Apple Device Management - DDM Configurations

What

Device Declarative Management (DDM) is Apple’s modern approach to device management, introduced to enhance and eventually replace traditional Mobile Device Management (MDM) protocols. With FileWave 15.5, support for DDM configurations is now available, allowing administrators to manage Apple devices more efficiently. DDM shifts some management logic to the device, enabling it to proactively apply configurations and report status updates, reducing server load and improving scalability.

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DDM options will be gradually extended over following FileWave versions, gradually providing a broader scope of offerings.  The screenshots in this KB are from FileWave 16.x

When/Why

Implement DDM Configurations in FileWave 15.5 when you aim to:

This is particularly useful for organizations managing numerous devices, seeking to optimize performance and reduce overhead.

DDM Assets & Configurations are supported on devices running the following versions and above: iOS 15, iPadOS 15, macOS 12 Monterey.

How

To create and use Configurations in FileWave 15.5:

  1.  Create a Configuration:
    • Create a new Fileset and pick DDM Configuration from the Apple section. 

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  2. Configure the Configuration:
    • Pick the desired Configuration
  3. Reference a DDM Asset in DDM Configurations:
    • Some Configurations can reference Apple Device Management - DDM Assets. An example is the Account: CalDAV Configuration which can be fed credentials from a DDM Asset (configured with the DDM Asset Editor)

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  4. Automatic Dependency Handling:
    • When a configuration references an Asset, FileWave automatically manages the Asset as a dependency.
    • Deploying the configuration will also deploy the associated Asset to the target devices.
  5. Deploy to Devices:
    • Assign the configurations to your devices or device groups.
    • Monitor the deployment to ensure that devices receive both the configuration and the associated Assets.

Fileset Status

Unlike Profiles, DDM configurations are deployed with one single DDM command, meaning the Client Info > Command History tab will not show individual events per DDM configuration delivered.

Likewise, when viewing the installed Profiles on a device, the DMM Configurations will not show as Profiles, but, instead, within the FileWave MDM Configuration Profile.  Accessing the Profile list from Settings of a device, open the FileWave MDM Configuration Profile and scroll down to Device Declarations:

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In the above example, opening Global Settings should reflect the settings delivered by Apple DDM Configuration Filesets.  For example:

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Digging Deeper

Declarative Device Management (DDM) represents a significant evolution in Apple’s device management strategy:

Key Benefits:

By embracing DDM configurations in FileWave 15.5, organizations can achieve a more efficient, scalable, and responsive device management system that meets the demands of modern IT environments.

Conflicting Payloads:

Apple have not provided any alternate information, from MDM Payloads, regarding the experience if two DDM configurations are applied to control the same feature, but with differing settings.  Please consider the following:

For what it is worth, testing the conflict between MDM and DDM for a restriction provided the following result:

In would be sensible to avoid conflicts where possible, rather than rely on a tested experience.


Revision #13
Created 7 October 2024 13:36:32 by Josh Levitsky
Updated 9 April 2025 14:23:01 by Sean Holden