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When Apple released macOS 14.4 back in March, they pulled the plug on support for several commands, including the important launchctl kickstart. This change broke support for Addigy’s MDM Watchdog, a tool designed to keep MDM and software update processes working as expected, but there good news ahead for those struggling with macOS software updates.
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While your end users won’t likely notice it, if your team uses on-device scripts to restart services, you’ll likely run into concerns with it working. Apple’s alternative suggestion, the kill command, isn’t working as well as launchctl kickstart leading to a user needing to do a full device restart as a workaround for service restart attempts.
This will affect tools like MDM Watchdog, which was designed to fix some of the flaws in Apple’s software update services. The watchdog’s strategy was to detect, diagnose, and resolve these hiccups, primarily through service restarts. However, macOS 14.4’s changes mean the watchdog’s key moves for restarting the MDM Client and software update processes are no longer working
What does this mean for users? On the surface, not much — the MDM Watchdog operates behind the scenes, so its struggles won’t bother users with error messages. The real issue lies in potential delays or misses in system updates deployed via MDM, as the watchdog can’t perform its usual restart magic. Apple suggests a device restart as a potential fix to kick things back into gear.
What’s the workaround for software update issues? Apple’s pointing towards its Declarative Device Management (DDM) Updates as the more reliable route for macOS 14.4 and beyond. As DDM continues to be adopted by device management vendors, it’s the solution for robust patching across your entire macOS fleet.
Apple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage & protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.
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