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Level 1

9 points

Mavericks Caching Server Doesn't Work

Hey Everyone,

So I upgraded to 10.9, which is great, purchased the new Server, which is great and no matter what I do I can't get it to work. Which is not so great.

Here's the story:

1) Clean install of 10.9 on 2013 mac mini. Multiple times in fact.

2) Install OS > Configure Network (fixed eth ip) > Disable Wifi > Set Hostname > Configure App Store ID > Download Server > Install Server > Enable Caching.

3) Server is not a gateway and is connected directly to the LAN with a fixed IP (via time capsule). External IP confirmed to be the same between Server logs and the clients. Power saving is disabled (mini is on 24/7). Firewall is disabled.

4) Multiple clients running latest OSX / iOS. All using the same Apple ID as the Server. Tried some clients with a different ID from the same region (US) and from a different region (EU).

5) No matter what I do, the only stuff that's being cached is the system updates (itunes / codecs / etc.). Not a single OSX / iOS app is being cached.

6) Tried a variety of .plist changes, increased the log verbosity. No errors in Debug.log: normal registration, etc. But not a single OSX / iOS app is being cached. Downloading apps on clients doesn't do anything (i.e. doesn't spawn a single line of log), even with logging = verbose. Restarting the services doesn't reveal any issues, just a regular registration every single time.

7) Asked Apple for help, they asked for log files and remain silent since then (couple of days now).

I wasted so much time on this already. I'd be really grateful if anyone pointed me in the right direction (other than a wall with a "bang head here" poster).

Posted on Oct 27, 2013 2:30 AM

111 replies

designev

Level 1

10 points

Oct 28, 2013 4:06 PM in response to t.pawelek

Yeah I'm seeing a mismatch on the hostname, but we have had about 700MB's of Mac App data download successfully. We're just not getting any iOS app data downloading.

t.pawelek Author

Level 1

9 points

Oct 28, 2013 4:13 PM in response to MrHoffman

I'm getting the following message:

The DNS hostname is not available, please repair DNS and re-run this tool.

Do you think this might be related to my issue? I can actually give it a FQDN and try...

t.pawelek Author

Level 1

9 points

Oct 28, 2013 4:43 PM in response to t.pawelek

OK, I went ahead and tried setting up a proper hostname:

- mini - my server (with caching on)

- tmp-imac - a sample client

On my client:

tmp-imac:~ tompaw$ host 10.34.1.51

51.1.34.10.in-addr.arpa domain name pointer mini.lan.tompaw.net.

tmp-imac:~ tompaw$ host mini.lan.tompaw.net

mini.lan.tompaw.net has address 10.34.1.51

On my server:

mini:~ tompaw$ tail -n 9 /Library/Server/Caching/Logs/Debug.log

2013/10/29 00:31:23:057 Cleaning cache

2013/10/29 00:31:23:206 Cleanup succeeded.

2013/10/29 00:31:23:206 Registering for notifications

2013/10/29 00:31:23:209 Registering for service

2013/10/29 00:31:24:918 Registering with local address: 10.34.1.51

2013/10/29 00:31:25:194 Request for registration from https://lcdn-registration.apple.com/lcdn/register succeeded

2013/10/29 00:31:25:194 Got back public IP 81.38.xxx.xxx

2013/10/29 00:31:25:199 Registration succeeded. Resuming server.

2013/10/29 00:31:25:199 This server has 0 peer(s)

mini:~ tompaw$ host 10.34.1.51

51.1.34.10.in-addr.arpa domain name pointer mini.lan.tompaw.net.

mini:~ tompaw$ host mini.lan.tompaw.net

mini.lan.tompaw.net has address 10.34.1.51

mini:~ tompaw$ sudo changeip -checkhostname

Password:

Primary address = 10.34.1.51

Current HostName = mini.lan.tompaw.net

DNS HostName = mini.lan.tompaw.net

The names match. There is nothing to change.

dirserv:success = "success"

Afterwards, I tried updating software on OSX (tmp-imac) and a couple of iOS clients - still no caching. I guess that pretty much rules out DNS as the cause of this issue.

Oct 29, 2013 4:13 AM in response to designev

designev wrote:

We've setup a Caching Server here and it has yet to download any iOS apps. The server has been running for a few days now and multiple iPads have been used to download a whole list of apps/updates. No luck here either.

Interestingly though when you visit Apple's business page, near the bottom it says Caching Server iOS 7 support is still 'coming soon'. Odd.

http://www.apple.com/ios/business/

This makes sense. I have Caching Server up and running and it's been working fine at caching items downloaded via Macs (iTunes, Mac App Store, iBook Store) only. However, any downloads initiated via an iOS device (iPhone or iPad both running iOS 7.0.3) doesn't get cached or read from cache. Checking the debug log shows no activity when initiating any App Store download from iOS.

FWIW, for some reason unchecking the "Only cache content for local networks" improved the reliability of caching. With it enabled, it only cached some of the time. Unsure why it would matter since all machines (2 Macs) are on the same subnet as the server, but it seems to work better with it unchecked. Again, only caching downloads/updates from iTunes/Mac App Store/iBook Store on a Mac.

