15 Feb February 2024 – MacAdmins Meeting
February 21st, 2024 – University of Utah, MacAdmins Meeting
The University of Utah, MacAdmins Meeting is held monthly virtually on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 11 AM Mountain Time. Presentations cover Apple technology and integration in a heterogeneous university enterprise environment. This month’s meeting will be held on Wed, February 121st, 2024 at 11 AM MT and we will provide live broadcasts and archives that will be made available 2-3 days after the meeting.
XCreds 4 – Timothy Perfitt, Twocanoes Software
Learn about XCreds 4, the open-source Mac project for cloud authentication from a Mac. XCreds 4 adds account mapping, better Active Directory integration, and many customization options. Tim will give an overview of what XCreds is, how it works, an in-depth demonstration, and answer any questions.
Here’s what XCreds brings to the table:
- Cloud Password Login: With XCreds, you can log in to your Mac using your Azure, Google Cloud, Okta, or any OpenID Connect (OIDC) password. No more juggling multiple credentials—your cloud password becomes your Mac key.
- New Account Provisioning: Setting up a brand-new Mac? XCreds takes care of provisioning the user account, home directory, and everything needed for that crucial first login. Plus, if Wi-Fi isn’t configured yet, XCreds lets you select a network seamlessly.
- Easy Configuration: XCreds uses configuration profiles for all settings. Create your profile using tools like Profile Creator, drop it into your MDM, and you’re good to go.
- Offline Access: Even without Wi-Fi (think airplane mode), XCreds allows you to switch to the standard macOS Login Window. Local user or admin account? No problem.
- Password Syncing: XCreds keeps your local Mac password in sync with your Identity Provider (IdP) password. Whether you use Azure, Google, or another IdP, XCreds ensures consistency. It runs in the background, checking for password changes and updating accordingly.
- Active Directory Integration: Log in with local Active Directory user accounts directly from the XCreds login window. The first login provisions a local account, and subsequent logins sync the local password with the Active Directory password.
About Timothy Perfitt
Timothy Perfitt is the Founder and President of Twocanoes Software located in Naperville, IL. Tim started Twocanoes Software after a decade of working at Apple, Inc., in engineering. He is the creator of Winclone, Boot Runner, MDS, Smart Card Utility, and many more successful products focused on the Mac, iPhone, and iPad. His most recent open-source project, XCreds, provides a powerful and secure way to authenticate to cloud providers from the Mac. Tim is focused on macOS and iOS authentication, including certificate-based authentication, smart cards, remote access, and code signing. Tim has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Michigan State University and a Masters Degree from California State University. Tim enjoys renovating his grandfather’s Model A and going to the dog park with his two labs.
- Video – To view the archived presentation video, click here.
- Slides – To view the archived presentation slides, click here.
Open Discussion
Questions, comments, problems, and fixes.
Directions
This meeting will not be held in person but will currently be done virtually using Zoom video communications architecture.
- Require a Password to Join This meeting will require a password to join the meeting. Information will be emailed via a campus internal list, but if you are external and want to attend the meeting, please use the contact us form to receive details. Else, the archive of the meeting will be available 2-3 days after the live meeting.
- Waiting Room When joining the meeting you will be placed in the Waiting Room by default and the hosts will give you access to the live meeting.
- Miscellaneous We will also implement other settings and safeguards to secure the meeting.
Archived Presentation(s)
- Archives of the presentations will be available on this web page.
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