Parallels 13.1 was released toady and announced in a blog post. The update brings enhancements such as fixes for problems copying files between Windows and macOS, which was likely caused by the.
- Parallels For Mac Activation Key
- Parallel's For Mac
- Parallels For Mac Support
- Parallels For Macbook Pro 2017
In Part 1 of the Parallels Mac Management for SCCM series I installed the Parallels Configuration Manager Console Extension. I installed this on my site server ‘ConfigMgr’.
Part 2 focused on the installation of the Parallels Proxy which I installed on a remote server called ‘Parallels’ which I intend to use to install the Parallels roles.
Part 3 of the series concludes the ‘role’ installation, namely the NetBoot Server and OS X Software Update Service.
The Parallels NetBoot server is required for Mac Operating System Deployment. ‘NetBoot is a technology from Apple that enables Mac computers to boot from a network. You need to install this component if you plan to deploy OS X images to Mac computers. The component must be installed on a computer running Windows Server 2008 SP2 or later’ (see http://download.parallels.com/pmm/v4.5/ga/docs/en_US/Parallels-Mac-Management-for-SCCM-Administrators-Guide.pdf)
The OS X Software Update Service ‘allows you to manage Apple software updates
(patches) for OS X using the native SCCM functionality. The component must be installed on a erver where Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) is installed’ (see http://download.parallels.com/pmm/v4.5/ga/docs/en_US/Parallels-Mac-Management-for-SCCM-Administrators-Guide.pdf)
As with the installation of the proxy in Part 2, certain pre-requisites are required, one being the standard Distribution Point role that is added in the SCCM console as NetBoot requires PXE to be enabled.
Pre-Requisites
The following pre-requisites need to be installed on the server that will host the NetBoot server:
- .Net Framework 3.5
- SCCM Distribution Point
- PXE Point enabled on DP
- WDS installed
- BITS 4 installed
The following pre-requisites need to be installed on the server that will host the OS X Software Update Service:
- WSUS installed
- User account running the OS X Software Update Service added to the WSUS Administrators group
- A WSUS Code Signing certificate is required from PKI
Installation
Start the installation by installing .Net Framework 3.5, I had already installed this feature as part of the pre-reqs for the Parallels Proxy.
Next, install the pre-requisites required to install the Distribution Point role. The SCCM Current Branch Supported Configuration documentation states the following are needed:
Distribution point
Windows Server roles and features:
- Remote Differential Compression
IIS configuration:
- Application Development:
- ISAPI Extensions
- Security:
- Windows Authentication
- IIS 6 Management Compatibility:
- IIS 6 Metabase Compatibility
- IIS 6 WMI Compatibility
Once installed I then added in URL Authorization from the Web Server>Security section.
BITS was then added.
After the Roles and Features are added load up ‘Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager’ from Administrative Tools and navigate down the ”Default Web Site’. In the main pane double click ‘Authentication’ and then enable ‘Windows Authentication’
Back in the main pane double click ‘Authorization Rules’
Ensure ‘Allow Users’ is set
WSUS Installation
Next re-run ‘Add Roles and Features’ in Server Manager and add in WSUS
I’ve removed the WID selection and highlighted Database.
I have selected to store the WSUS downloads in C:WSUS
At this stage I have pointed the WSUS configuration to use the site database on my site server.
Once the role is installed remember that the Post Installation tasks need to be run from Server Manager – note the exclamation mark. Click and run the tasks.
WSUS Certificate
One of the pre-reqs required for the OS X Software Update service is to install a WSUS code signing certificate. This can be obtained from the certificate authority in your environment.
In Certificate Authority Console right-click Certificate Templates>Manage.
In the Certificate Templates Console right-click Code Signing>Duplicate Template.
Set the following properties on the template:
In the Compatibility tab:
- set Certificate Authority to Windows Server 2003
- set Certificate recipient to Windows XP / Server 2003
In the General tab:
- set the Template display name
In the Request Handling tab:
- Check Allow private key to be exported
- Check Prompt the user during enrollment
In the Subject Name tab:
- set Subject name format to Common name:
In the Extensions tab, double click on Key Usage and uncheck ‘Make this extension critical’
In the Security tab:
- select Authenticated Users and grant Read and Enroll permissions
Once these options are set click OK and close the Template Console window.
