Apple Silicon Native Client Support and Rosetta

What

FileWave Client 14.8 and later runs natively on Apple Silicon Macs and does not require Rosetta 2 for the Client itself.

Rosetta remains available through macOS 27. Apple's Intel-app support warnings concern future compatibility. Beginning with macOS 28, Rosetta functionality is limited to certain older, unmaintained games that rely on Intel-based frameworks. Plan native replacements for business applications and dependencies; do not interpret the warning as Rosetta being removed in macOS 27. See Apple's Rosetta support guidance and the FileWave Intel-app and Rosetta advisory.

Prior FileWave client installers were for Intel only and relied on the PKG installer to install Rosetta 2 for compatibility with Apple Silicon Macs.  Rosetta 2 will not be disabled on clients that already have Rosetta 2 enabled.  Since newly enrolled clients, starting with 14.8.x+, will not install Rosetta 2, any other software requiring Rosetta 2 will require a Fileset to install Rosetta 2.

Note that the Administrator app still requires Rosetta 2.

When/Why

Native Apple Silicon support applies to the processor architecture, not only to the M1 or M2 chip generations. The universal Client installer includes code for both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs. Check the target FileWave release’s platform requirements for supported macOS versions; architecture support alone does not establish compatibility with every Mac or OS release.

How

Use the installer or upgrade path that matches the FileWave Server and existing Client versions:

• New Client on Server 16.4.0 or later: Build the custom macOS enrollment package in FileWave Central, under Preferences > Enrollment > macOS in 16.4.1 and later, or Preferences > Mobile > macOS in 16.4.0. Follow Build Custom FileWave Client and Booster Installers.
• New Client on a Server earlier than 16.4.0: Use custom.filewave.com for the custom PKG. Native Apple-silicon Client support begins with FileWave Client 14.8; this version boundary does not change the Server-specific package-building workflow.
• Existing Client 16.3.0 or later, with Server and Central 16.4.0 or later: Use Software Updates > Client Upgrades, not a custom enrollment PKG or Upgrade Fileset.
• Existing Client earlier than 16.3.0: Use the applicable Upgrade Fileset to reach at least 16.3.0, then use integrated upgrades when the Server and Central are also at least 16.4.0. Earlier Server versions continue to use their release-specific upgrade procedure.

See Upgrading FileWave Clients for eligibility, rollout controls, and the older-client Upgrade Fileset bridge. A native FileWave Client does not remove Rosetta requirements from other applications, plug-ins, or helper tools.

Enable Rosetta 2

The example below is for Apple-silicon Macs running macOS 11 through 27 when Rosetta is needed for Intel-based software. Do not assume that installing Rosetta on macOS 28 or later restores general Intel-app compatibility; Apple limits its functionality beginning with that release.

Below is an example of a script that could be used to enable Rosetta 2 through FileWave if still required for other software like the FileWave Administrator app:

#!/bin/zsh

# Determine OS version
osvers=$(sw_vers -productVersion)

# Check to see if macOS is 11 or greater
if [ ${osvers%%.*} -ge 11 ]; then
  # Check processor type
  processor=$(/usr/bin/uname -p)
  if [[ "$processor" != "arm" ]]; then
    echo "$(date) processor: ${processor}. No need to install Rosetta."
  else
    # Check if Rosetta process is running and instal if not found,
    # perform a non-interactive install of Rosetta.
    if [[ ! $(/usr/bin/pgrep -x oahd) ]]; then
        /usr/sbin/softwareupdate --install-rosetta --agree-to-license
        if [[ $? -eq 0 ]]; then
                echo "$(date) Rosetta has been successfully installed."
        else
                echo "$(date) Rosetta installation failed!"
                exitcode=1
        fi
    else
        echo "$(date) Rosetta already installed. Nothing to do."
    fi
  fi
  else
    echo "$(date) Mac is running macOS $osvers"    
    echo "$(date) No need to install Rosetta on this version of macOS."
fi 

exit 0 

Here is a Fileset that uses the above example script: Install Rosetta 2.fileset.zip