09. Best Practices - setup-your-mac/Setup-Your-Mac GitHub Wiki

Best Practices

Security, performance, and operational best practices for Setup Your Mac deployment and management.


Security Best Practices

Essential security considerations for protecting your Setup Your Mac deployment.

Script Security

Secure Script Storage:

# Store script in secure location with appropriate permissions
chmod 755 /Library/Scripts/Setup-Your-Mac-via-Dialog.bash
chown root:wheel /Library/Scripts/Setup-Your-Mac-via-Dialog.bash

# Verify script integrity before execution
shasum -a 256 /Library/Scripts/Setup-Your-Mac-via-Dialog.bash

Parameter Security:

# Avoid storing sensitive information in script parameters
# Use secure methods for sensitive data:

# Good: Reference secure location
webhookURL=$(security find-generic-password -s "sym-webhook" -w)

# Bad: Hardcode sensitive URL
webhookURL="https://hooks.slack.com/services/SECRET/TOKENS/HERE"

Log Security:

# Secure log file permissions
chmod 640 /var/log/setup-your-mac.log
chown root:admin /var/log/setup-your-mac.log

# Avoid logging sensitive information
# Never log passwords, API keys, or personal data

Network Security

HTTPS Requirements:

  • All external URLs must use HTTPS
  • Verify SSL certificates for downloads
  • Use authenticated endpoints where possible

Webhook Security:

# Validate webhook URLs before use
if [ "${webhookURL}" =~ ^https:// ](/setup-your-mac/Setup-Your-Mac/wiki/-"${webhookURL}"-=~-^https://-); then
    # Test connectivity before sending data
    if curl -s --max-time 10 "${webhookURL}" > /dev/null; then
        webHookMessage "success"
    fi
fi

Download Verification:

# Verify downloaded files when possible
expectedSHA="abc123def456..."
downloadedSHA=$(shasum -a 256 /tmp/downloaded-file.pkg | awk '{print $1}')
if [ "${expectedSHA}" != "${downloadedSHA}" ](/setup-your-mac/Setup-Your-Mac/wiki/-"${expectedSHA}"-!=-"${downloadedSHA}"-); then
    fatal "Downloaded file verification failed"
fi

Access Control

Minimum Permissions:

  • Run script with minimum required privileges
  • Use runAsUser for user-context operations
  • Avoid unnecessary root operations

Audit Trail:

# Comprehensive logging for security audits
updateScriptLog "Script started by: $(whoami)"
updateScriptLog "User session: $(stat -f%Su /dev/console)"
updateScriptLog "System information: $(sw_vers -productVersion)"

Data Protection

Personal Information Handling:

# Minimize collection of personal data
# Only prompt for necessary information
promptForEmail="false"  # If not required
promptForRoom="false"   # If not needed for your organization

# Secure transmission of collected data
# Use HTTPS for all data transmission
# Validate recipient endpoints

Compliance Considerations:

  • GDPR: Obtain consent for data collection
  • HIPAA: Ensure proper data encryption
  • SOX: Maintain audit trails
  • Industry-specific: Follow relevant regulations

Performance Optimization

Optimize Setup Your Mac for speed, reliability, and user experience.

Script Performance

Efficient Execution:

# Disable unnecessary features in production
debugMode="false"
configurationDownloadEstimation="false"  # If network testing not needed

# Optimize sleep delays
debugModeSleepAmount="1"  # Reduce if using debug mode

# Streamline user input
promptForRoom="false"     # Disable unused fields
promptForAssetTag="false" # If not needed

Resource Management:

# Monitor system resources during setup
function checkSystemLoad() {
    load=$(uptime | awk -F'load average:' '{print $2}' | awk '{print $1}' | sed 's/,//')
    if (( $(echo "$load > 2.0" | bc -l) )); then
        updateScriptLog "High system load detected: $load"
        sleep 5  # Brief delay if system is busy
    fi
}

Memory Usage:

# Clean up temporary variables
unset largeVariable
unset temporaryArray

# Remove temporary files promptly
rm -f /tmp/large-download.pkg

Network Optimization

Download Strategies:

# Optimize download estimation settings
correctionCoefficient="1.05"  # Minimize overhead in estimation

# Stagger large downloads
# Avoid downloading multiple large applications simultaneously

Bandwidth Management:

