Service configuration files are new declarative configuration that Apple supports for macOS 14+ devices that have DDM enabled. This configuration allows admins to configure and manage system services on macOS such as sshd, sudo, bash, zsh, etc. See Apple’s documentation for more information on Service Configurations.
To deploy a service configuration to a device:
- Make sure the target Macs are running macOS 14+ and have DDM enabled.
- Go to Configs > Profiles and click “Create Profile”.
- From the list, select “Service Configuration File”.
- In the “Service” dropdown, select one of the predefined services, or select “Other” to specify a different service. When selecting “Other”, you will need to enter the service identifier which should have a format like “com.apple.sshd”.
- Upload the service configuration file. This should be a zip archive with the directory - this can contain one or many files and should mirror the layout of the directory it replaces.
- Click “Save” when you are done and assign the configuration to your devices.
Testing service configuration files
- Once assigned and installed on a device, you can check System Settings > General > Device Management > click top-level MDM profile (account name) > Device Declarations > Profile Name to verify the configuration was applied.