Oct 29, 2013 5:48 AM in response to Yosuke Matsumura

t.pawelek Author

Level 1

9 points

Oct 29, 2013 5:52 AM in response to raimattern

Good for you, guys. No matter what we do, it won't cache a single ios app / book download 😟

Oct 29, 2013 5:59 AM in response to t.pawelek

In terminal:

sudo serveradmin fullstatus caching

What's the report ?

Message was edited by: raimattern

BobF4321

Level 1

5 points

Oct 29, 2013 6:01 AM in response to t.pawelek

Still not working for me either, except for core Mac OS updates.

I've been trying to get this to work since the new server came out, and my current thinking is that this is a problem in Apple's software distribution servers. I have turned on verbose logging, and I think this is the way it works: client devices contact the Apple servers to get updates, and the servers check to see if your external IP is registered as having a caching server. If not, the client is told to download the updates directly from Apple servers. If there is a caching server registered, the client is told to download the updates from your caching server, using the local network server IP address and port number. In my case, the verbose server logging shows no contact by clients for Mac App Store or IOS App Store updates, so that means the Apple servers are not redirecting the request to your local caching server. Unfortunately there is no way that I have found to query the Apple servers for the reason that they are not redirecting the request. Apple should set up a web site to allow caching server administrators to query the status of their caching server from Apple's side of the connection.

t.pawelek Author

Level 1

9 points

Oct 29, 2013 6:01 AM in response to raimattern

caching:Active = yes

caching:state = "RUNNING"

caching:CacheUsed = 261525220

caching:Port = 49543

caching:TotalBytesRequested = 0

caching:RegistrationStatus = 1

caching:CacheLimit = 512172563710

caching:CacheFree = 511911038490

caching:Peers = _empty_array

caching:TotalBytesFromPeers = 0

caching:StartupStatus = "OK"

caching:TotalBytesFromOrigin = 0

caching:CacheStatus = "OK"

caching:TotalBytesReturned = 0

caching:CacheDetails:_array_index:0:BytesUsed = 208661309

caching:CacheDetails:_array_index:0:LocalizedType = "Mac Apps"

caching:CacheDetails:_array_index:0:MediaType = "Mac Apps"

caching:CacheDetails:_array_index:0:Language = "en"

caching:CacheDetails:_array_index:1:BytesUsed = 0

caching:CacheDetails:_array_index:1:LocalizedType = "iOS Apps"

caching:CacheDetails:_array_index:1:MediaType = "iOS Apps"

caching:CacheDetails:_array_index:1:Language = "en"

caching:CacheDetails:_array_index:2:BytesUsed = 0

caching:CacheDetails:_array_index:2:LocalizedType = "Books"

caching:CacheDetails:_array_index:2:MediaType = "Books"

caching:CacheDetails:_array_index:2:Language = "en"

caching:CacheDetails:_array_index:3:BytesUsed = 0

caching:CacheDetails:_array_index:3:LocalizedType = "Movies"

caching:CacheDetails:_array_index:3:MediaType = "Movies"

caching:CacheDetails:_array_index:3:Language = "en"

caching:CacheDetails:_array_index:4:BytesUsed = 0

caching:CacheDetails:_array_index:4:LocalizedType = "Music"

caching:CacheDetails:_array_index:4:MediaType = "Music"

caching:CacheDetails:_array_index:4:Language = "en"

caching:CacheDetails:_array_index:5:BytesUsed = 52863911

caching:CacheDetails:_array_index:5:LocalizedType = "Other"

caching:CacheDetails:_array_index:5:MediaType = "Other"

caching:CacheDetails:_array_index:5:Language = "en"

Oct 29, 2013 6:14 AM in response to t.pawelek

So, as your Caching Services are ok, I still think that there is 'something' between your IOS devices and your OS X Server providing the Caching Services. Maybe a transparent proxy, you don't kow about. Did you designed and implemented your LAN ?

t.pawelek Author

Level 1

9 points

Oct 29, 2013 6:21 AM in response to raimattern

Here's a diagram of my LAN:

mini (server) --- TC ))) iOS devices

In other words: NOTHING in between them, only a Time Capsule working as an Access Point in Bridge mode.

Oct 29, 2013 7:35 AM in response to t.pawelek

@t.pawelek: As designed noted, iOS downloads are not currently cached. If you have other clients on your network which are Macs, they will be cached.

Oct 29, 2013 7:37 AM in response to Yosuke Matsumura

^^ "As *designev noted..."

Oct 29, 2013 10:51 AM in response to designev

designev wrote:

Yeah I'm seeing a mismatch on the hostname, but we have had about 700MB's of Mac App data download successfully. We're just not getting any iOS app data downloading.

DNS errors have been a longstanding trigger for weirdness with servers; causing all manner of weirdnesses.

DNS is fundamental to authentication and encryption, as well as to host identification.

Irrespective of the Caching Server, please fix the DNS errors.

When I install an OS X Server, networking is configured and connected first, then I ensure that LAN-local DNS is working (more than a few try using ISP DNS, and that doesn't work right with a NAT'd network), then I look at the rest of the services. Getting ahead of that sequence causes problems, too; some network services started in an environment with errant DNS can end up being easier to wipe and install OS X Server again.

Oct 29, 2013 10:59 PM in response to t.pawelek

I have almost the same problem, Mac App is cached, but no iOS app is being cached. *****

Mavericks Caching Server Doesn't Work