# Consider time-of-day for deployment
hour=$(date +%H)
if [ $hour -ge 9 && $hour -le 17 ](/setup-your-mac/Setup-Your-Mac/wiki/-$hour--ge-9-&&-$hour--le-17-); then
    updateScriptLog "Deploying during business hours - network may be congested"
fi

Connection Reliability:

# Test connectivity before major operations
function testConnectivity() {
    if ! curl -s --max-time 10 "https://github.com" > /dev/null; then
        error "Network connectivity issue detected"
        return 1
    fi
}

Policy Optimization

Policy Ordering:

# Order policies by importance and size
# 1. Small, critical applications first
# 2. Large applications during off-peak hours
# 3. Optional applications last

# Example optimized order:
# 1. Security software (small, critical)
# 2. Browser (medium, important)
# 3. Office suite (large, important)
# 4. Creative software (very large, optional)

Validation Efficiency:

# Use efficient validation methods
# Local validation is faster than remote
# File existence checks are fastest

# Good: Quick file check
[ -d "/Applications/App.app" ](/setup-your-mac/Setup-Your-Mac/wiki/--d-"/Applications/App.app"-)

# Slower: Process check
pgrep -f "Application Name"

# Slowest: Remote validation
curl -s "https://validation-endpoint.com"

User Experience Optimization

Progress Indication:

# Provide accurate progress updates
# Update progress frequently during long operations
# Use descriptive progress text

dialogUpdateSetupYourMac "progresstext: Installing Microsoft Office (Step 3 of 8)..."

Error Handling:

# Graceful error handling
# Continue with non-critical failures
# Provide clear error messages
# Offer recovery options

Operational Best Practices

Guidelines for deploying, managing, and maintaining Setup Your Mac in production.

Deployment Strategy

Phased Rollout:

  1. Development/Testing: Test with IT team
  2. Pilot Group: Small group of volunteers (5-10 users)
  3. Department Rollout: Deploy by department
  4. Organization-wide: Full deployment

Testing Procedures:

# Pre-deployment testing checklist:
# □ Test all policy triggers manually
# □ Verify network quality testing
# □ Test webhook notifications
# □ Validate user input processing
# □ Confirm completion actions work
# □ Test failure scenarios

Rollback Planning:

# Maintain previous working version
cp Setup-Your-Mac-Current.bash Setup-Your-Mac-Backup.bash

# Document rollback procedures
# Test rollback process in lab environment
# Have communication plan for rollback

Monitoring and Maintenance

Log Monitoring:

# Regular log analysis
# Monitor for error patterns
# Track success/failure rates
# Identify performance bottlenecks

# Example log analysis script:
#!/bin/bash
logFile="/var/log/setup-your-mac.log"
today=$(date +%Y-%m-%d)

echo "Setup Your Mac Statistics for $today:"
echo "Total runs: $(grep "$today" "$logFile" | grep "Setup process started" | wc -l)"
echo "Successful: $(grep "$today" "$logFile" | grep "Setup completed successfully" | wc -l)"
echo "Failed: $(grep "$today" "$logFile" | grep "Setup failed" | wc -l)"

Performance Metrics:

  • Average setup completion time
  • Policy success/failure rates
  • Network estimation accuracy
  • User satisfaction scores

Maintenance Schedule:

  • Weekly: Review logs for errors
  • Monthly: Update script to latest version
  • Quarterly: Review and update policies
  • Annually: Comprehensive security review

Change Management

Version Control:

# Use version control for customizations
git init /Library/Scripts/Setup-Your-Mac
cd /Library/Scripts/Setup-Your-Mac
git add Setup-Your-Mac-via-Dialog.bash
git commit -m "Initial deployment version"

# Tag releases
git tag -a v1.0.0 -m "Production release 1.0.0"

Configuration Management:

# Document all customizations
# Maintain configuration inventory
# Track changes and approvals
# Test configuration changes

# Example configuration documentation:
# - Modified variables: lines 75-120
# - Custom support information: lines 124-134
# - Organization-specific policies: lines 2300-2500

Update Procedures:

  1. Download latest script version
  2. Compare with current customized version
  3. Merge customizations carefully
  4. Test in lab environment
  5. Deploy to pilot group
  6. Full deployment after validation

Disaster Recovery

Backup Procedures:

# Regular backups of customized script
rsync -av /Library/Scripts/Setup-Your-Mac/ /backup/sym/$(date +%Y%m%d)/

# Backup Jamf Pro policies
# Export policy configurations
# Document custom triggers

Recovery Planning:

# Prepare for various failure scenarios:
# - Script corruption
# - Jamf Pro server outage
# - Network connectivity issues
# - Large-scale policy failures

# Have manual procedures documented
# Maintain emergency contact list
# Test recovery procedures regularly

Testing and Quality Assurance

Comprehensive testing strategies to ensure reliable Setup Your Mac deployment.

