Configurator question

You'd probably have to connect them in the order you want them numbered. Tedious, but it would give you what you are looking for. I don't think there is a way to specify to configurator on which device to go to next (assuming they are all connected).

I unfortunately do not know off the top of my head and really only testing would be able to confirm that. I don't have equipment with me currently to test it either. 😟

This is not a Configurator issue, it is an Apple issue with IOS in general with how the restrictions are programmed in IOS by Apple. Configurator, and any MDM solution, is

limited by what Apple allows in IOS. As far as the cart naming goes, unless there is a way of programming the cart to fire up the USB connections in a sequential manner, there is not a way for Configurator to name the devices by slot number.

I've set up several mobile iPod lab carts, and what I've found to work the best is when first setting up the iPods to be supervised by Configurator, to plug in each device individually, name it, configure/prepare it with Configurator (including setting it to Supervise). Once all the iPods have been initially configured and named the way I want, then under Supervise, I make sure the name says No Change (should be default). Then set all the other settings the way I want Configurator to supervise the devices, including creating a backup. That way, when the iPods get plugged into the computer, their names stay the same, and Configurator is able to restore them to their original state, as needed.

It's a slow process to get set up, but once up and running, it's slick! I can restore a messed up iPod in just a minute or two, update the iOS and apps, etc. with minimal time and effort.

I agree with gyrhead, what you're talking about is an iOS issue, not Configurator. For security, you'll need to mark the devices on the outside so they can be easily identified as your institution's devices.

But if a user wipes the device and restores with their own account, Configurator can fix that through Restore with a backup you make when first setting up the devices. The restore wipes the device, then puts back the device to its original state that you created. I've tested this a bunch and has worked great 99% of the time. Once, the iPod didn't restore completely so had to use iTunes to restore it to factory defaults. Then used Configurator to restore the image back on it. So even then, I was able to get it back to the original state I had created.

I used the "number sequentially'" and then started connecting the iPads starting with slot 1 then 2 etc. Once they were set up and named sequentially, I set the name to "no change". I don't like that there is a space between my base name and the sequential #. Is there a way to not have the space without doing it manually?

We are using the apple configurator to manage 500 devices on one computer. We are afraid of running out of memory on the hard drive so we deleted documents early on in the process. Now everytime we connect a device that has a document that has been deleted we get an alert saying the document is missing....This alert stops the entire process until someone presses reter/enter on the keyboard. This is extremely inconvenient because it forces us to have someone at the configurator computer at all times during the sync process. Is there a way to turn this alert off or fix this problem? This seems to be a huge problem as it has already ate up countless hours of staff time pressing enter while syncing devices. If the configurator won't accept a deleted document without giving us an alert, why can we delete documents.

In addition to that it appears that our computer has ran out of memory, Is there a way to turn off the back ups?

If there is any solution to this, I cannot tell you how much I would appreciate a response letting me know the solution.

Here is the process I have been using with my cart and it seems to work well.

1. Boot the MacBook Pro and launch Configurator.

2. ensure the cart has power and all of the iPads (which presumably have not been Supervised by Configurator yet) are in the proper slot but unplugged.

3. Plug in the first iPad and setup Configurator to number that iPad with the starting number (EG: 101) and the check the box beside "Number sequentially starting at 1".

4. I decided to update the iPads to the latest iOS and went to Supervise - Setting to check for updates. Once this was complete I made sure that Prepare was set to install the "Latest iOS"

5. Press the Prepare button at the bottom of the window. It will run continuously until you press Stop.

6. Once the first iPad is supervised and labeled as 101 I plug in the second iPad and wait until it is supervised and labeled 102, then continue the process until the entire lot is complete. Press Stop to stop the Prepare process.

(Note: to prepare Configurator I used iTunes to download the apps I needed and then went to Apps under Supervise and imported them to the program. I then prepared and setup one iPad with all of the Apps. I unplugged the iPad and organized all of the Apps into folders to group the Apps how I needed them. Additionally I setup the home screen with the Apps that I thought would be most useful. Once this was complete I plugged it back into the laptop, opened Configurator, pressed control and clicked the iPad and selected Backup. I named the backup and let Configurator do its job. This gave me a usable image to duplicate to the other iPads after they were Prepared with Configurator. Additionally I created a general profile to install on all the iPads and then a second profile to install on iPads at my second location to install that locations Wireless SSID and password)

7. I then go to supervise and click on the button for USB connected devices rather than All devices. (Note: make sure "All iPads" are selected rather than clicking on one of the individual devices. If "All iPads" is selected then you will be able to affect change on the group rather than repeating the process for each unit)

8. Go to Apps and press Option and check off one of the apps. This will select all the apps that have been downloaded to the computer and placed into Configurator.

9. Go back to settings under Supervise and click on Restore and select the backup you want to install on the iPads. Click on Refresh at the bottom of the screen.

10. Once the Apps are installed and the iPads are ready for the next step you can click on the Profile(s) that you need installed on the iPads and click refresh again to install the profile.

Once this is complete you will be able to make changes to them without adjusting the name or erasing the name by ensuring the "All iPads" is selected even if you only have one iPad connected.

Enjoy. It isn't a perfect process but it works and is not too complicated once you have the Apps, Backup, and Profile(s) setup

If you plug all of the iPads into the cart the first time, it will number them at random. Once they're numbered the only way they will lose that number is if they are unsupervised. You'll have to be careful from that point on when playing around with the supervision but, after the initial run you should be able to move them to the appropriate slot and they'll retain their original number. That's the simplest way you're going to get done what you want done.

I wish I'd read this BEFORE trying to do this yesterday- I did it manually, 1 by 1.

The hubs I tried to use ran out of power with more than a few iPads connected-

If you hub doesn't have a huge powersupply- forget it. They will actually drain your iPads.

Hubs don't seem to have real numbered ports for configurator- but- if you have one with an adequate powersupply- you can supervise I imagine.

Configurator 1.5 has a bug where backups don't save webclips. Apple is aware of it.

Thanks for posting this.