In Certificate Authority Console right click Certificate Templates>New>Certificate Template to Issue.
Select the newly created template and click OK.
The template will become available to use.
Now go to the server where WSUS has just been installed, in my instance the Parallels server and run MMC.
Click File>Add/Remove Snap-in…
In the left pane of Add or Remove Snap-in window select Certificates and click the ‘Add >’ button.
select ‘My user account’ and click Finish.
Navigate to Certificates – Current User and right click Personal. Select All Tasks>Request New Certificate…
Click Next.
At the Select Certificate Enrollment Policy screen click Next.
Select the WSUS certificate and click ‘Enroll’
Click Finish to complete.
Export the certificate, to do this navigate to Certificates – Current User>Personal>Certificates. Right click on the issued certificate and choose All Tasks>Export…
Click Next.
At the Export Private Key window check Yes, export the private key and then click Next.
At the Export File Format window check Export all extended properties and then click Next.
Enter a password and click Next.
Export the file to a relevant location.
Click Finish to complete the process.
Click OK
On the server running WSUS, again the Parallels server in my case, run the following PowerShell commands as administrator.
Then issue the command
Finally we need to set up the update server and clients for locally-published updates.
To do this we need to export the certificate added via the PowerShell previously.
Open up a MMC console. Choose File>Add/Remove Snap-in…
Select Certificates and click ‘Add>’
Select Computer Account and click Next.
Click Finish.
Navigate to WSUS>Cerificates and highlight the Code Signing certificate. Right click and choose All Tasks>Export…
Click Next.
Do not export the private key and click Next.
Export as a .cer and click Next.
Export to the relevant location and click Next.
Click Finish to complete the process.
Click OK.
Now, navigate to the Trusted Root Certification>Certificates folder, right click and select All Tasks>Import…
Click Next.
Locate the .cer and import. Click Next.
Click Next.
Click Finish.
The certificate will be imported into the store.
Repeat the process for the Trusted Publishers folder.
If your SMS Provider is remote, and in my case it resides on my site server, ConfigMgr, then repeat the process of importing the .cer into the Trusted Root Certification and Trusted Publishers folders on that server as well.
DP Installation
Now go to the site server and in the SCCM Console go to the Administration workspace>Site Configuration>Servers and Site System Roles, right click and choose ‘Create Site System Server.
Add in the server to the the site system and choose the Site code from the drop down.
No proxy is required at this stage
Select the Distribution Point role.
The DP will be HTTP in this instance. Ensure the ‘Allow clients to connect anonymously’ checkbox is ticked to allow Macs to talk anonymously to the DP. Note in this image it hasn’t been but it MUST.
Assign the relevant drive letters for content location
This will not be a Pull DP.
On this screen, enable PXE, allow DP to responded to incoming PXE requests and enable unknown computer support. I haven’t selected ‘Require a password…’
Click Yes when warned about Port requirement – make a note if you need to open up firewall ports on the network.
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Click through the wizard to completion.
Install the Parallels components
Now it’s time to run the Parallels installation file and add in the components that are needed.
When prompted select the NetBoot Server and OS X Software Update Point. Click Next.
Click Install
Click Finish but ensure the checkbox to configure is selected.
First up is the configuration of the NetBoot Server. As mentioned previously I have not installed a SMS Provider locally on my Parallels server so I have to point back to the SMS Provider on my site server at this stage. Click Next.
Enter the details of the service account to run the NetBoot Server service. For the rights required for this account see the following KB article http://kb.parallels.com/uk/117937
Select a path to store the NetBoot images. The default is pmmimages. Click Next.
Click Next at the summary screen.
Click Finish when complete
Finally the configuration of the OS X Software Update service is required.
Select an account to run the service. The account you choose must have administrative right on the local server and must be a member of the WSUS Administrators group.
So add the account to that group.
then enter the details into the configuration wizard. Click Next.
A pre-requisite check will be performed. Address any issues and re-run if necessary. Click Next.
Click Finish at the summary screen.
You’ll be notified that your configuration has been applied.
Now re-run the PowerShell commands, run previously, as administrator.
Then issue the command
You can re-run each configuration wizard, including the proxy config from Part 2 from the Parallels menu
MDM Server?
