Munki is an open-source tool developed by Walt Disney Animation Studios, designed to help IT administrators manage software deployment on macOS systems. It allows for the automated installation, update, and removal of software packages, making it an invaluable tool for organizations that need to maintain a large fleet of Apple devices. In this article, we will explore how to set up Munki, create software packages, and deploy them to client machines.

Examples:

1. Setting Up Munki on macOS Server

   • Step 1: Install Munki Tools First, download the Munki tools from the official GitHub repository and install them on your macOS server.

     curl -L -O https://github.com/munki/munki/releases/download/v5.4.0/munki-tools-5.4.0.4396.pkg
     sudo installer -pkg munki-tools-5.4.0.4396.pkg -target /

   • Step 2: Configure the Munki Repository Create a directory to serve as your Munki repository and configure it to be accessible via a web server.

     sudo mkdir -p /usr/local/munki_repo
     sudo chown -R $(whoami) /usr/local/munki_repo

     Set up a web server (e.g., Apache) to serve this directory.

     sudo apachectl start
     sudo ln -s /usr/local/munki_repo /Library/WebServer/Documents/munki_repo

   • Step 3: Import Software Packages Use the munkiimport command to add software packages to your Munki repository.

     munkiimport /path/to/software.pkg

2. Creating and Deploying Software Packages

   • Step 1: Create a Package Use the pkgbuild command to create a software package.

     pkgbuild --root /path/to/application --identifier com.example.app --version 1.0 /path/to/output.pkg

   • Step 2: Import the Package into Munki Import the newly created package into the Munki repository.

     munkiimport /path/to/output.pkg

   • Step 3: Update the Munki Catalog After importing the package, update the Munki catalog to reflect the new software.

     makecatalogs

3. Deploying Software to Client Machines

   • Step 1: Install Munki Client Tools Install Munki client tools on the macOS client machines.

     curl -L -O https://github.com/munki/munki/releases/download/v5.4.0/munkitools-5.4.0.4396.pkg
     sudo installer -pkg munkitools-5.4.0.4396.pkg -target /

   • Step 2: Configure the Munki Client Configure the Munki client to point to the Munki repository.

     sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/ManagedInstalls SoftwareRepoURL "http://yourserver/munki_repo"

   • Step 3: Run Munki on the Client Run Munki on the client machine to check for and install available updates.

     sudo managedsoftwareupdate
     sudo managedsoftwareupdate --installonly