Apple Configurator - can't restore to Supervised iPads?

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Level 1

4 points

Apple Configurator - can't restore to Supervised iPads?

Here is another bit of weirdness with the "Apple Configurator 1.0.1 (110)" that is not documented or explained as far as I can tell. I do not know why there is this limitation I am seeing.

I want to supervise a bunch of new fresh-out-of-the-packaging iPads and restore a default backed-up configuration to all of them. They have not been powered on yet or configured in any way.

Here I am setting up all the configuration details, though supervision is OFF at this point.

I registered one iPad manually and backed it up, renamed to "Shared iPad Default config.iosdevicebackup" and selected in Apple Configurator:

As soon as I change Supervision to ON, the backup I have selected is forcibly removed, and the restore option is set to "Don't restore backup". Clicking on this changed setting has no options to select a backup of any kind.

Yet the Apple Configurator help says that backups can be used with Supervision.

Okay, note it says "Edit Stored Backups..." in the popup menu

When I click on that, the list of backups is blank, AND there is only a "minus/remove" option, no add option.

So apparently I can not create a new group of supervised iPads and restore a backup to them, even though the documentation says I can?

I have no idea what is going on here.

iPad 2, 40 or more in a school environment

Posted on Aug 25, 2012 8:14 PM

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Answer 1

Aug 26, 2012 9:52 PM in response to DMahalko

Supervised and unsupervised backups are incompatible, i.e. you can only restore a backup created from an unsupervised device on other unsupervised devices. Conversely, if you want to restore a backup to supervised devices, you must create that backup from a supervised device.

Paragraph four in the Help page you include in your second screenshot mentions this detail.

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Answer 2

DMahalko Author

Level 1

4 points

Aug 27, 2012 10:41 AM in response to Todd Fernandez

How do you make a backup of a supervised iPad? I tried making some changes to a supervised iPad, plugged it into the USB, and bam, it was wiped and reload automatically. There is no time to do the backup.

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Answer 3

Aug 27, 2012 10:53 AM in response to DMahalko

You have two options:

1) Configure the model iPad while it is connected to Configurator, then create the backup (select the model device, then choose the Devices > Back Up… menu item or use Back Up… from the Restore popup menu in the Settings tab of the configuration editor) before disconnecting it. This will work with any version of Configurator.

2) Disable the "Automatically refresh" preference before reconnecting the configured model device, then create the backup after reconnecting the device. You can then turn the preference back on if you want devices to be automatically refreshed now that you have your supervised backup. This will work with Configurator 1.1 and later versions.

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Answer 4

nsdjoey

Level 3

961 points

Sep 4, 2012 9:32 AM in response to DMahalko

Yes, first disable the auto refresh by going to Apple Configurator Preferences and uncheck the Automatically refresh box.

I've been using Apple Configurator 1.1.2 and here's how I do it. I will take the first new iPad and "Supervise" it. I will leave it plugged in and will configure it as a "master image." Some things I would include in this master image include WiFi settings, Safari bookmarks, enable restrictions (more can be pushed out later with config profiles), organize screens and icons, set background, etc. Then under Supervise, I will back up the device.

Supervised backups can only be restored to other Supervised iPads.

These Supervised backups are better than standard Apple Configurator backups that you would do on the Prepare tab because Supervised backups can contain passwords and other personal data (kind of like an encrypted iTunes backup, but only for Apple Configurator). Standard AC backups do not include this info. The backups are located at ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup . The folder names are long strings of letters and numbers so if you see multiple folders in the Backup folder you will want to sort by date to find the most recent one.

Once I have my Supervised "master image" backup, I plug the rest of the new iPads in and Supervise them while restoring that "master image" backup. If you are on the Prepare tab and Supervision is not turned on, you will not see your Supervised backups. If you switch Supervision to "on" you will see the Supervised backups under the Restore menu. When all iPads are Supervised, I install apps and add other configuration profiles.

Hope this helps!!

~Joe

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