307: Don't Get Too Comfortable With This iPad

Topics:

-Joe starts off the show with some follow up and a PSA

-Long time friend of the show, Dave Provine helps clear up information regarding /private/var/db/fpsd/dvp.  Dave explains that those folders are in reference to the fairplay streaming daemon.

-Joe provides a PSA to the team about accessing a computer remotely when Apple Remote Desktop is running.  A simple checkbox in the preferences will allow this functionality.

-Joe shares some of the settings he enables for ARD for security, including storing credentials in keychain and encrypting network data.

-The remote discussion prompts further griping about TeamViewer

-Offboarding clients with remote access like TeamViewer is not always a challenge

-Sam goes on a rant about Apple IDs in a corporate environment and a lack of understanding on the client side

-Joe’s team has a process for migrations and he talks about the challenges he faces when clients have their own assumptions and expectations

-Migration Assistant has presented problems for Sam’s team so he asks for details on Joe’s method

-Finding Retrospect in a user’s StartupItems further solidifies Joe’s method for migrations

-Joe generously shares some of his procedures for migrating data

261: Just Stick It In The Chooser

We welcome our VIP Patreon sponsors:

Zvon Petric - At Your Server

Topics:

-Sam's younger sister got married! Sam felt the need to tell the story of how he almost brought the ceremony to a halt.

-To segway back into a technology discussion, Sam describes a recent relationship he developed with an A/V company that has blossomed into a steady stream of referrals.

-Jerry brings up a topic brought to us be a few listeners about the end of macOS Server.  The topic diverges into Airport Extreme's demise and how we have learned to move on.

-Joe has to deal with file sharing for iOS devices so Sam recommended a great app called FileBrowser: https://www.stratospherix.com/products/filebrowser/

-All this file sharing talk makes the guys think back to the days of OS 9 and The Chooser

-Sam has some follow up on his move to Synology and illegal characters

-Jerry gives his review of Ubiquiti Amplifi after we have some listener feedback:
https://amplifi.com

-Mesh Wi-Fi Showdown: Plume, Google Wifi, Eero, AmpliFi
https://youtu.be/F6tn_uLz3KM?t=11m59s

-An angry Sam talks about showing completed Reminders on macOS

-There is an update to Omni Disk Sweeper:
https://www.omnigroup.com/more/

-Support Omni Group by using some of their other very functional products: OmniFocus, OmniGraffle, OmniPlan, & OmniOutliner.  Jerry mentions an accommodation for members of the ACN.

-Shout out to Mac Geek Gab Podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/mac-geek-gab-enhanced-aac/id73330785?mt=2

-The team at Mac Geek Gab recommend Elclecticlight.co to find, among other things, a 32-bit app checker for macOS.

-Cocktailis a great utility that Joe highly recommends. A recent tip by the makers of Cocktail talk about the Reading List being available offline is not on by default.  Enable it in Safari Preferences>Advanced pane.

-Etrecheck gets further discussion as Jerry talks about how he has used it in the past

-Joe has some follow up from our pal Tom Bridge of the MacAdmins Podcast, among other things.  Tom had some insight into the "Too many corpses" error Joe was getting a few weeks back.

-Blog posts are a huge driver of traffic to your site and Jerry gives some blog and social media tips

-Speaking of blog posts, our friends at the TidBITS Content Network.  They can help fill in that gap of having new and relevant content on your site since we constantly run out of time.

-One Time Secret is a site used for a secure method of sending information like passwords to your clients:
https://onetimesecret.com

-All this talk about passwords brings to mind a great Jimmy Kimmel bit asking people on the street for their passwords: https://youtu.be/opRMrEfAIiI

Thanks to all of our Patreon sponsors!

251: Some Serious 'Splainin' About Apple Products

Come see our live show at ACEs 2018!
acesconf.com/ccp

• 'Splainin': Originally derived from the TV series I Love Lucy: to give a false explanation to something you are trying to hide.

• Jerry mentions tracking slow times on the calendar for future reference and reflection

• Jerry picks Joe’s brain about different types of labor scenarios and how PsiMac offers labor services

• Joe and Jerry discuss the need to constantly reevaluate the optimal age of a Mac that might be a candidate for upgrade. When is it worth upgrading 2011-2012 iMacs?

• Jerry recommends the iFixIt Pro program for resellers to get a better rate on parts including the adhesive kit for 2012 and newer iMacs

• Jerry revisits the Mouse Jiggler app from Episode 246: Let Go Of My Echo or Echo Location that helped his Fusion Drive encryption proceed, and shares some excellent feedback from Tom Bridge re: encryption requiring the mouse to be moving. Tom suspected Apple is "using the entropy from the mouse cursor to do part of the encryption" which is apparently the case in High Sierra with APFS (although Jerry's drive was not APFS). See also: The Lava Lamps That Help Keep The Internet Secure

• installing MalwareBytes on High Sierra requires manually allowing the kernel extension to run by clicking Allow in System Preferences: Security & Privacy: General. It appears that it cannot be done using TeamViewer, or perhaps other remote access software e.g. Screen Sharing either. It must be clicked by a local user. See MalwareBytes forum posts 1 and 2

• the MalwareBytes kernel extension issue reminds Joe of an old issue where Keychain Access prompts for login password would require a local user with a physical mouse to click the Allow button. We discussed it two years ago in February 2016, in Episode 140: Tom Bridge of Technolutionary.com - Go iPad Pro or Go Home, in which we discuss the Apple security note About the security content of OS X El Capitan 10.11.1, Security Update 2015-004 Yosemite, and Security Update 2015-007 Mavericks, which explains a change to SecurityAgent: "Impact: A malicious application can programmatically control keychain access prompts. Description: A method existed for applications to create synthetic clicks on keychain prompts. This was addressed by disabling synthetic clicks." Also, we followed up in the very next episode, 141: Keep Your "clicks" Local and Organic!

