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Workaround for timeouts when deleting installer packages from Jamf Pro
I use AutoPkg and JSSImporter to keep my Jamf Pro server updated with the latest installers for the software used by my shop. However, this means that I usually have a large number of no-longer-needed installers stored in my Jamf Pro server’s distribution point and I need to periodically clear the obsolete packages out by deleting them. Recently, as part of removing 500+ unneeded packages from Jamf Pro using a script, I noticed the following behavior occurring:
1. Run an API command similar to the one below:
username@computername ~ % /usr/bin/curl -su username:'password' "https://jamf.pro.server.here/JSSResource/packages/id/1213" -X DELETE
2. Long pause (around 60 seconds)
3. Receive the following output:
<html> <head><title>504 Gateway Time-out</title></head> <body> <center><h1>504 Gateway Time-out</h1></center> </body> </html>
4. Check the package and it has been deleted from Jamf Pro.
The 504 Gateway Time-out error indicated that either the load balancer in front my Jamf Pro server was timing out before the API command could report success or failure. I was seeing this behavior when running the API commands manually or as part of a script, so I decided to see if I saw the same behavior when deleting the package from the Jamf Pro admin console. When I checked, I did.
I sent in a support request to Jamf to ask about this and there is a PI open for this:
PI-009627: Having a large amount of packages uploaded to a distribution point can cause various timeouts
For others experiencing this issue, while Jamf addresses this product issue, the workaround for the timeout issue is (if possible) to increase the timeout value. In my case, increasing the load balancer timeout from 60 seconds to 120 addressed the timeout issue and allowed my API and GUI package deletions to complete successfully without timing out.
Note: This does not fix the issue of the package deletion taking a while. It just makes sure that the deletion command, either via the API or using the GUI in the admin console, doesn’t timeout before reporting success or failure.
Using the Jamf Pro API to mass-delete obsolete packages and scripts
If you’re using AutoPkg and tools like jamf-upload or JSSImporter to automate the uploading of packages and scripts to your Jamf Pro server, it may be necessary to periodically delete a large number of now-obsolete installer packages or scripts from your server. To help with this, I’ve written a couple of scripts to help automate the deletion process by using a list of Jamf IDs and the API to perform the following tasks:
- Delete the relevant installer packages or scripts.
- Generate a report of which packages or scripts were deleted.
For more details, please see below the jump.
Read more…Using Markdown comments to add search keywords to Self Service descriptions
For those using Jamf Pro’s Self Service, one of the handier features can be the Search function built into the app. This search is able to examine Self Service policies and use the information in the policy and Self Service description to populate its search results. For the most part, just the displayed information in the policy should allow Self Service’s search to display relevant policies.
However, you may have a need to force the search process to include policies that would otherwise fall outside of the search parameters. For those who need this ability, thanks to Self Service’s support of Markdown it’s possible to invisibly add search keywords to a Self Service policy description. For more details, please see below the jump.
Connecting to AWS EC2 instances via Session Manager
When folks have needed command line access to instances running in Amazon Web Service’s EC2 service, SSH has been the usual method used. However, in addition to using SSH to connect to EC2 instances in AWS, it is also possible to connect remotely via Session Manager, one of the services provided by AWS’s Systems Manager tool.
Session Manager uses the Systems Manager agent to provide secure remote access to the Mac’s command line interface without needing to change security groups and allow SSH access to the instance. In fact, Session Manager allows remote access to EC2 instances which have security groups configured to allow no inbound access at all. For more details, please see below the jump.
Der Flounder 
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