ADE Troubleshooting

Apple Automated Device Enrollment (ADE), formerly known as DEP, lets organizations assign iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV devices to an MDM server before users start Setup Assistant. Use this page to confirm the expected ADE path and isolate common enrollment failures.

Correct ADE Workflow

1. Device activates with Apple (see ports: Default TCP and UDP Port Usage)
   1. Device is not in ADE - Apple responds with done - Setup Assistant skips enrollment
   2. Device is in ADE - Apple responds with enrollment ownership info
2. Apple sends the ADE profiles to the device (See: Working with Apple’s Automated Device Enrollment (ADE))
3. Device installs the ADE profile, then contacts the FileWave MDM server
4. Device completes MDM enrollment
5. For macOS, MDM can then install the native FileWave Client if a correctly configured enrollment package is ready on the Server. ADE/MDM enrollment and native Client installation are separate checks.

Things to test

Check the assignment before testing the network

Match the device serial number in Apple School Manager or Apple Business Manager with the device in FileWave. Confirm that it is assigned to the intended FileWave management service, that the ADE account synchronizes successfully, and that the intended ADE profile assignment has been synchronized to Apple before activation. See Apple ADE Enrollment for the assignment and synchronization steps. An assigned profile is not proof that the device completed MDM enrollment.

For a Mac that completes MDM enrollment but never checks in with the native Client, check the enrollment package separately. Follow Build Custom FileWave Client and Booster Installers for your Server version and confirm package readiness before a new enrollment. Do not erase the device or change fleet assignment rules merely to diagnose a missing Client.

Check the connectivity

• Check the Default TCP and UDP Port Usage KB article for the needed ports.

You can download a FileWave port testing tool from https://supportresources.filewave.com/

• Put a test device, such as a laptop, on the same Wi-Fi network used for enrollment.
• Try enrolling iOS/iPadOS devices over Ethernet or a mobile hotspot to see whether the normal network is blocking required traffic.

You can connect supported iPhone or iPad devices to Ethernet with:

• Apple's "Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter" (the one with a female USB and another lightning port)
• Apple's "Apple USB Ethernet Adapter"
• A USB charger supplying 2+ amps of power

Plug in the device and make sure you get a link light.

Check the profile

Because ADE profiles are stored with Apple for assigned devices, FileWave cannot automatically add newly available options to profiles that already exist. If you recently upgraded FileWave, create a new ADE profile and update your automatic assignment rules (Automatically Assign ADE profiles). Do not duplicate an existing profile.