box_macos_settings

Captures a number of commonly used ways of configuring macOS system settings as library resources.

Usage

Place a dependency on the box_macos_settings cookbook in your cookbook's metadata.rb

depends 'box_macos_settings', '~> 0.1'

Then, in a recipe use one of the resources, for example:

macos_automatic_update_check 'disable' do
  action :set
end

A default recipe is provided that has all the settings I use on my machine.

Resource Overview

• macos_automatic_update_check: configures automatic check for updates
• macos_hostname: configures the hostname
• macos_remote_login: configures access to the node via SSH
• macos_screen_sharing: configures access to the node via VNC/screen sharing

Resource Details

macos_automatic_update_check

The macos_automatic_update_check resource enables/disables the automatic check for updates.

Examples

• Disable automatic check for updates

macos_automatic_update_check 'disable' do
  action :set
end

• Enable automatic check for updates

macos_automatic_update_check 'enable' do
  action :set
end

macos_hostname

The macos_hostname resource sets the ComputerName/HostName/LocalHostName. macOS allows a node to have one name that apepars locally, another that shows up on file sharing and a third that is visible to Terminal and SSH.

• ComputerName - The user-friendly name for the Mac that shows up on the machine itself and what is visible in the Sharing preferences.
• HostName - The name assigned to the machine that is visible from the command line and when connecting through SSH/Remote Login.
• LocalHostName - The name used by Bonjour and visible through file sharing services like AirDrop.

By default the resource will set all three names to the same value, but you can set them independently if you so wish.

Examples

• Set the ComputerName, HostName and LocalHostName to all have the value 'phoo'

macos_hostname 'phoo' do
  action :set
end

• Set the ComputerName, HostName and LocalHostName to different things

macos_hostname 'misheska' do
  host_name 'misheska'
  local_host_name 'MacBook'
  computer_name "Mischa's MacBook"
  action :set
end

macos_remote_login

The macos_remote_login resource enables/disables the ability for users of other computers to access the current node using SSH and SFTP.

Examples

• Disable remote login

macos_remote_login 'disable' do
  action :set
end

• Enable remote login

macos_remote_login 'enable' do
  action :set
end

macos_screen_sharing

The macos_screen_sharing resource enables/disables the ability for other users to access thie current node's screen via vnc://<ipaddress> or by looking for the hostname in the Finder sidebar.

Examples

• Disable screen sharing

macos_screen_sharing 'disable' do
  action :set
end

• Enable screen sharing

macos_screen_sharing 'enable' do
  action :set
end

Install locally

To use this cookbook locally without a Chef Server, run the following commands:

chef exec berks vendor
chef-client --local-mode --log_level error --override-runlist "box_macos_settings" --config-option cookbook_path="$(pwd)/berks-cookbooks"
```