device. Alternatively, you could visit mycloud.com and sign into the web interface there. In both cases, you’ll see a list of files and then in the sidebar, you’ll see those options to configure settings,…
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Using Managed App Config with Jamf Pro
Hey look, there’s a new category on the Jamf Marketplace, available at https://marketplace.jamf.com/apps/#category=AppConfig,selecting the AppConfig category. The new AppConfig category gives administrators of any MDM that supports AppConfig access to a set of apps that support AppConfig. If you have an app that isn’t listed here, feel free to let me know. What does this mean? Well, AppConfig is a way of sending data into an app. App config allows a customer to deploy settings into applications on iOS devices in much the same way that settings can be sent into a Mac app via the defaults command. This means an end user could get an app installed on their device…