Apple TV 4th Gen and 4K - Enrolling in DEP Using Apple Configurator 2


Note: Apple TV’s and iOS devices can be removed from, and added back to, Apple School Manager (school.apple.com, or DEP) ad libitum but macOS devices can not. See “Manage Device Assignments/Release Devices” in the following: https://help.apple.com/schoolmanager/#/asmec4d28461


INSTRUCTIONS as of 20220927


  1. Get latest copy of Apple TV Wifi (Clearpass)” configuration profile

    1. log into casper.saes.org:8443

    2. open “Apple TV Wifi (Clearpass)” configuration profile 

    3. click “Download”

  2. Connect Apple TV (ATV) to:

    1. power

    2. monitor

    3. ethernet cable

  3. Update to latest tvOS

  4. Reset ATV (Settings/System/Reset)

  5. MAKE SURE ATV IS AT THE “PAIR YOUR REMOTE” SCREEN

  6. Connect ATV to either:

    1. the AC2 computer with USB-C cable, or…

    2. the same network as the AC2 comptuer

  7. Launch Apple Configurator 2 (AC2)

  8. Under File menu open “Paired Devices”

  9. Select “Add” for the device named “Apple TV” (assumes Apple TV is freshly wiped and so has it’s default “Apple TV” name)

  10. Enter the code the Apple TV gives you into the dialog box

    1. “Apple TV” now appears in AC2’s “All Devices window”

  11. Highlight ATV

  12. Click “Prepare” and choose these settings:

    1. Manual Configuration    

    2. Add to Apple School Manager.

    3. Activate and complete enrollment

    4. Supervise devices

    5. Allow devices to pair with other computers

  13. Enter name of MDM server:  https://casper.saes.org:8443

  14. Enter Host name or URL::  https://casper.saes.org:8443

  15. Add trust anchor certificate:  casper.saes.org

  16. Sign in to Apple School Manager: user = appledep@saes.org password = short j

  17. Input verification code from phone

  18. Click “Choose an existing supervision identity” then click “Next”

  19. If no identity is displayed then click “Choose” and choose a St. Andrew’s identity

  20. Configure tvOS Setup Assistant:  Don’t show any of these steps

  21. Network profile:  point it to the downloaded config profile from Step 1 above

  22. Automatic Enrollment Credentials:  leave blank

  23. Click Prepare

  24. Apple TV will reboot as part of its preparation. Ignore the “device not connected” message.




INSTRUCTIONS as of 2021


  1. Get latest copy of Apple TV Wifi (Clearpass)” configuration profile

    1. log into casper.saes.org:8443

    2. open “Apple TV Wifi (Clearpass)” configuration profile 

    3. click “Download”

  2. Connect Apple TV (ATV) to:

    1. power

    2. monitor

    3. ethernet cable

  3. Update to latest tvOS

  4. Reset ATV (Settings/System/Reset)

  5. MAKE SURE ATV IS AT THE “PAIR YOUR REMOTE” SCREEN

  6. Connect ATV to either:

    1. the AC2 computer with USB-C cable, or…

    2. the same network as the AC2 comptuer

  7. Launch Apple Configurator 2 (AC2)

  8. Under File menu open “Paired Devices”

  9. Select “Add” for the device named “Apple TV” (assumes Apple TV is freshly wiped and so has it’s default “Apple TV” name)

  10. Enter the code the Apple TV gives you into the dialog box

    1. “Apple TV” now appears in AC2’s “All Devices window”

  11. Highlight ATV

  12. Click “Prepare” and choose these settings:

    1. Manual Configuration    

    2. Add to Apple School Manager.

    3. Activate and complete enrollment

    4. Supervise devices

    5. Allow devices to pair with other computers

  13. Enroll in MDM Server:  https://casper.saes.org:8443

  14. Assign to organization:  SAES

  15. Configure tvOS Setup Assistant:  Don’t show any of these steps

  16. Network profile:  point it to the downloaded config profile from Step 1 above

  17. Automatic Enrollment Credentials:  leave blank

  18. Click Prepare



Instructions as of 2019


  1. Connect Apple TV (ATV) and computer to same network

  2. Launch Apple Configurator 2 (AC2)

  3. Under AC2 menu launch Paired Devices

  4. Highlight ATV of interest in list

  5. Click Pair

    1. If this repeatedly fails, Xcode has a “pair” function you can try:

      1. In Xcode, go to Window/Devices and Simulators/Devices

      2. If the Apple TV shows up there, then click “Pair”

      3. Once paired, go back to AC2 and the ATV should be in the main window

  6. In AC2, highlight the Apple TV in the main window

  7. Click Prepare

  8. Accept defaults on first page

  9. Define an MDM Server:  Name = URL = https://casper.saes.org:8443

  10. Sign in to DEP: Apple ID = appledep@saes.org with short password

  11. Configure tvOS Setup Assistant: Don’t show any of these steps

  12. Click Prepare

  13. Ignore “...waiting for device…” message

  14. Once ATV reboots quit AC2 and Paired Devices

  15. At school.apple.com assign ATV to SAES Jamf server

  16. In Jamf, name the ATV

  17. With ATV remote, input Language, Region, and agree to Management



DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS

  1. BEFORE YOU BEGIN, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE...

    1. Apple TV (ATV) 4th Generation or Apple TV 4K

    2. Downloaded a copy of Apple TV WiFi (Clearpass).mobileconfig

      1. I put a copy of one in the following folder:  Google Drive/Team Drive/Technology Department/Apple TVs/Apple TV 4th Gen and 4K - Enrolling in DEP Using Apple Configurator 2

