Mavericks Caching Server Doesn't Work

t.pawelek wrote:

It is not the firewall. As I already said multiple times, server registers with Apple just fine, but then the clients do not receive instructions (again - from Apple) to talk to local server when attempting an update.

So at this stage we ruled out the following suspects:

- NAT (doesn't harm caching service),

- Firewall (has nothing to do with LAN communication),

- DNS (doesn't seem to be affecting the service in any way, Apple should return lan IP (not the hostname) for the clients to talk to caching server)

I'm still at square one 😟

@Simon Comeau Maretl: We have a network of offices that spans across 3 continents (including US)... so I can vpn myself out to the Internet anywhere I want. Our main business Apple ID is US. I can try and play with the location of my external IP, but I can't recall a single time when Apple restricted access to any services using geo-localisation of customer's IPs.

@jcouani: Can you kindly confirm if you're using Australian Apple ID?

Yes it can still be the firewall, You said the clients do not receive anything from apple. How do you know that the firewall isn't blocking the incomming connection to the clients.

This happens all of the time with remote IP phones. The IP phone sends out a server request on port XXXX but the server replies on port YYYY so the firewall blocks traffic to the client. on port YYYY as it doesn't look like the client initiated the connection, even though it did.

Thanks for the info. I have tried with both US and Canada AppleIDs on my clients... neither works. I live in Canada, on Rogers Cable, and my external IP network is registered in Canada. So maybe Canada is on the banned list? Highly unlikely, because Canada usually has most-favored nation status when it comes to things like export restrictions, cryptography, etc. Anyway, I'm going to ask the server team myself.

Hello t.pawelek, could you ask the Mavericks Server feedback about the countries which are banned from Caching.

I live in French Polynesia and I have the same problems than you and after reading your post I'm very disappointed about Apple that Caching will only work with the Apple ID/external IP of the country. My Apple ID is for the French Apple Store but our IP is assimilated with an Australia ISP (South Pacific Region).

Can I have contact or email address of the Mavericks Server feedback please, I would like to ask them some questions too ?

Regards,

Hi [@jcouani here]

Mine is an AppleID, created on my Australian email address [hosted in the UK apparently], via the Australian Apple website. iTunes reports that it is an Australian AppleID in the AppleID summary. My ISP would be considered Australian, although its a South African company.

All seems a bit silly.

Also

My OSX server has a fixed IP within my private network here. Externally the IP addresses are handled by the ISP and do change regularly. My setup is working with OSX and iOS updates being cached, but I'll keep an eye out for glitches.

Hi jcouani, your setup works good for you. But you said OSX and iOS updates ... what do you mean ? Apps you bought in Appstore ou Mac Appstore or iTunes contents ? or for the operating system software updates (like iTunes software which just be updated to 11.1.3).

Thank you.

Ok thank you t.pawelek.

In fact, Cache server works for me too but it only caches OSX updates not the apps bought in Mac App Store. For iOS, nothing is cached. But the recent AppleTV update was cached by my server. So I will just say that it just works but not as we hope ... LOL !!!

chugues wrote:

Hi jcouani, your setup works good for you. But you said OSX and iOS updates ... what do you mean ? Apps you bought in Appstore ou Mac Appstore or iTunes contents ? or for the operating system software updates (like iTunes software which just be updated to 11.1.3).

Thank you.

I've only been trying this out for the last week or so, so no iOS system updates yet. I'm a noob too.

But iOS app updates are going thru the Cache service.

Based on the bar graph in the Caching Service pane

MacApps - 3.61gb

iOSApps - 848.7mb

Books - 0

Other - 51.7 [dont know what that might be]

Testing it out with iTunes 11.1.3, and that was successfully installed on Mac#1

Unfortuntely the server log is only from 6 Nov [today - dont know why that cleared] and doesnt include the download of iTunes11.1.3, timewise

Mac#2 downloaded iTunes 11.1.3 quite quickly, no log record again strangely. Restarted the caching server, logged.

Trying a few more updates [1.2gb worth] to see if they're logged in Caching Server log, or System Log…

Before downloading these updates MacApps was 3.61gb, after 4.86gb, iTunes and Voice updates

Not noted in the Caching Service log, but this from System Log [I assume CS is Caching Service]. Means not much to me other than "somethings happening"

Nov 6 11:08:38 maximus.private sandboxd[117] ([68797]): collabpp(68797) deny mach-lookup com.apple.coreservices.launchservicesd

Nov 6 11:09:08 --- last message repeated 6 times ---

Nov 6 11:10:41 maximus.private collabd[463]: [CSUserSessionServiceBase.m:48 22156000 +0ms] Detected Magic Superuser Auth Token

Nov 6 11:10:41 maximus.private collabd[463]: [CSUserSessionServiceBase.m:48 22156000 +0ms] Detected Magic Superuser Auth Token

Nov 6 11:10:42 maximus.private collabd[463]: [CSServiceDispatcher.m:247 22156000 +0ms] Request pulled in 87 referenced objects

Nov 6 11:10:42 maximus.private collabd[463]: [CSUserSessionServiceBase.m:48 22156000 +0ms] Detected Magic Superuser Auth Token

Nov 6 11:13:36 maximus collabpp[69082]: objc[69082]: Class CSArchive is implemented in both /Applications/Server.app/Contents/ServerRoot/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/C SService.framework/Versions/A/CSService and /Applications/Server.app/Contents/ServerRoot/usr/sbin/collabpp. One of the two will be used. Which one is undefined.

I hope this helps someone.

PS - maximus.private is the server local host name

Just an update.

As t.pawelek said, apple really use the location.

Played a little with vpn and my never working cache service started to work like magic.

I have an american account and do not live in USA.

@t.pawelek I send everything via vpn.

Hi Folks

Hope it's getting there for you!

I hope these aren't off-topic…

Couple more questions

It occurred to me, although mine is amassing the cache, how can I tell that the next Mac (or iOS device) is accessing the cache instead of going to Apple's central Software Update server?

Is there a terminal command or log entry which will tell me?

Is there a terminal command to force computers to look at the Caching Service. a la Software Update?

In iTunes when apps are downloaded there's often an "error -1003" even though the download happens anyway. Software Update doesn't complain.

Looking elsewhere there doesn't seem to be relevance for this error and the Caching Service. Looking to clarify.

I thought I might look in the Caching Service folder - is that not a good idea?, I think it's root user access only.

AND (Last one)

Is it possible for the server itself to use the Caching Service to update its own software? I know with Software Update that was considered a no-no.

Thanx

Meant to say, in relation to the logging, that the Caching Service doesn't report much beside Start and Stop, hence the question re "how can I tell?"

KTHX