tethered-caching(8) BSD System Manager's Manual tethered-caching(8)
NAME
tethered-caching -- control tethered caching
SYNOPSIS
tethered-caching [-b] [-n 192.168.(1-254).0]
tethered-caching -k
tethered-caching -l
tethered-caching -s [-v]
DESCRIPTION
In its first form, tethered-caching creates a tethered network, starts a
caching service, and prepares all tethered iOS devices to use that net-
work and caching service. The caching service in macOS Server is config-
ured and started if macOS Server is installed on this computer; otherwise
the tethered-caching service is configured and started. tethered-caching
then monitors the status of tethered caching until it is interrupted (via
Control+c or SIGTERM), at which point it turns tethered caching off.
tethered-caching prevents the computer from idle-sleeping until it exits.
The -b option disables the monitoring and idle-sleep prevention. Teth-
ered caching will run until turned off by running: tethered-caching -k.
The -n option specifies which subnet to use, instead of choosing an
unused one automatically.
In its second form (-k), tethered-caching disables the tethered network
and caching.
In its third form (-l), tethered-caching displays its software license
agreement.
In its fourth form (-s), tethered-caching reports the status of tethering
and caching. The -v option reports detailed status about the caching
service.
REQUIREMENTS
The tethered-caching command requires administrator privileges. All iOS
devices must have iOS 10.3 or later installed. The Mac must have macOS
10.12.4 or later installed. The Mac must be connected to the Internet
via wired Ethernet. A portable Mac should be plugged in to a power
source, because tethered-caching prevents it from going to sleep.
EXAMPLES
Start the tethered-caching service:
sudo tethered-caching
Start the tethered-caching service and assign a specific network range to
the iOS devices:
sudo tethered-caching -n 192.168.5.0
View tethered-caching service configuration data and downloads:
sudo tethered-caching -s
To stop the tethered-caching service, do one of the following:
sudo tethered-caching -k
Press Control+c
Quit Terminal
USAGE
1. Connect the Mac to one of the following via USB:
- a cart capable of connecting and storing iOS devices
- a USB hub capable of connecting several iOS devices
2. If using a cart or USB hub, connect all iOS devices.
3. Start the tethered-caching service.
The tethered-caching service is now active. If you are using a mobile
device management (MDM) solution with your iOS devices, you can now use
that solution to push content to the devices. Depending on your Internet
connection, caching updates and apps may take some time.
SEE ALSO
AssetCache(8), AssetCacheActivatorUtil(8), AssetCacheLocatorUtil(8),
AssetCacheTetheratorUtil(8)
HISTORY
tethered-caching service
macOS 10.12.4 contains a new service that enables a Mac to cache
- iOS updates
- iOS apps
- Books
- iCloud content
To learn more about what types of iOS content the caching service sup-
ports, see the Apple Support article https://support.apple.com/HT204675 .
Once the tethered-caching service is enabled, iOS devices connected to
the Mac via USB can have content installed via mobile device management
(MDM) without each device needing to connect to Apple's servers. The
content is downloaded once to the Mac and cached before it is delivered
over USB to each of the connected iOS devices for installation. This
saves time, local Wi-Fi, and bandwidth when using a cart or USB hub and
updating several devices at once, compared to each device updating indi-
vidually over Wi-Fi. It is particularly useful for installing many large
apps while preparing devices for the beginning of a new semester or
school year.
macOS Server caching service
macOS Server also has a caching service which can be configured for more
granular control. However, both services cannot be active at the same
time. When you download the Server app in the /Applications folder for
the caching service, the tethered caching service will automatically
stop. In order to start using the caching service, you must also config-
ure the Server app with administrator privileges before turning it on.
If you would like to use the tethered caching service once again, you
must first move the Server app to the Trash.
The tethered-caching service in macOS 10.12.4 and the caching service in
macOS Server use different binaries and different configuration files.
To learn more about the caching service in macOS Server, see
https://help.apple.com/serverapp/mac/ and select Speed Up App Store and
iCloud downloads from the topic list.
macOS November 5, 2017 macOS
Mac OS X 10.12.6 - Generated Sun Nov 5 16:39:46 CST 2017