    3. Latest version of…

      1. Apple Configurator 2 (AC2)

      2. iTunes

      3. macOS High Sierra (or later, probably)

      4. tvOS on the ATV

    4. Mac and ATV connected to the same network (both wired or both wireless)

  2. Erase ATV if it is not new out of the box

  3. Connect ATV to:

    1. power

    2. ethernet cable

    3. monitor


  4. Get ATV to the “Pair Your Remote” screen

    1. If you let it sit at this screen for too long it goes to a screen saver. You must unplug ATV, replug it in, and get it back to “Pair Your Remote” before you can continue

  5. Launch AC2

    1. It opens to the All Devices window and the new ATV will NOT yet be shown

  6. Under Apple Configurator 2 menu click “Paired Devices”

  7. Click “Pair” for your device (device is default named “Apple TV”)

    1. If ATV does not appear:

      1. Make sure ATV and your computer are both on the same network

      2. Reboot your computer. Paried Devices generally works after that.

      3. If this repeatedly fails, Xcode has a “pair” function you can try:

        1. In Xcode, go to Window/Devices and Simulators/Devices

        2. If the Apple TV shows up there, then click “Pair”

        3. Once paired, go back to AC2 and the ATV should be in the main window

  8. Enter the code the ATV gives you

    1. ATV now appears in the All Devices window

    2. ATV shows “No” in the “Is Supervised?” column. This means it is not yet managed.

  9. Highlight the Apple TV in the main window

  10. Click Prepare

    1. Enable these settings (they are the default) and leave all others blank where possible:

      1. Manual Configuration

      2. Add to Device Enrollment Program

      3. Allow devices to pair with other computers

    2. Define an MDM Server

      1. Select New Server or chose your existing (“SAES DEP” for us)

      2. Name = https://casper.saes.org:8443

      3. URL = https://casper.saes.org:8443

      4. Trust anchor certificate is already populated in the next screen

    3. Sign in to DEP

      1. Apple ID = appledep@saes.org

      2. Password = short

    4. Create an Organization

      1. Choose an existing supervision identity by clicking Next

      2. Click “Choose”

      3. Now “Choose” the SAES certificate it offers 

    5. Configure tvOS Setup Assistant

      1. Don’t show any of these steps

      2. Click “Next”

    6. Choose Network Profile

      1. If our SAES Apple TV Wifi Clearpass config profile is not offerred then click “Choose” and browse to where you saved one

    7. Click Prepare

      1. Prepare window will show a “...waiting for device..” message that does not go away

      2. A popup window asks for your credentials. Enter them.

        1. ATV will reboot to “Pair Your Remote” screen

    8. You can quit AC2 and Paired Devices at this point

  11. Log in to school.apple.com

    1. username = appledep@saes.org and password = short

    2. Click Device Assignments in left-hand column

    3. Click Search Devices at top

    4. Search for ATV by serial number 

    5. Assign ATV to “SAES Jamf”

      1. This gets ATV into Jamf’s PreStage Enrollment (PSE)

  12. Pair Apple Remote with ATV

  13. Step through Setup Assistant

    1. Select Language, Region, and agree to let it be Managed.

      1. PROBLEM NOTE: Sometimes, when stepping through the Setup Assistant, it will give you a menu asking if you want to set the Apple TV up with a “Device” or “Manually”. This is not normal - our MDM setup should bypass this and other subsequent windows, so if you get it something is wrong. I would redo the Apple TV setup as follows:

        1. Continue through this abnormal setup until you are either at our Conference Display window or at the Apple TV’s homepage.

          1. If you get our Conference Display window then go into Jamf Pro and exclude the Apple TV from the “AppleTV Settings - Conf Display” config profile. It should then dump you onto the Apple TV’s homepage

        2. From the Apple TV’s homepage click Settings/System/Reset/Reset and Update

          1. If you choose “Reset” instead of “Reset and Update”, in my experience you will keep getting the same abnormal setup when you go to redo it.

        3. Once finished it will return to the “Pair Your Remote” screen

        4. Now delete the old entry out of Jamf Pro

        5. Now pair your remote and step through Setup Assistant again. Hopefully our MDM setup will now work correctly. 

  14. In Jamf Pro:

    1. See if you can find the Apple TV in  PreStage Enrollments/SAES AppleTVs

      1. Search for ATV by serial number

        1. NOTE 1: My test case ATV 4K did show up here, but eventually it disappeared from PreStage Enrollment. However, it’s still in Jamf as an Apple TV and it’s still managable, so I don’t know what to say about this.

        2. NOTE 2: for non-4K ATV’s, if they were in PSE, all you had to do was give them power and connect them to a network wire and Jamf would automatically provision it, no input needed. With ATV 4K I had to use a remote to step through 

    2. If you can’t find it in PreStage then just search Inventory for it

    3. “Edit” the ATV, Enforce Mobile Device Name, enter its correct name, its Asset Tag, then Save, then Done

    4. Device should be added to the Smart Device Group named “Apple TV 4th Gen” or “Apple TV 4K” 

  15. Exclude the device from the “AppleTV Settings - Conf Display” config profile

  16. Use remote to update to latest tvOS

  17. Remove exclusion from “AppleTV Settings - Conf Display” config profile

  18. PROBLEMS: 

    1. ATV 4K’s will disappear from PreStage Enrollment after a few minutes

      1. NO SOLUTION FOUND

    2. ATV 4K’s will occasionally not be visible in the “Apple TV 4K” Smart Group. The Smart Group will correctly list how many there should be, but occasionally, when you View them, none appear in the list.

      1. SOLUTION: Update Inventory for that Smart Group or for the “AppleTVs” (all Apple TV’s) Smart Group




Eric Vacchio

20191021