You may have noticed a MDM Server option when installing the Parallels Mac Management solution and that we un-ticked this previously.
The Parallels MDM Server enables you to deploy and enroll new Mac computers in SCCM using the Apple Device Enrollment Program. This component must be installed on a server located in DMZ. I will not be covering this role in this series.
Now that we have all our roles installed I’ll be taking a look, in Part 4, at how we can licence Parallels, discover Macs in the environment and get the Parallels Mac client installed on a device.
Parallels Desktop 13 for Mac was released a few months ago, and since then I've been using it to run Windows, Linux, Mac and even Android virtual machines on my 27-inch iMac. Parallels has been making great strides in providing a top virtualization tool since the first days of Intel Macs, and this 13th iteration adds a few features and hones performance.
New Features
A lot of MacBook Pros with Touch Bar have been sold in the past year or so, and it's not surprising that Parallels decided to add Touch Bar support to Parallels Desktop 13. The Touch Bar support is integrated with Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint for Windows, as well as a handful of browsers including Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge. Elements that are pinned in the Windows Task Bar show up in the Touch Bar along with buttons for Cortana, Task View and settings. Other Touch Bar actions can be customized for just about any Windows app running in Parallels Desktop 13.
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In an upcoming release of Windows 10, Microsoft will launch the 'People Bar' that allows users to pin contacts to the Task Bar. Parallels Desktop will support that by allowing users to add favorite contacts to the Mac Dock.
Another new feature is Picture-in-Picture view, which makes small windows of active virtual machines that are always visible, even if a Mac app is in Full Screen Mode. This can be very useful if you're using a Windows VM for streaming or running a process that you need to keep an eye on.
A Windows 10 VM along with three other operating systems in PIP mode.
Parallels noted that the Business Edition of Parallels Desktop 13 for Mac now has a Single Application mode in which admins can deliver an 'invisible' Windows VM to a user's Mac Dock that has selected apps pre-installed. The user doesn't even have to know that the Windows app(s) are running in a VM.
As you'd expect, Parallels also improved the performance of Desktop 13. External Thunderbolt SSDs now respond at near native speeds, snapshots of VMs using a lot of memory happen up to 50 percent faster, working with Windows files on a Mac is now up to 47 percent faster, and even USB devices perform up to 40 percent faster. Finally, Parallels Desktop 13 appears to work better with Retina displays in scaled mode, with transitions and the sharpness of text and graphics being much improved over the previous version.
Hands-On With Parallels Desktop 13 for Mac
The process of creating a new VM for just about any operating system is getting easier with each successive version of Parallels Desktop. When setting up a Windows 10 VM, you don't even need to have a license; you can purchase one from Microsoft during setup. Of course, it's possible to install Windows from an image file or DVD, or even transfer it from a PC you're replacing to a Mac VM.
Parallels For Mac Support
The Parallels Desktop 13 control center shown with a large variety of operating systems.
Need to run a specialized app in another OS? Parallels includes a bunch of free systems, including the Windows 10 Development Environment, the Modern.IE Test Environment, your existing macOS installation (which is installed from the Recovery Partition), and Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS, Mint and Debian GNU Linux. As mentioned earlier, Parallels Desktop 13 can even be used to set up an Android VM.
Since the release of macOS High Sierra, I've been running betas of new versions under Desktop 13, and it's stable and fast. One thing I don't personally use that's part of Parallels Desktop 13 is the Toolbox. That's a collection of over 30 utilities for the Mac, and most of them are redundant so I don't even think about installing it.
On today's higher-powered Macs -- especially those with a lot of RAM -- VMs run very quickly, even when you're running graphics-intensive apps. Parallels Desktop 13 can optimize VM settings automatically for the fastest possible virtual environment by selecting either productivity, games, design or development. It tweaks memory, graphics and other settings to make it run at peak performance.
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The update to Parallels Desktop 13 from earlier versions 11 and 12 is just $49.99 regardless if you're a 'student' or a full power user. A new license is $79.99 for students and home use, or $99.99 per year for the power users.
The Bottom Line
If you need to run other operating systems on a Mac, Parallels Desktop is still the way to go. It's reasonably-priced, fast, and includes the wonderful Parallels Access remote access capability for remotely controlling a Mac.