Joe installed Knock app last week and noticed that it moved itself from the ~/Downloads folder to the /Applications folder without needing to authenticate despite being logged into a standard user account. Joe checked permissions on /Applications and found that the folder permissions were configured to give Everyone Read/Write access. Repaired permissions for the first time in forever and it corrected this and a few other things.

Topics:

New Mac Pro on December 3rd? Expect Promise to release new Pegasus 2 alongside Apple's Mac Pro release. Look for discounts on original Promise Pegasus models.

Jony Ive biography by Leander Kahney, recommended by Jerry

Fast Company Weekend Reading: An Oral History of Apple

Guest Pass app to generate iOS profile granting temporary access to a wifi network

KeyCard app to lock and unlock your Mac based on iOS device proximity

Indigo for home automation

Nest Thermostat and Smoke Alarm

Client gifts: how to select clients? Contract clients? Nurturing existing client relationships and rekindling old client relationships.

Client gift ideas: chocolate macaroons, iKlear kits, scotch

Tip from Ryan Powell: I gift throughout the year by giving new clients a "new client care package" with little Klear singles, microfiber cloth, referral cards drive savers pamphlet and an explanation of my monthly support plan. The referral card is a little elevator pitch about the company, short link to the contact form with the promise of a free phone consultation, then when a client books an appointment I'm sure to give the referring client a small account credit as a thank you.

Sending a Thank You cards to new clients

Referral credit vs. something tangible like an iTunes gift card

What's in your Consultant Go Bag? Examples:

MagSafe to MagSafe 2
Thunderbolt to FireWire
Thunderbolt to Ethernet
USB to Ethernet
Ethernet cables
USB flash drive with partitions for Mac OS installations, diagnostics
FireWire 400 to 800
FireWire 800 to 800
USB, mini USB, micro USB
USB to Lightning
USB to 30-pin
iPhone Headphones
Tools including screwdrivers, spudger, putty knife
Memory assortment for all Intel Macs from lifetimememory.com

Joe's current bag: iBackFlip Somersault

November 20, 2013

027: Cleanup tools, repairing permissions, tracking down freezes and kernel panics

November 20, 2013/ Joe

Recorded live on November 19, 2013

Topics:

- Day 392: the Mac mini held hostage

- Apple Configurator insight/anecdote from Jerry; 20 device limit syncing to MacBook Air

- cleaning the dyld cache and font cache

- OnyX, Cocktail, CleanMyMac, TechTool Pro, DiskWarrior, memtest with 7 loops, Disk Utility's verify disk, Drive Genius hard drive test

- MacKeeper finds over 8 PB (Petabytes) of wasted disk space, courtesy Mike Kingsley

- use resetpassword Terminal command to reset home folder ACLs

- repairing permissions: helpful or just another 15 minutes of billable time? Disk Utility's Repair Disk Permissions messages that you can safely ignore

- repairing permissions can fix some printing issues; reset printing system is the nuclear option

- Knock your iPhone to unlock your Mac; great third-party app (not secret Cupertino project)

- Apple Stores configure machines to use OpenDNS and block DNS queries to non-OpenDNS servers

- VPN Reorder: app to reorder connections in VPN Status menu, courtesy Allen Hancock

Picks of the week:

- iStat Menus

- whatsmydns.com – Jerry

Memorable lines:

- Another 15 minutes of billable time! - Jerry, re: repairing permissions

November 19, 2013

026: Interview with Greg Brasher, Field Sales Executive for Rackspace

November 19, 2013/ Joe

Recorded on November 5, 2013

Topics:

- RackSpace offers Exchange hosting, mail hosting, managed SharePoint hosting

- public cloud vs. private cloud vs. hybrid

- "Fanatical Support" and the Fanatical Straightjacket award ceremony

- O'Fixies, the internal support "bar" at RackSpace HQ

- OpenStack, partnership with NASA; open source, massively scaleable cloud operating system

- RackSpace Partner Network and how ACNs can benefit from it

- Cloud Sites

- Hybrid cloud

Plus:

- the challenges of hiring someone to grow your consulting practice: very important to find someone who's willing to follow through, who can keep a commitment, who has a good work ethic, and who works well as a team player

November 12, 2013

025: Mobile Device Management and More

November 12, 2013/ Joe

Recorded live November 5, 2013

Topics:

- Apple Configurator and the issue with Find My iPad and Activation Lock

- using Apple Configurator in combination with a cloud-based MDM solution; e.g. AirWatch with AirWatch app

- LinkedIn proxying emails using its LinkedIn Intro service; see also

- MTC vs. MTC+: MTC focuses mostly on Apple's solution, whereas MTC+ focuses more on third party solutions

- basic Mobile Device Management features for small office use: remote wipe, remote lock

- tip about updating to iOS 7.0.3, removing and re-adding the stored Fingerprints

- Sam's impressions on the Synology DS1513+

- plus, Sam teases what's to come from his trip to Apple Professional Services Camp

Follow up:

- Jerry "rolling back" his client to Mountain Lion

November 04, 2013

024: Clients Plunging Headfirst into Mavericks

November 04, 2013/ Joe

Recorded live on October 29, 2013

Topics:

- Clients upgrading to Mavericks, and then asking for help

- Jerry's medical practice client finds out MacPractice is not yet Mavericks compatible

- Joe's clients encounter trouble with Juniper VPN and SoftRAID

- Sam's client encounters problems with Zimbra, VPN Tracker

- run Mountain Lion in a VM to run apps that do not yet work on Mavericks?

- according to VMWare, "Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard Server, 10.6 Snow Leopard Server, 10.7 Lion client or server and 10.8 Mountain Lion client or server are fully supported on VMware Fusion while running on supported Apple hardware"

- Sam mentions CNET article: External drives experiencing data loss after Mavericks installation

- using Roaring Apps to determine app compatibility with Mavericks

- Sam and Jerry advise us to back up (archive) our OpenDirectory databases; this is built into Time Machine starting with Mac OS X Server 10.7.2 Lion

- Mavericks Prep service? flat rate to review installed apps, check file system, and advise client along a self-guided upgrade

- Promise Pegasus 2 and SANLink 2 announced