• In honor of all the new segments (Joe's Conspiracy Corner and Think Like a Client), Jerry and Joe both bring back an old segment and share an "I Should Have Known This"

• Jerry shares a tip courtesy of our very own Sam Valencia: how to find which volume is the startup disk in Terminal

• Joe shares where the setting is to turn off the Offload Unused Apps feature: in Settings: iTunes & App Store

• Jerry brings up the 'Splainin' we sometimes have to do on Apple's behalf

• To round out the show, we share some of the challenges and confusion clients can feel when trying to decide on a new Mac or an upgrade

204: PSI Tools & NAS Storage With Kevin Ginger

Topics:

Joe talks up his PsiTool and the benefits of keeping up to date external volumes as a diagnostics drive.  He also discusses his use of SoftRAID

To no surprise, Carbon Copy Cloner comes up in the methods of creating the PsiTools partitions
https://bombich.com

Highly recommended: SanDisk SDCZ880-256G-G46 Extreme PRO 256GB USB 3.1 Solid State Flash Drive
http://amzn.to/2oonKjm

Jerry gives us a run down of Volitans Software, used by Watchman Monitoring: https://www.volitans-software.com

We get the history behind Joe's company name!

Kevin Ginger (@kginger_cons) joins us for the second half of the show!

Diving right in, the group discusses Kevin's recommendations on QNAP & Synology

QNAP, Inc. - Network Attached Storage (NAS)
https://www.qnap.com/en-us/product/model.php?II=233
-TVS-1282T :: QNAP
-TVS-x82T Thunderbolt 2 NAS supports tiered storage, application-based partitioning and network traffic distribution, provides DAS/NAS/ iSCSI SAN triple solution, and enables 4K 60 fps video transfer and display.

Kevin also had the opportunity to speak at MacTech Pro Seattle in March.  Command Control Sponsor is a proud media sponsor of MacTech Pro Events.  Look for it at a city near you:
http://pro.mactech.com/go/ccp/

Sharing a war story, Kevin goes into what happens when your main storage device fails

If nothing more it provides opportunity to tell other clients what can happen if you don't plan for the worst

Kevin will be returning to Aces Conference this year, where we will be holding our special live show.  There is still time to join us and be a part of it!  Click the link below to find out more and register:

203: Richard's Time Capsule

This episode of Command Control Power is sponsored by Watchman Monitoring.  Click the image above to start your risk free trial today: 

Topics:

Unrelated: If you haven't seen it, take a look at this daughter waltzing in while her dad gives an interview on live TV: http://cnn.it/2mDBkjw

Joe has a great story about a replacement Time Capsule.  Jerry and Sam provide their theories.  See if you can figure it out before the big reveal!

Sam describes an awkward situation where the wrong text went to a client

DND - Does it work for you?  Sam talks about how it seems to do nothing for him.

Jerry talks about Wi-Fi Calling with AT&T and how it allowed him to still work while on vacation

Joe counters with the features of Ring Central

Jerry talks about friend of the show David Sparks of the Mac Power Users podcast.  He has a great episode with Sal Soghoian that talks about automation and your business.  

Joe has to deal with a DOA Time Capsule, indicated by a rapid blinking yellow light

After chiding Joe for ordering his MacBook Pro with 16 GB of RAM, Jerry realizes he is RAM constrained on his 8 GB model. He suggests a utility called Clean My Mac:
https://macpaw.com/cleanmymac

He also has positive experiences with Memory Clean, from Fiplab: https://fiplab.com/apps/memFory-clean-for-mac

Jerry poses the question - would you keep an early 2011 MacBook Pro on El Capitan or upgrade to Sierra?

A handy suggestion from Jerry to deal with potential issues on a Mac is EtreCheck from Etresoft: https://etrecheck.com

Sam talks about his new Hyperdrive by Indiegogo. Purchased in the early bird phase on Kickstarter: http://kck.st/2gIfbhg

201: MacTech Pro Boston & Upcoming Events with Neil Ticktin

On this show, we are very pleased to welcome Neil Ticktin, Editor in Chief and Publisher of MacTech and Host of MacTech Pro Events.  These regional events are perfect for the Apple Consultant looking to gain knowledge on important subject matter and network with their peers.  Neil joins us for a show focused on MacTech Pro and the amazing line up of topics:

• Creating a Storage Strategy: Integrating solutions for Cloud, Local, Network with Access, Archive and Backup in Mind

• Deployment Methods: Files, Configurations and Directory Services

• Scripting Python: Solo and Playing with the Other Kids

• Group Discussion: Limited time, limited resources. Best practices to optimize you.

• IoT and Home Automation

• Security. Don’t be the low hanging fruit for a hacker.

• macOS Troubleshooting. Console is your friend.

• The Tools You Should Know

Use this special link exclusively for Command Control Listeners to receive a discount on your next registration: http://pro.mactech.com/go/ccp/

Find the next available date in a city near you!