Creating root-level directories and symbolic links on macOS Catalina

One of the changes which came with macOS Catalina was the introduction of a read-only root volume for the OS. For users or environments which were used to using adding directories to the root level of the boot drive, this change meant they could no longer do that.

To address this need, Apple added a new method for creating directories at the root level which leverages Apple File System’s new firmlink functionality. Firmlinks are new in macOS Catalina and are similar in function to Unix symbolic links, but instead of only allowing travel one way (from source to destination) firmlinks allow bi-directional travel.

The use of firmlinks is exclusively reserved for the OS’s own use, but Apple has also made available what are called synthetic firmlinks. These synthetic firmlinks are how the OS enables folks to create directories and symbolic links on the read-only boot volume. For more details, please see below the jump.

A beginner’s guide to the Jamf Pro Classic API

When working with Jamf Pro, one way to save yourself a lot of clicking in the admin console is to use one of the two current Jamf Pro APIs. Both APIs are REST APIs, which means they can perform requests and receive responses via HTTP protocols like GET, PUT, POST and DELETE. That means that the curl tool can be used to send commands to and receive information from a Jamf Pro server.

The two APIs are as follows:

• Classic API
• Jamf Pro API (formerly known as the Universal API)

Classic API

This API is the original one which Jamf Pro started with and it is slated for eventual retirement. This API is designed to work with XML and JSON.

The base URL for the Classic API is located at /JSSResource on your Jamf Pro server. If your Jamf Pro server is https://server.name.here:8443, that means that the API base URL is as follows:

https://server.name.here:8443/JSSResource

To help you become familiar with the API, Jamf includes documentation and “Try it out” functionality at the following URL on your Jamf Pro server:

https://server.name.here:8443/api

The Classic API is designed to work with usernames and passwords for authentication, with the username and password being passed as part of the curl command.

Examples: https://developer.jamf.com/apis/classic-api/index

Jamf Pro API

This API is in beta and is designed to be an eventual replacement for the Classic API. This API is designed to work with JSON.

The base URL for the Jamf Pro API is located at /uapi on your Jamf Pro server. If your Jamf Pro server is https://server.name.here:8443, that means that the API base URL is as follows:

https://server.name.here:8443/uapi

To help you become familiar with the API, Jamf includes documentation and “Try it out” functionality at the following URL on your Jamf Pro server:

https://server.name.here:8443/uapi/docs

The Jamf Pro API is designed to work with token-based authentication, with a Jamf Pro username and password used to initially generate the necessary token. These tokens are time-limited and expire after 30 minutes. However, you can generate a new token for API authentication using the existing token’s credentials. The new token generation process does the following:

1. Creates a new token with the same access rights as the existing token.
2. Invalidates the existing token.

Jamf Pro API examples: https://developer.jamf.com/apis/jamf-pro-api/index

For more details, please see below the jump.