AssetCacheLocatorUtil(8) BSD System Manager's Manual AssetCacheLocatorUtil(8)
NAME
AssetCacheLocatorUtil -- Utility for reporting Caching Server information
SYNOPSIS
AssetCacheLocatorUtil [-j|--json]
DESCRIPTION
AssetCacheLocatorUtil reports information related to macOS Server caching
servers running on the computer or on the local network.
Some of the information that AssetCacheLocatorUtil reports depends on the
current network configuration, and on the user running it. It might pro-
duce different results for different users, on different client devices,
or on different networks. Applications that use caching servers might
choose ones other than the ones AssetCacheLocatorUtil reports due to fac-
tors beyond its knowledge, such as iCloud affinity.
AssetCacheLocatorUtil reports the following information separately for
system daemons and for the current user:
Availability hint
The system can temporarily save a hint about whether or not
there might be caching server(s) on the computer or on the
local network. AssetCacheLocatorUtil prints that saved
hint if it is available.
Saved servers
The system can temporarily save information about caching
server(s) it has previously found on the computer or on the
local network. AssetCacheLocatorUtil prints that saved
information if it is available.
Refreshed servers
AssetCacheLocatorUtil forces the system to search for
caching server(s) on the computer and on the local network
and to refresh the saved information above. It then prints
the results.
Public IP address ranges
If your network administrator has configured public IP
address ranges in DNS, which the system uses when looking
up caching servers, AssetCacheLocatorUtil prints those
ranges.
AssetCacheLocatorUtil then reports the reachability status of all of the
caching servers it found. If the computer cannot communicate with a
caching server over the local network then it cannot request files from
that caching server. However, just because the computer can "ping" a
caching server does not imply that that caching server will serve
requests sent from this computer.
The --json option prints the results in machine-parseable JSON format to
stdout.
WARNINGS
AssetCacheLocatorUtil also reports warnings about potential issues it
discovers.
The Apple cloud service with which caching servers register limits the
number of caching servers on a network. This limit can change at any
time. If a larger number of caching servers are available on a network
than the cloud allows, client devices might not always choose the "best"
server. AssetCacheLocatorUtil warns when it detects this possibility.
The number of caching servers available on a network can be reduced by
changing the permissions of some of the caching servers, using Server >
Caching > Edit Permissions... > Cache content for clients connecting
from:.
AssetCacheLocatorUtil also warns when it detects caching servers with
different ranks. The exact value and meaning of each rank is defined by
the Apple cloud service with which caching servers register, and can
change at any time, but each client device will use only the caching
servers with the lowest-numbered rank available to it. A caching
server's rank can be changed by adjusting its network permissions, using
Server > Caching > Edit Permissions... > Cache content for clients
connecting from:. A caching server on the same computer as the client
always has the lowest-numbered rank.
Having caching servers in different ranks can be intentional or acciden-
tal, depending on your organization. AssetCacheLocatorUtil warns about
mixed ranks in case it is accidental. An example of an intentional use
of mixed ranks is when a school has a caching server with its permissions
set to only local subnets and the school's district office has another
caching server with its permissions set to all networks. Client devices
in the school will always use the school's caching server. Client
devices in a different school in the same district will always use the
district's caching server.
Every caching server should have a unique GUID. AssetCacheLocatorUtil
warns when it finds caching servers in your organization with duplicate
GUIDs. A caching server's GUID can be changed by stopping the caching
server, running the following command in Terminal, and then restarting
it: sudo serveradmin settings caching:ServerGUID = `uuidgen`
Another issue about which AssetCacheLocatorUtil warns is when public IP
address ranges are configured but the client device's public IP address
is not in the configured ranges. This could prevent the device from
using your organization's caching servers. To configure public IP
address ranges use Server > Caching > Edit Permissions... > Serve clients
with public addresses: and set DNS TXT records appropriately.
macOS November 9, 2017 macOS
Mac OS X 10.13.1 - Generated Thu Nov 9 16:35:17 CST 2017