Pre-Deployment Testing

Development Environment Testing:

# Test with debug mode enabled
debugMode="verbose"

# Use separate Jamf Pro environment
# Test with minimal policy set first
# Verify all custom modifications work

Laboratory Testing:

# Test matrix:
# □ Different macOS versions
# □ Various Mac models
# □ Different network conditions
# □ Multiple user scenarios
# □ Edge cases and error conditions

Automated Testing:

#!/bin/bash
# Automated test script example

testResults="/tmp/sym-test-results.log"

# Test 1: Script syntax
if bash -n Setup-Your-Mac-via-Dialog.bash; then
    echo "PASS: Script syntax validation" >> "$testResults"
else
    echo "FAIL: Script syntax validation" >> "$testResults"
fi

# Test 2: Required binaries
if [ -x "/usr/local/bin/dialog" ](/setup-your-mac/Setup-Your-Mac/wiki/--x-"/usr/local/bin/dialog"-); then
    echo "PASS: swiftDialog installed" >> "$testResults"
else
    echo "FAIL: swiftDialog not found" >> "$testResults"
fi

# Test 3: Network connectivity
if curl -s --max-time 10 "https://github.com" > /dev/null; then
    echo "PASS: Network connectivity" >> "$testResults"
else
    echo "FAIL: Network connectivity" >> "$testResults"
fi

User Acceptance Testing

Test Scenarios:

  1. New Employee: Fresh Mac, first-time setup
  2. Existing Employee: Reimaged Mac, returning user
  3. Power User: Advanced configuration selection
  4. Remote Worker: Home network, VPN setup
  5. Error Recovery: Network failure, policy failure

Testing Checklist:

# User Experience Testing:
# □ Welcome dialog displays correctly
# □ User input fields work properly
# □ Progress indication is accurate
# □ Error messages are clear
# □ Completion action works as expected
# □ Final state is correct

Validation Testing

Policy Validation Testing:

# Test each validation method:
# □ Local file validation
# □ Local process validation
# □ Remote endpoint validation
# □ Custom validation scripts

# Test validation accuracy:
# □ True positives (correctly identify success)
# □ True negatives (correctly identify failure)
# □ False positives (incorrectly report success)
# □ False negatives (incorrectly report failure)

Performance Testing:

# Load testing scenarios:
# □ High CPU usage during installation
# □ Low memory conditions
# □ Slow network connections
# □ Multiple simultaneous deployments

Regression Testing

Change Impact Assessment:

# When updating scripts:
# □ Test all existing functionality
# □ Verify customizations still work
# □ Confirm policy execution unchanged
# □ Validate user experience consistency

Compatibility Testing:

# Test with different system configurations:
# □ macOS Monterey (12.x)
# □ macOS Ventura (13.x)
# □ macOS Sonoma (14.x)
# □ macOS Sequoia (15.x)
# □ Intel Macs
# □ Apple Silicon Macs

Documentation and Training

Best practices for maintaining documentation and training users.

Documentation Standards

Script Documentation:

# Inline documentation for customizations
# Document all variable modifications
# Explain custom logic and business rules
# Maintain change log

# Example inline documentation:
# Modified for Company XYZ - 2024-06-26
# Changed supportTeamEmail to match current help desk
# Added custom validation for Salesforce application
supportTeamEmail="[email protected]"  # Updated 2024-06-26

Configuration Documentation:

# Setup Your Mac Configuration Documentation

## Overview
- Purpose: Automated Mac setup for new employees
- Last Updated: 2024-06-26
- Maintained By: IT Department

## Customizations
- Support team information: Lines 124-134
- Organizational data: Lines 97-116
- Custom policies: Lines 2300-2500

## Testing
- Last tested: 2024-06-20
- Test environment: Lab Macs (3 Intel, 2 Apple Silicon)
- Known issues: None

User Training

End User Training:

# Setup Your Mac User Guide

## What to Expect
1. Welcome screen with company information
2. User information form (2-3 minutes)
3. Application installation (15-45 minutes)
4. Automatic restart

