Deploy software packages to Macintosh devices

Software distribution lets you deploy software and file packages to Macintosh running OS X on your network.

You can distribute single-file executable packages to Mac OS X devices. Each distributed package consists of only one file, and the agent will try to install the file once the device receives it. Any file can be downloaded. Install packages (.pkg) can also contain directories, but they must be compressed. If the file downloaded has a suffix of .dmg, .pkg, .mpkg, .sit, .sitx, .zip, .tar, .gz, .sea, .app, .sh, .hqx, or for Automator/workflow packages, Endpoint Manager will decompress the file before returning.

Software distribution also lets you distribute shell scripts as jobs. This lets you take even greater control over the Mac operating environment and perform nearly any configuration or information gathering task on a Mac OS X device.

You can schedule Mac OS X distributions in the Scheduled tasks window and drag Mac OS X devices into the Scheduled tasks window as distribution targets.

NOTE: You must install the Ivanti Mac OS X agent on the target devices before you can distribute files to them. 

A distribution package consists of the package files you want to send and distribution details, which describe the package components and behavior. You must create the package before it can be delivered and run. The following instructions explain how to perform software distribution. For successful distribution, the package must exist on either a network or Web server and the recipient devices must have the software distribution agent installed.

Distribute a software package to Macintosh devices

There are two main steps required to distribute a package to devices:

  1. Create a distribution package for the software you want to distribute
  2. Schedule a software distribution task for that package

For more information, see Distribute a package and this detailed Ivanti Community article, the Apple Macintosh Application/Software Deployment Guide.