Setting Up a File Share Distribution Point on macOS

Technical Articles
Solution
Application
Content Type
Technical Documentation
Utilities & Services
ft:locale
en-US
  1. On the macOS server that you want to use as a file share distribution point, open Terminal.
  2. Create a directory for the share by executing a command similar to the following:
    mkdir /Users/Shared/jamfshare/Packages
    Note:

    Regardless of the directory path you choose, always use a folder named "Packages" to avoid issues with Jamf Pro being able to locate packages.

  3. Ensure 755 permissions are applied to the share by executing a command similar to the following:
    sudo chmod 755 /path/to/jamfshare/Packages
    Note:

    Replace /path/to/jamfshare/Packages in the above command with the directory of your file share.

  4. Open System Settings.
  5. Click Users & Groups and authenticate by clicking the lock icon and entering your password.
  6. Create a user with standard permissions with read in the account name (e.g., jamfread) and note the credentials for later use.
    Note:

    Do not use spaces in the account username.

  7. Click the back button to return to the main System Settings pane.
  8. In the Shared Folders pane, select the file share folder created in step 2.

    If you created the file share in a directory other than /Users/Shared, you may need to click the add (+) button to locate the file share.

  9. In the Users pane, click the pop-up menu next to the "read" account created in step 6 and set the permissions to "Read Only".
  10. Click the pop-up menu next to the "write" account created in step 7 and set the permissions to "Read & Write".
  11. Click the pop-up menu next to Everyone and set the permissions to "No Access".
  12. Do one of the following:

    • Select "All Users" to enable access for all users.

    • Select "Only these users" and use the add(+) button to enable access for only the "read" and "write" accounts created previously.

  13. In Jamf Pro, configure the file share using the credentials of the "read" and "write" accounts created previously.

    For instructions, see File Share Distribution Points in the Jamf Pro Documentation

  14. (Optional) Enable HTTP downloads on the file share server.
  15. (Optional) Enable HTTPS on the file share server.

The SMB share is configured and ready to be used by Jamf Pro as a distribution point.