PUBLIC SAP HANA Platform 2.0 SPS 00 Document Version: 1.0 – 2016-11-30 SAP HANA Studio Installation and Update Guide Linux, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS.
Organizations are looking to manage their Apple Macs along side their existing Windows systems using existing tools already used in enterprises like Microsoft’s System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM). Parallels (the maker of virtual machine technology that has allowed Mac users to run Windows guest sessions for years) just updated their add-in to SCCM, “Parallels Mac Management 4.0” for Microsoft SCCM.
I wrote about Parallels’ first foray into the SCCM management plug-in business over a year ago, which I was very impressed with their initial release, and since then, Parallel’s has consistently updated their product to make it extremely valuable in the management of Apple Macs in any enterprise already using System Center Configuration Manager.
Some of the basics that Parallels Mac Management provides to SCCM:
- Do bare metal imaging of a Mac from SCCM
- Discovery and inventory of Macs (just like PCs)
- Create task sequences to manage Macs (just like PCs)
- Deploy and manage software on Macs (just like PCs)
- Set compliance settings and control Macs (just like PCs)
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As Parallels has shared in their press releases, in this latest release, key features include:
- Asset Inventory
- Scan the corporate network automatically to discover Mac computers, then auto-enroll them in Microsoft SCCM
- Gather hardware and software inventory of all Mac machines on the network
- Leverage native Microsoft SCCM reports to view information about Mac computers
- Configuration Management
- Enforce compliance via extended Microsoft SCCM configuration items: OS X configuration profiles and shell scripts
- Software and Patch Deployment
- Central management and installation of software packages and patches
- Support for deployment of a wide range of software packages: .dmg, .pkg, .iso, .app, scripts and stand-alone files
- Support for silent deployment and deployment with user interaction
- Mac OS X Image Deployment via Microsoft SCCM
- Seamless integration of Mac OS X image deployment into Microsoft SCCM workflow
- Deployment of preconfigured, company-standard OS X installation on new Mac computers
We have had many enterprises that have been running two (or more) endpoint management tools to consolidate them to decrease costs and the complexity of owning and managing multiple tools. By adding in Mac management to an organization’s existing System Center Configuration Manager Windows management solution, enterprises have been able to simplify their endpoint management toolset. Additionally, with a common tool, organizations are able to create consistency in configuration policies and security policies “pushed” to endpoints, regardless of whether the device is a Windows computer, Windows tablet, Apple Mac laptop, Windows laptop, or the like. Typically with two separate tools, the consistency of policies and security processes varied from platform to platform, that can now be made similar and consistent.
The Parallels Mac Management add-in has been a GREAT addition for enterprises already using System Center Configuration Manager to manage their Windows systems to ALSO manage their Macs. Experiences have been extremely positive, and now with the addition of new functionality in v4 of the release, it makes the solution even more valuable to enterprises.
For more information from Parallels, see http://www.parallels.com/products/mac-management/ that has demo videos available, along with comparison charts and datasheets. A great solution for any enterprise with both Windows and Mac users.
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Both macOS—the operating system used on Apple's desktop and notebook computers—and Linux are based on the Unix operating system, which was developed at Bell Labs in 1969 by Dennis Ritchie and Ken Thompson. The operating system used on Apple's iPhones, now called iOS, is derived from macOS and therefore also a Unix variant.
Like all major Linux distributions, such as Ubuntu, Red Hat, and SuSE Linux, macOS offers a desktop environment that provides a graphical user interface to application programs and system settings. This desktop environment is built on top of a Unix-type OS just as the desktop environments of Linux distros are built on top of the core Linux OS. However, Linux distros usually offer alternative desktop environments besides the one installed by default. Microsoft Windows and macOS don't give users the option to switch desktop environments, other than minor look-and-feel adjustments such as color schemes and font size.
The Common Roots of Linux and macOS
The practical aspect of the common roots of Linux and macOS is that both follow the POSIX standard. POSIX stands for Portable Operating System Interface for Unix-like Operating Systems. This compatibility makes it possible to compile applications developed on Linux on macOS systems. Linux even provides options to compile applications on Linux for macOS.
Like Linux distros, macOS includes a Terminal application, which provides a text window in which you can run Linux commands. This terminal is also often referred to as command line or shell or shell window. It's the text-based environment that people used to operate computers before graphical user interface became available. It is still widely used for system administration and scripting automated processes.
The popular Bash shell is available in macOS as it is in pretty much all Linux distributions. The Bash shell helps you to quickly traverse the file system and start text-based or graphical applications.
In a shell you can use all your basic Linux and shell commands such as ls, cd, cat, and more. The file system is structured as in Linux, with partitions such as usr, var, etc, dev, and home at the top, although there are some additional folders in macOS.
The basic programming languages of Unix-type operating systems such as Linux and macOS are C and C++. Much of the operating system is implemented in these languages, and many basic applications are implemented in C and C++ as well. Higher level programming languages such as Perl and Java are also implemented in C/C++.
Apple provides the Objective C programming language including an Integrated Development Environment called Xcode to support the development of applications for macOS and iOS.
Like Linux, macOS includes strong Java support and actually provides a custom Java installation to ensure seamless integration of Java applications. It also includes terminal-based versions of the text editors Emacs and vi, which are popular on Linux systems. Versions with more GUI support can be downloaded from Apple's AppStore.
Major Differences
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One of the differences between Linux and Mac OS X is the kernel. The kernel is the core of a Unix-type OS and implements functions such as process and memory management as well as file, device, and network management. When Linus Torvalds designed the Linux kernel he opted for what is referred to as a monolithic kernel for performance reasons, as opposed the microkernel, which is designed for more flexibility. MacOS uses a kernel design that compromises between these two architectures.