Using ARD to do mass upgrades?

Question

I am trying to find a method of Upgrading many computers, for example to 10.10.x to 10.12.x . Is there a way of doing so using Apple Remote Desktop? Planning to update about 40 computers.

I am able to update from 10.12.4 to 10.12.5 but so far I have not made much progress with an upgrade. Would AutoDMG be a step forward without deleting the files already on the computers?

Answer 1

You can use Apple Remote Desktop to copy the macOS Installer application to the Applications folder on every client Mac, then send the following UNIX command as root:

/Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/startosinstall --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app --agreetolicense --nointeraction

This command starts the in-place upgrade action to macOS High Sierra. It may take some time for the entire process to complete, but it doesn't require any user interaction.

Answer 2

You can build a package and deploy it, but it will not be simple. I would look at using something like JAMF for managing that many computers.