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View Live Logs for Apple Devices

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Debug MDM client Logs

For several troubleshooting scenarios, it is useful to perform a live trace of the built-in Mobile Device Management client logs on Apple devices. The process for reviewing the logs is straightforward. Using Console application on macOS devices, you can trace the mdmclient logs for iOS, iPadOS, and on the macOS device itself. This helps to identify several issues like problems with application installations and many others and case be very useful to get an idea of what is the root cause. This guide assumes you have a macOS device and if you want to view logs for iPhones or iPads on a Windows device, you can use third-party applications like iTools.

Start and Attach Device

  • Start your macOS device and log in with your credentials
  • If you want to log the MDM client on a macBook, you can proceed directly with Start Console
  •  If you want to log the MDM client on an iPhone or iPad, connect the device to the macBook via USB
    • Confirm any prompts (Trust This Computer) to let the device pair with your macBook
    • If you don't see the prompt on the device launch Finder, select the device in the locations pane and try clicking Trust
    • If you see that pairing is prevented in the Finder, make sure you have not set a Restriction to prohibit pairing, e.g. Allow Host Pairing
    • You might also have disabled the Allow Pairing setting when the devices were enrolled with the Device Enrollment Program, which now prevents pairing. In this case, you must wipe the device and re-enroll it with the Device Enrollment Program. This setting has been deprecated since iOS 13, but your device may have been enrolled  with iOS 13 and the time, so keep this in mind. 
    • Continue with Start Console

Start Console

  • Press Launchpad and search for Console 
  • Open the Console application

Start Logging

  • Ensure that in the left Panel your target Device is selected
  • Now press the Start button
  • Press the Now button to follow the newest events that are logged
  • Now all captured logs will be visible
  • In search field, type now mdm to set a filter and press Enter

Additional useful filters are InstallApplication, Appstore, Xcode, or the bundle identifier of an application

Execute Action

  • Login to your Silverback Management Console as an Administrator
  • Locate the device in the Device Overview and try to reproduce the issue by executing the desired action like: 
    • Press Refresh
    • Assign or remove a Tag
    • Install an Application via the Managed Application overview

Review Logs 

  • Wait a few moments and then press in the Console Pause
  • Review now the logs to identify entries that might be corresponding to your issue

Examples

The following example shows an entry, that was found when Enterprise Applications were not installed. In this case, an incorrect *.plist was used that contained incorrect application hashes: 

The next example shows an entry, that tells you to check the package signature of the package that you are trying to install: 

Export Logs

  • Select the desired entries and press the Share button. 
  • Press e.g. Mail to copy the log entries to an E-Mail 
  • Another option is to select the entries and press command + C and paste them into an Text file opened with TextEdit

Disclaimer

Any links to third-party software available on this website are provided “as is” without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied and such software is to be used at your own risk.