S.U.P.E.R.M.A.N. III

In this JNUC session, MacAdmins learn about the S.U.P.E.R.M.A.N. app and how it can make short work of even the most complex macOS update and upgrade workflows. Plus, how to deploy it via Jamf Pro for greater, automated control over enterprise OS update/upgrade projects.

October 4 2024 by

Jesus Vigo

What is S.U.P.E.R.M.A.N.?

S.U.P.E.R.M.A.N. — an acronym for Software Update Policy Enforcement Recursive Messaging And Notifications — is a binary application that “optimizes the macOS update and upgrade experience.” According to developer and presenter, Kevin White.

Referred to as super, for short, White explains that it is hosted on GitHub, and describes it as a bash script that behaves like a daemon on your computer.

White goes on to provide helpful tips on getting started with super during the presentation, which focuses on version 5 of the app.

The “Five W’s” of super

White continues by stating that the purpose of super is to answer specific questions a MacAdmin may have. Specifically, they are:

Who can benefit from super?

Organizations underserved by native update/upgrade workflows of macOS.

What exactly does the super workflow do?

Super manages the installation of macOS updates and upgrades — both minor and major — as well as Jamf Pro policies installation management. This includes alternate workflows to install and/or restart devices and temporary workflows running only once.

When does the super workflow install or restart?

Super grants admins a number of options to control how and when devices respond to update/upgrade installs. Some examples include:

  • Deferring to a later time
  • Scheduling for a specific date and time
  • Self Service options

Where is super itself installed on macOS?

Whenever super is run outside of its working folder, super automatically installs itself to the macOS device. Additionally, it creates a LaunchDaemon for itself. For admins, super can be managed via a configuration profile in Jamf Pro and its secrets are stored securely in Keychain.

Why didn’t the super workflow complete?

White explains how his documentation experience at Apple shaped his view on the criticality of good communication. This is a driver for the fantastic documentation and logging features built-in to super. A few of the tools available to admins for troubleshooting workflows are:

  • Super.log
  • Wiki
  • Sub-process logs
  • MacAdmins Slack channel #super

How do you deploy super with Jamf Pro?

Appended to the questions above is a sixth one relating directly to Jamf users, where White discusses the various options available to easily deploy super with Jamf Pro.

  • Configuration profile (with examples available on GitHub)
  • Jamf Pro policy that runs super script (alongside up to eight parameters)
  • Issuing restart commands can be handled by super or Jamf Pro policy