I have a lab of Mac Studio's (M1 processors) that I want to all be identical when it comes to software installed and User Profiles set up. I know that Monolithic imaging is no longer used, so what is the replacement method or software for controlling an entire lab of Mac Studios?
Mac Studio (2022)
The answer may be more complex than it appears.
I'm assuming (although it isn't stated) that you're looking for an ongoing solution - i.e. one that keeps all the systems updated over time - rather than a one-time setup thing?
Also, what is the degree of standardization when it comes to user profiles - are you intending/expecting to setup each user on every system? Or using a central directory of accounts?
Also, do you expect any given user to use a specific machine? (e.g. User A always uses Mac A, User B -> Mac B, etc.)
Or are users able to move between machines (today User A is on Mac A, tomorrow they're on Mac B)
If the users are mobile, do you want/expect them to have the same Desktop, documents, etc. available no matter which machine they're on?
Or is the same user logged in on multiple systems at once (e.g. User A is logged in on Mac A, Mac B and Mac C at the same time - common in batch or distributed workload)
If the same user is on multiple machines, do they share a desktop, documents folder, etc? or are they specific per machine?
Like I said, more complex than the original question suggests.
For some of these scenarios, you can setup a directory server that has all the user accounts, and you can setup a file server that holds each user's home folder - in this way any user can log in on any machine and get the same desktop environment, although how you deal with multiple applications on multiple machines trying to access the same files is highly application-dependent).
In this model, though, it's still possible for users to install software on one machine that differs from the others.
For that there are various system management utilities around that ensure a standard set of applications (including version updates) and can even block the installation of 'non-approved' software. That may be the best bet if you're trying to maintain a pool of similar systems.
Some of the better-known ones include:
plus others - search for 'MacOS MDM' for more options
The answer may be more complex than it appears.
I'm assuming (although it isn't stated) that you're looking for an ongoing solution - i.e. one that keeps all the systems updated over time - rather than a one-time setup thing?
Also, what is the degree of standardization when it comes to user profiles - are you intending/expecting to setup each user on every system? Or using a central directory of accounts?
Also, do you expect any given user to use a specific machine? (e.g. User A always uses Mac A, User B -> Mac B, etc.)
Or are users able to move between machines (today User A is on Mac A, tomorrow they're on Mac B)
If the users are mobile, do you want/expect them to have the same Desktop, documents, etc. available no matter which machine they're on?
Or is the same user logged in on multiple systems at once (e.g. User A is logged in on Mac A, Mac B and Mac C at the same time - common in batch or distributed workload)
If the same user is on multiple machines, do they share a desktop, documents folder, etc? or are they specific per machine?
Like I said, more complex than the original question suggests.
For some of these scenarios, you can setup a directory server that has all the user accounts, and you can setup a file server that holds each user's home folder - in this way any user can log in on any machine and get the same desktop environment, although how you deal with multiple applications on multiple machines trying to access the same files is highly application-dependent).
In this model, though, it's still possible for users to install software on one machine that differs from the others.
For that there are various system management utilities around that ensure a standard set of applications (including version updates) and can even block the installation of 'non-approved' software. That may be the best bet if you're trying to maintain a pool of similar systems.
Some of the better-known ones include:
plus others - search for 'MacOS MDM' for more options
Cloning like that is virtually impossible with Ventura and Apple Silicon.
The closest thing I could think of would be to put all the user profiles on an external drive, and every year you clone those drives and attach to the studios. keep an admin account on the studio internal drive.
Answering your questions. I am setting up a total of 34 machines that I want to start identical. I create 6 profiles, one for each class I am teaching. Period 1, Period 2, etc. Students will be sitting in the same seat each day they return to class so, for example, student 1 in my first period class will be sitting at the same computer every time he/she comes to class. The same computer will be used by 5 other students, each being from one of the different classes I teach. The profiles will not recognize each individual student with a personal unique login. Each student will use a class profile login which is the same on each Mac. Meaning, all the period 2 students will have the same password for period 2 on every Mac in the room. Their personal files will be stored on the Mac inside that period profile and will not be found on any other machine in the room. So, yes, User A will always use Mac A in the given class period profile created for that class. Users are not mobile. All work done will be on the one mac in class that they are assigned to. I do not need a file server to hold their files. Each file they create will be stored on the Mac and backed up to Google drive. Most of the work we do is video editing and too large to edit off of a server given our current network speeds. All machines will need the same software installed on them. If a user needs to move to a different machine, we simply move the working files to the new machine via the network or AirDrop.
The simple answer is, at the beginning of each school year, I like to put a clean install of OS and all applications on each machine. This makes the startup with new students much more seamless. In the past, I took one of the machines, install a clean OS along with all the software I want them to use, create an image of that clean machine and copy it onto an external drive to take to each of the other machines in the room and clone. I have used Carbon Copy and Time Machine in the past.
How do I make a lab of Mac Studio's all identical