## User Actions Required
- Provide accurate information in welcome form
- Stay connected to power during setup
- Do not close laptop during installation

## Getting Help
- IT Support: (555) 123-4567
- Help Portal: help.company.com
- Emergency: Walk to IT desk (Building A, Floor 2)

Administrator Training:

# Setup Your Mac Administrator Guide

## Deployment Process
1. Test script in lab environment
2. Deploy to pilot group (5-10 users)
3. Monitor logs for 48 hours
4. Address any issues found
5. Deploy to full organization

## Troubleshooting
- Check script logs: /var/log/setup-your-mac.log
- Verify Jamf Pro connectivity
- Test individual policies manually
- Review network connectivity

## Escalation
- Script failures: Contact Mac Admin team
- Policy issues: Contact Jamf administrator
- Network issues: Contact Network team

Knowledge Base Articles

Common Issues KB:

# KB001: Setup Your Mac - Common Issues

## Issue: Dialog Not Appearing
**Symptoms:** Script runs but no dialog shows
**Solution:** 
1. Check if user is logged in to console
2. Verify swiftDialog is installed
3. Kill existing dialog processes

## Issue: Policy Execution Failure
**Symptoms:** Policies don't execute or fail
**Solution:**
1. Test Jamf Pro connectivity
2. Verify policy triggers
3. Check policy scope and frequency

Change Documentation

Change Log Template:

# Change Log - Setup Your Mac

## Version 1.15.1-Company.3 (2024-06-26)
### Added
- Custom validation for Salesforce application
- Enhanced logging for policy execution timing

### Changed
- Updated support team contact information
- Modified email domain to @newdomain.com

### Fixed
- Resolved issue with building dropdown population

### Security
- Updated webhook URL validation logic

Compliance and Governance

Ensuring Setup Your Mac meets organizational compliance and governance requirements.

Audit Requirements

Audit Trail Maintenance:

# Comprehensive logging for audits
updateScriptLog "User: ${loggedInUser}, Asset: ${assetTag}, Building: ${selectedBuilding}"
updateScriptLog "Configuration selected: ${selectedConfiguration}"
updateScriptLog "Policies executed: ${executedPolicies}"
updateScriptLog "Setup completion time: ${completionTime}"

Data Retention:

# Log retention policy
# Maintain logs for required compliance period
# Archive old logs securely
# Ensure log integrity and tamper-evidence

# Example log rotation
logrotate -f /etc/logrotate.d/setup-your-mac

Access Control

Role-Based Access:

  • Script modification: Senior IT administrators only
  • Policy configuration: Jamf administrators
  • Deployment authorization: IT management
  • Audit access: Compliance team

Change Authorization:

# Require approval for script modifications
# Document approval process
# Maintain approval records
# Regular access reviews

Privacy Protection

Data Minimization:

# Only collect necessary information
# Avoid collecting sensitive personal data
# Provide clear data usage statements

# Example privacy-focused configuration:
promptForEmail="false"     # If not required for business function
promptForRoom="false"      # If not needed for asset management
promptForPosition="false"  # If not used for access control

Data Processing:

# Secure data transmission
# Encrypt data at rest
# Limit data access to authorized personnel
# Regular data purging of unnecessary information

Compliance Frameworks

SOX Compliance (Financial Services):

  • Audit trail for all system changes
  • Segregation of duties for script modifications
  • Regular testing of internal controls
  • Documentation of business processes

HIPAA Compliance (Healthcare):

  • Encryption of data in transit and at rest
  • Access controls and user authentication
  • Audit logs for all data access
  • Business associate agreements for third-party tools

GDPR Compliance (EU Operations):

  • Lawful basis for data processing
  • Data subject rights implementation
  • Privacy by design principles
  • Data breach notification procedures

Risk Management

Risk Assessment:

# Risk Assessment - Setup Your Mac

## Identified Risks
1. **Script Tampering**
   - Impact: High
   - Probability: Low
   - Mitigation: Code signing, integrity checks

2. **Data Exposure**
   - Impact: Medium
   - Probability: Low
   - Mitigation: Secure transmission, access controls

3. **Service Disruption**
   - Impact: Medium
   - Probability: Medium
   - Mitigation: Testing, rollback procedures

Incident Response:

# Incident response procedures
# Security incident classification
# Communication protocols
# Recovery procedures
# Lessons learned documentation