Configure your network for device management
When you’re installing and configuring your device management service, consider how you want to configure the network, Transport Layer Security (TLS), infrastructure services, Apple services, and backup.
When you install a locally hosted device management service, you need to configure all of the following items. Configure and test each one early in the process to ensure a smooth deployment. If your service is externally managed or hosted in the cloud, the developer may handle many of these items on your behalf.
Use a fully qualified domain name
A device management service needs to use a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) that can resolve from both inside and outside the organization’s network. This lets the server manage devices whether they connect locally or remotely. To maintain connectivity with clients, this domain name can’t change.
Have a static IP address
Most device management services require a static IP address. The existing DNS name needs to persist if the server’s IP address changes.
Configure a device management service with Transport Layer Security
All communications between Apple devices and the device management service are encrypted with HTTPS. A TLS (formerly SSL) certificate is required to secure those communications. Don’t deploy devices without a certificate from a well-known certificate authority (CA). Note the expiration date and make sure to renew the certificate before it expires. For more information, see the following Apple Support articles:
Keep certain firewall ports open
To allow both internal and external access to the device management service, certain firewall ports need to be open. Most services accept inbound connections using HTTPS on port 443. Both the device management service and the devices need to communicate with the Apple Push Notification service (APNs). Device management services use port 2197 with APNs; clients use port 5223.
Migration Assistant
To allow a Mac to migrate properly and reenroll in a device management service, Mac computers with macOS 13 or later that enroll in a device management service no longer allow the transfer of the following settings using Migration Assistant:
System
Network
Printer
To skip these settings during migration, you need to enroll the target Mac in the device management service.
Tip: Your device management service may host Activation Lock escrow keys and bypass codes, macOS bootstrap tokens, and other unique pieces of data important to continuity-of-device access. For this reason, make sure you have a robust disaster recovery strategy for your on-premises device management service installation. It’s recommended that you test backups and restores regularly.