macOS v1.7.4
Download the current macOS file forwarder, version 1.7.4, and the three configuration profiles a managed Mac needs alongside it.
Version 1.7.4 is the current macOS file forwarder. One signed package covers Intel and Apple silicon. On a managed Mac you need the three configuration profiles below as well as the package, because macOS will not let the forwarder read files or load its system extension without them.
Release notes: macOS Forwarder 1.7.4.
What do I download?
| File | What it is | Download |
|---|---|---|
| Forwarder package | The forwarder itself, version 1.7.4 | InceptionForwarder-1.7.4.1493.pkg |
| Forwarder settings profile | Supplies the forwarder's configuration | Stairwell Forwarder Settings.mobileconfig |
| System extension policy profile | Approves the system extension so the user is not prompted | Stairwell Forwarder Removable SysExt.mobileconfig |
| Privacy preferences profile | Grants the full disk access the forwarder needs to read files | Stairwell Forwarder Privacy Preferences.mobileconfig |
Use these profiles rather than building your own equivalents. They already carry the identifiers macOS matches on, and a profile that is almost right grants nothing at all.
What does 1.7.4 require?
| Requirement | Criteria |
|---|---|
| Hardware | Intel or Apple silicon |
| Operating system | macOS 11 or later |
| Management | The three configuration profiles above, delivered by your MDM |
| Network | Outbound connectivity to Stairwell, confirmed with Pre-Deployment Check |
Why do the profiles matter so much?
Because a forwarder without them fails silently, and silence is the hardest failure to attribute.
Install the package on a managed Mac with no privacy preferences profile and the forwarder starts, registers, appears in the Assets view with a healthy check-in, and collects nothing. Nothing errors. The asset looks covered and is not. That is the same shape of failure the connectivity check exists to catch on the network side, which is why it is worth naming here rather than in a footnote.
Two sequencing notes:
- Deliver the profiles before or alongside the package. A system extension that has already been blocked once needs the approval and a restart, rather than only the approval.
- The profiles are versioned separately from the forwarder. A forwarder upgrade does not normally mean pushing them again.
How do I confirm the install worked?
- The machine appears under Assets with a recent check-in. See Assets.
- Sightings start arriving for it. On macOS this is the step that catches a missing privacy preferences profile, because check-ins alone do not prove the forwarder can read anything.
- The asset is in the environment you intended. See Environments.
- Collection is tuned for these machines through their group's policy. See Asset Configuration.
If check-ins arrive and sightings do not, go to macOS Forwarder Troubleshooting, which starts with the profiles and includes how to collect a debug bundle for support.
What should I read next?
- Forwarder Downloads, for the current forwarder on the other platforms.
- macOS Forwarder Troubleshooting, for permissions, the system extension, and anti-tamper.
- Download Center, for everything else Stairwell ships.
Updated 10 days ago